I'm having sticker shock right now...
4, 17 inch run flats will cost me about $1400.

Is this the going price, or has anyone found them cheaper elsewhere in the Milwaukee, WI area?

I have 25,000 miles on my current run flats and don't drive extensively for work. How many miles have you had on your tires before you've needed to get new ones?

 

Well, if you go to TireRack or any of the other online tire shops, you have a lot of choices for 17" runflats in the $200-250 per tire range, plus about another $100 for shipping them to you and having them mounted/balanced.

 

25,000 is more than I get on most of my tires, but I tend to drive....a bit aggressively.

I have ALWAYS purchased my tires from tirerack.com, had them shipped, and mounted/balanced locally.

Tire rack will also point you toward local installers.

I wouldn't buy replacement run-flats, though. You are looking at about $1000 to get runflats, shipped from tirerack, and mounted/balanced locally.

Or you could get something like the kumho ecsta asx all season non runflat, and pay a total of less than $400, and then throw a plug kit and a portable compressor in the car if you are going on a long drive.

You didn't have the dealer quote the tires, did you? If you really want to get the runflats, go to one of the local goodyear places (the one on North Avenue treated me very well) and they'll typically match the tirerack price, and they can do the installation. Just never buy tires from the car dealer....

 

Most of us end up going to regular tires and either carrying a spare or a fix-a-flat can and a compressor.

Runflats are just too darn expensive and they are no more immune to being damaged by road hazards.

Sounds like you would do well with an all-season/performance tire. Lots of good ones available for less than half the price of runflats.

 

Funny story - my parents bought a new Cadillac in 1985 that had the self-sealing tires. Shortly after getting the car, they picked up a nail in one of the tires. Pulled the nail out, the hole sealed over, and everything was good. Then a few months later, they picked up a screw in almost the exact same spot, but the tire still self-sealed as advertised. Less than a month after that, they picked up another nail in the same spot on the tire. You could have covered all three holes with a quarter!

That was all the tire could take, and it couldn't self-seal the last hole. They had to replace the tire after less than six months on the car, and those self-sealing "goldlines" weren't cheap.

 

Do you need an all season runflat for your area or do you change to winter tires?

A search at tirerack.com shows
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...tOnly&x=70&y=8

The reasonably priced runflats are out of stock- contact Alex@tirerack.com for availability.

Some good values (all out of stock)-
Kumho ecsta SPT XRP $132 each 340 treadwear Ultra HP summer tire
Continental ContiProContact SSR $180 400 treadwear (grand touring All Season tire)
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT $206 (Max Performance Summer tire)

If you need an All season non runflat then in Ultra HP tires:
Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season $122 420 treadwear 205/45-17
Avon Tech M550 A/S $99 360 treadwear 205/45-17

 

Last month I decided my tires were bald enough to be replaced after almost 33,000 miles (actually way too bald). I priced the same run flats I already had at Tire Rack at $280 each. Ouch. Found a few other Run Flats cheaper but still around $200 each. For a real laugh you should price the tire at the dealer.

I decided on Kumho Exta ASX non-run-flats for $90 each from Tire Rack and shipped directly to a local installer. Mounting and balancing and such locally was another $100 or so. I added a small compressor, some tire slime and a plug kit to the boot. Much cheaper and the ride is nicer too.

 

I just paid under $400 for a new set of tires. They're Falkens. If you want, talk to my tire guy at bigbeartire.com. If nothing else, he can probably get tires a lot cheaper than IA. And tell him I sent you!

He told me the price of tires has risen lately. But luckily, the price of my tires hadn't gone up since the last time I got them.

Caren

 

go w/ the regular tires and carry a can of goo sealant or the emergency donut spare

 

UPS just dropped off 4 Falken Ziex ZE 912's today from the recent sale at discounttiredirect.com — $236 (shipping included)

 

My wife got 45,000 miles on her stock runflats. We opted for Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons, and a compressor/sealant solution. I had them mounted and balanced at Big Bear Tire in Oconomowoc.

 

i had to purchase front tires for my Mini S with about 20,000 mies on it. After shopping around I found a good price on the goodyear run flats at Praire Tire in Waukesha Wi. they had the tire in stock and were very competitive with tire rakes prices : . By the way, they work with tire rake as well. I am happy with the service at Praire tire, but the place is a bit grimmy, but what the heck, i was there for the price and service all of which was fine. the next set of tires are going to be non run flats.