I keep hearing/reading that people are going away from the run flat tires. I did a little research, but didn't really find a definitive answer. The question I have is...is the only value lower price or is there some performance reason as well?

 

The ride is harsher with runflat tires because of their thicker sidewalls and they are heavier which affects the ride quality.

The thicker sidewalls do improve handling, helping MINIs to have that "go kart handling"

I didn't ditch my stock runflats, I wore them out before I replaced them with non-runflat tires. They were a lot cheaper than runflat tires, which was the main reason I went with regular tires. I don't notice much difference in performance between the two. The ride is a little quieter with the non-runflats.

 

The reason you have runflat tires is so if you have a sudden "loss of air" issue with your tires, you can still run up to a certain speed with them until you can get them replaced. Note that I stated "replaced" as opposed to "repaired".

The reason car companies like this is because they don't have to include a spare tire in your car and, theoretically, your car can be lighter by the weight of the spare tire. It is only theoretical because the runflat tires are generally heavier than regular non-runflat tires.

Runflat tires are generally tires that have thick sidewalls. The sidewalls are think enough to support the weight of the car. Kind of like having solid tires as opposed to tires filled with air. Once you have had to run on those sidewalls, however, the support structure will have been compromised and your car dealer will not fix them. You need to replace the tire. However, most of us older generation MINI owners who have had this situation would have repaired some by plugging the hole from the inside of the tire. You need to dismount the tire off the wheel and patch from the inside.

The thicker sidewalls also means you need wheels designed for runflat tires and some tire dealers needed special equipment to mount and dismount them. Earlier generations of runflat tires had the sidewall beads so hard that they didn't seal properly with the wheel and had air leak out in the course of normal driving.

So...the advantage of runflat tires...

No need to carry a spare tire. You can keep driving if you get a puncture.
Less chance of a full on blow out.

Disadvantages
Each tire is heavier than their non-runflat cousins
The seal to the wheels is less reliable
The sidewalls are sometimes too stiff for normal driving
They are more expensive than non runflat tires
They are less likely to be repairable once you have had an issue.


You have to weigh your own situation. Anytime you get into a car, you are taking a risk. In the case of deciding on runflat tires, you have to ask yourself, what are the risks of getting a flat in the first place and getting it in a place where you should not be changing a tire?

In my case, my MINI had a flat tire situation on the runflat tires 4 times in the 2 years I had them. At that time, the MINI dealer tried to sell me $2000 of tire insurance and the tires cost $600 (CDN) each. I opted to repair them at a private tire dealer instead of buying new tires every time. After the 4th one, I went to regular non-runflats and have never had a flat tire since. Seems the harder sidewalls also meant the tread surface is less compliant so nails or sharp objects penetrated the tire more easily. The ride is also smoother and more quiet.

Other people's situations may be different than mine, but I think Runflat technology has a way to go still. Current generation tires may be better than what I had, but I don't think I'm going back for a awhile yet.

 

The reason I ditched them was for better ride and handling. My track time was so much better. Once the runrocks got hot the car understeers like a mother. Getting rid of the run flats changed the car for the better. Runrocks handle and ride like garbage. Price is just a bonus.

 

runflats are essentially a safety item IMO, altho the reason they are appearing IS a weight issue (MPG). IMO but they have NOT won the war. My ST came with a "full size spare" . but I digress . . .

When driving my MINI, Mrs had a "flat" on I-95 and with RF's was able to continue driving to an exit and pull into a service center rather than being on the shoulder of 95 waiting for help. We have AAA but it would take an optimistic minimum of 30 minutes for them to arrive ....

I have a friend who's wife hit something and "flattened" two tires on one side ... but cuz of RFs was able to drive home rather than being stuck on the side of the road.

RF's are not the best track or autocross tires .... {DUH} ... but do note that there are performance RFs and all season RFs .... if you want to track an RF is certainly NOT what you want to look at.

{I don't track or a/c but find it curious that some complain about a particular tire for having a soft sidewall that rolls too easily while also denigrating RFs for their very stiff sidewalls .. .}

If you decide to remove the RF's you must consider the full ramifications and by this I mean who drives the car ....

The alternates to the RFs in a MINI usually include Slime or other sealer, or a plug kit (I like the Dynaplug) and a small pump that runs off the cig' lighter.

When you decide YOU are good with this ... consider ... does your wife or daughter drive the car much? Are they prepared to use this stuff on the side of the highway in the rain?

Now don't dismiss me as an RF lover cuz twice I've ditched RFs for 'regular' tires. Both times for COST .... RFs cost more. But my wife just morphed to being the primary MINI owner in the family while b4 the MINIs were mine. 25,000 miles or so down the road, keeping RF on HER car may be different that what I put on MY car.

 

They're not very helpful if you're far from your destination. If you're more than 50 miles from home, and get a puncture, you're still not going to make it...so you probably would be well served by a plug/slime kit either way. Given that, they don't seem that worth it to me.. in the warmer months at least.

--Matt

 

Thanks for the replies (and for not pouncing on me for what must be an old question). I'm a long way from needing tires, but these explanations give me ammo to work with rather than just a guess.

I have no intentions of ever putting my car on the track. I bought it to drive back and forth to work. It's a 50 mile one way trip (100 miles a day) and the Mini makes it much more fun. I may go to the regular tires when the time comes if it will make for a smoother/quieter ride.

 

If you searched and didn't see a reason....ouch!!
Very few things GOOD have ever been said about runflats....
Loud, heavy, expensive, poor performance in most conditions, limited availability, limited styles, and tread pattern, are just a few reasons that come to mind....
Better then they were when introduced a few years ago, they are still a newer type of tire when you compare them to standard tires with DECADE'S of improvement and research.
Runflats tire users are not quite beta-testers, but also not quite using a mature product....
They are simply not the best in any way, and give up much to get ONE FEATURE...the ability to run a short distance when flat....oh yeah...the tire is then junk...so you need a new one..just like if you don't stop on a REGULAR TIRE.

 

The newer RFs are pretty good and for your driving should be fine.

 

On my 2008 MINI Cooper S, I had runflats and the biggest hassle was finding a shop that would deal with them. I usually ended right back at the MINI dealer when there was an issue. To summarize: runflats make a simple problem complicated.

 

as a MINI (S) owner since 2002 .. all with RFs as original equipment

I have NEVER .... repeat NEVER .... had an issue with a tire store dealing with run flats

alto sometimes they did have to ask for a replacement for the 16 year old who usually ran the tire mounting machine . . . most of the time I went to GOOD tire shops and this was not an issue

if you buy a performance car you should not go to K-Mart for auto service

not saying you did that btw .....

 

I never went to the WalMart Tire Center for issues with my runflats on my 2008 MCS, because I knew that they would not deal with them. The reality is: if you live in a rural area the small shops do not deal with runflats.

It's part of the reason that I did not buy the S model again...I wanted a spare tyre and no runflats. Plus, I will never pay the exorbitant cost for runflats again.

 

Love my RF for daily use. They are way better and a softer nicer ride than my AX set of non RF's. I don't need the extra handling and grip when doing my DDing so for me I would never ditch my RF's.

 

goin2drt,

I'm glad to hear that you're happy with your runflats...perhaps the ride has improved...

 

point well taken...

 

Our RF's on our 12 was a horrible ride. I think they are just better now but I have zero data other than my butt to prove that.

 

In 52 years of driving I have changed a tire at the side of the road once, compared to several times in the morning after they went flat over night. Most times I have stopped at a gas station to add air and continued driving. A compressor is handy for either type of tire. If you keep air in the runflat it can be repaired. If you drive on it flat it is done.

Also, if you get sidewall damage in a runflat you're staying where you are without a spare. I carry a full-sized spare in the trunk of my Roadster no matter which tires are on the road.

 

The OEM runflats on my '08 Mini S gave a truly horrible bumpy ride.
I've run standard tires since, with no flat tires so far.


But... since I'm in the market for some all-season tires presently and am considering runflats again...

you guys who LIKE your current (recently made) runflats...

What brands/models do you have that are both comfortable and durable?

Thank you in advance.

Both of you!

 

Mine are the Pirelli Cinturato

 

Bridgestone RE960AS and Driveguard runflats have good reputations for ride.

 

Thank you guys.

 

no, they are terrible there's a night and day difference in handling when you ditch them for sticky tires

 

I just got new tires because my runflats were basically bald. I went with non RFs due to cost and hearing that they handle much better. The main thing I've noticed is the non RFs are SO MUCH quieter, and they take bumps much better...but at the same time they feel really squishy and less precise.

*Note: I also went from 205s to 215s, so there's more flex in the sidewall too.

 

I noticed no change in the handling, only road noise, between run flats ans non run flats.

 

If you're in "East Awfulgosh" and your runflat is "toast", you're going to have a hard time finding the same tire to get mounted. In all probability, you'll either need to be flat-towed on a roll-back or sit up in a motel to wait for a replacement to be shipped to you. My solution is: conventional tires, a repair kit, small compressor, a cellphone and a AAA Premium card. That should cover most circumstances.