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Run flat tires

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Which tires did you have? I also had run flats installed accidentally last year and haven't really noticed much of a difference. They are the run flat versions of the regular Primacy's that are standard on the 19" rims.

How does a shop accidentally install run flats? Did they charge you the price of a regular tire? Sounds to me like they 'accidentally' ripped you off.

I've had runflats for years on my BMW, but recently ditched them for regular tires. It's just not worth the extra cost. I bought a donut and tossed that in the trunk.
 
I have Michelin PAX tires on a car. The only good thing about them is that they last a long time. The four tires and wheels weigh about as much as four conventional tires and wheels plus a spare, so you gain some trunk space but that's about it. You don't save time because the effort to get one changed or fixed is going to be far more than getting a standard tire patched. In my case, the nearest place that can handle it, aside from dealerships that want to sell a new wheel and tire assembly, is a 90 minute round trip. Add a couple of hours for them to get the job done and it's a half a day wasted, not to mention $100 to get a simple flat fixed because of the extra work and special equipment. Yes, I can drive there on a "flat" tire, or more likely a leaky one. But the last "flat" I had fixed was on a different car, I was able to pump it up long enough to drive 15 minutes to America's Tire and get it fixed for free.

It's not true that cars don't come with spares these days. I got my daughter a Chevy Cruze in 2013. It came with a spare but the 2012 did not. Apparently, customers didn't like not having a spare. She's gotten at least three flats so far. Two of them were on the same trip, once in each direction.

However, most of the reason for carrying a spare tire is historical. Tires originally didn't last 1000 miles, roads weren't paved and flats were common. If you went on a 200 mile trip, it was a question of how many flat tires you got. These days, flats are relatively rare. There are far more common problems such as lock outs or dead 12V batteries or failed belts or hoses, yet people don't carry spares for any of those. Logically it would make sense to carry the spare parts that are most likely to fail, and the tire isn't it.

Another problem is that the amount of torque for Tesla's specification would make it hard for a typical driver to take off and put on a wheel. It would require carrying a jack, raising a heavy car without damaging the undercarriage or battery, and most customers wouldn't want to do it. Personally, I'd like the option of doing it, or at least of having AAA change my tire so I could drive to a tire shop and have my old one patched, but it wasn't enough to stop me from buying the car and so far I haven't gotten a flat. If I don't get a flat, it will be the first car I've ever owned that didn't get one. It might cost me more over the car's lifetime for towing or paying for AAA dues than it would have cost to buy a spare and a jack, but on the other hand I've had times where I've made use of all of the trunk and frunk space, which wouldn't have been possible had I had a spare tire. It also might cost me less, and if I get a low tire warning, which is more likely than having a sudden complete loss of pressure, I'll probably be able to drive to the nearest tire shop to have it fixed, or at least pump it up before going there.
 
I have Michelin PAX tires on a car. The only good thing about them is that they last a long time. The four tires and wheels weigh about as much as four conventional tires and wheels plus a spare, so you gain some trunk space but that's about it. You don't save time because the effort to get one changed or fixed is going to be far more than getting a standard tire patched. In my case, the nearest place that can handle it, aside from dealerships that want to sell a new wheel and tire assembly, is a 90 minute round trip. Add a couple of hours for them to get the job done and it's a half a day wasted, not to mention $100 to get a simple flat fixed because of the extra work and special equipment. Yes, I can drive there on a "flat" tire, or more likely a leaky one. But the last "flat" I had fixed was on a different car, I was able to pump it up long enough to drive 15 minutes to America's Tire and get it fixed for free.

Any decent tire shop should be able to patch-plug a runflat same as any other tire. A dishonest shop may charge you more because they claim its special. My local NTB charges like $20 and it doesn't take long.

Another problem is that the amount of torque for Tesla's specification would make it hard for a typical driver to take off and put on a wheel.

A decent size breaker bar and my wife has no problem taking off the Tesla lug nuts.
 
You might wish to read up on Michelin PAX system. They indeed did/do require very specialized equipment.

It's "do" and not "did." The wheel itself has a special core, and there's a special gel pack that needs to be used whenever a tire is changed. It requires special equipment to remove and install the tire because if it. It's not a matter of having a bit of flexibility and a tire that's slightly smaller in diameter in the inside than the lip of the wheel. The tires aren't even symmetrical, and the diameters of the inside and outside openings aren't the same. If you look at the tire size, it won't look like a standard tire size specification and you can't get standard tires to go on a PAX wheel. You would need to replace all your wheels if you didn't want PAX tires any more.
 
I have run flats on my Mercedes E-class. The ride is definitely harsher and they don't wear very well. After about 20K miles they wear on the inside edge. My understanding is that the sidewalls are much stiffer and the sidewall to the contact patch is where they get the most wear.

That said, I did get a flat out in the sticks one time and drove on it for about 20 miles to tire shop where they repaired the tire. I then drove home on it at 70mph for about 100mi with no problems. I got home and found another nail through the sidewall (in/out like a piercing) of the another tire and since they were about due to be replaced, decided it was a sign to replace them ASAP.

Depending on where you drive, I think the combination of TPMS, repair kit and roadside assistance is the better choice.
 
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my take on it is.... I've replaced my runlets with normal tires on my 911 and previous X5... my wife's car, 3-series however has runflats and i'll never put anything but on it purely for the peace of mind that I don't have to deal with jumping up when she has a flat or dealing with her being in a bad mood waiting for roadside assistance... with runlets I pay the extra $100 buck for road hazard protection through firestone and tell her to just drive it on home where I go and drop it off and they replace the runlet tire for free.... has paid for itself many times over in lack of headaches alone...

That being said, in my MS and the 911, I just have a small compressor and a tire plug kit that so I can just fix the issue on the side of the road and be on my way within half an hour
 
Run-flat tires are THE GREATEST!

And the reason is....

....because that minimal-give rubber transmits so much of the shock from the pothole or road detritus or what-have-you directly to the expensive forged aluminum rim, that it is that which shatters instead.

So - happyhappyhappy is your friendly BMW dealer cuz you're their newest bestest friend.

Lesson: Unless you're constantly running the Denali or Dalton or Dempster Highways - all more pothole and frost-heave than anything smooth, with repair shops eight hours or more away, AND you're in your F-450, steel-wheeled pickup, do NOT buy run-flats.

This is so true. I live in New England, and we get tons of potholes due to the winter weather.

With my BMW I've destroyed several runflat tires (10) and wheels due to potholes over the past 5 years. Never had so many tire/wheel troubles. Prior to this car, I had one flat with my Audi (which I replaced myself because I HAD A SPARE), one flat with my 300ZX, and that's it.

It's big money to fix. On the plus side, being new to the technology I bought tire and wheel insurance from BMW. It paid for itself many times over.

And as others have mentioned, they ride hard.

NEVER EVER will I buy a car with runflats again.

A spare, however, is very much welcome.
 
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Came across this cause i was curious if anyone uses RFTs. Wow, so many miss-information and bad opinions here... I'll throw my 2c...

I have 2013 BMW 528i with runflats (aka SSR or MOE) and i have nothing against them. Love piece of mind.
I've never put regular tires but car rides better than any other i've owned and quiet too. Its all about the design and those Germans got it right :)
Yes, RFTs are heavier due to thick sidewall design but my car still gets 25mpg so its not noticeable on ICE car and i don't care lol
I drove on flat few times and it did its job well as intended till i get to place to fix it. I've also used plugs few times just as any other tire.
Inner wear?? its not due to RFTs, all BMW/mercedeses and some others use heavy negative camber for handling in the back that wears any tire...
Price?? i buy used RFTs (~7-9/32nds) mostly and they run same price as regular, i'm on 3rd set already, each set lasted 50k btw (interpolated for used).
Potholes?? i have 140k+ and all my wheels are still straight. If you're hitting potholes that damage your wheels with RFT then i'm pretty sure you'll just cut right through regular tire driving like that lol

Getting a flat is rare but its a gamble... I've had no flats for like 8 years then got 2 in few months and one was on my Jeeps LT245/75R16 tire...

Now as for Tesla, i don't blame them for not including spare for many reasons as y'all mentioned.
I'm definitely will throw plug kit and compressor for cheap insurance. Maybe donut spare for long trips...
Regarding slime, not sure what kind is teslas but the ones in stores are seriously frowned upon by tire shops, I've had multiple times shops refusing to service a tire that was filled with Fix-o-flat... so i'd be cautious.

Also, i believe RFTs need to have a small lip on inside of the rim to keep it in place when it has no air so don't think you can just put them on a regular rims...
Tire shops however have no issues mounting/dismounting runflats, at least in my experience.
 
Came across this cause i was curious if anyone uses RFTs. Wow, so many miss-information and bad opinions here... I'll throw my 2c...
There is no miss-information here. You're certainly entitled to your opinion. But don't go saying we're all wrong and you're right. Google it. You will consistantly see "Harsh Riding" and "Noisy" as cons. Tesla's have a tendency to be harsh riding and noisy already. They don't need any extra help. I had them OEM on one car and they were horribly noisy. I got the exact same tire in a non run flat and they were fine.
 
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I've had multiple times shops refusing to service a tire that was filled with Fix-o-flat... so i'd be cautious.

This is due to the TPMS sensors getting gunked up more than anything else. FWIW, the green slime is not the same as fix-o-flat type products. The latter is more like glue and tends to make a mess inside the tire. The slime can be more easily cleaned and is safe for TPMS sensors.

My experience taught me that a plug kit along with a compressor and slime is probably the best option outside of an actual spare tire.
 
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But don't go saying we're all wrong and you're right.
Never said that...
Yes RFTs are more noisy in comparison but like i said it all depends on the car and your own noise level threshold.
To me they ride good and quiet but I also prefer sporty ride so maybe its that...

I guess i should've been more specific, miss-information was regarding alignment/wheel bending and saying tires are junk and not living up to their name.
Sometimes its relative to the car/person/driving habits but tires do exactly what they suppose to do.
 
This is due to the TPMS sensors getting gunked up more than anything else. FWIW, the green slime is not the same as fix-o-flat type products. The latter is more like glue and tends to make a mess inside the tire. The slime can be more easily cleaned and is safe for TPMS sensors.

My experience taught me that a plug kit along with a compressor and slime is probably the best option outside of an actual spare tire.
Thanks! good to know.
Will definitely get slime then.
Appreciate your input.