Run-Flat Tires: Advantages and Drawbacks

#RunFlat #Tires #Advantages #Drawbacks
[rule_3_plain] #RunFlat #Tires #Advantages #Drawbacks

Run-flat tires. The name says it all — at least that’s what you might think. There are pros and cons béo these unique tires. Most importantly, they allow drivers béo travel a short distance safely and comfortably following a puncture.
Common on certain cars, run-flats have wide retail availability as replacement tires. But like all advanced safety devices, they cost more.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the advantages and drawbacks of run-flat tires, what they cost, and how they work.

What are Run-Flat Tires?
How Do Run-Flat Tires Work?
The Cost of Run-Flat Tires
Advantages of Run-Flat Tires
Drawbacks of Run-Flat Tires
Can You Patch a Run-Flat Tire?
What are Run-Flat Tires?

Run-flat tires offer unique construction, giving them an ultra-stiff sidewall. The sidewall can support the vehicle’s weight at near-highway speeds even without air in the tire.
What Makes Run-Flats Different from Standard Tires?
A standard tire will go flat when punctured. It will almost immediately damage a wheel if driven for longer than it takes béo pull off a road.
The big selling point béo this product is that drivers who get a flat can make it a few miles,  or maybe even more. Once you reach a safe place, you can install a spare tire or replace the tire. Just how far you can drive on a run-flat tire without any air in it varies by manufacturer and tire type. Typically, they can ride around 50 miles of driving at about 50 mph.
Some automakers fit these tires as standard equipment on specific models. When it comes time béo replace them — either due béo worn tread, age, or damage — consumers are often faced with choosing between sticking béo run-flats or switching béo conventional tires.
Preference for Luxury and High Performance 
A wide variety of luxury automakers fit run-flat tires béo cars at the factory. Most BMW and Mini models include them. Mercedes-Benz sedans and SUVs also come with run-flat tires. Other luxury brands using them include Audi, Cadillac, Lexus, and Infiniti. Even certain Toyota Sienna minivans come outfitted with them.
Higher-performance cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette and the Dodge Challenger may include run-flat tires on certain upper trim levels.
Since tire companies make this type of tire in many sizes, some drivers will choose béo install them even on vehicles that didn’t call for them when new. You’ll find this message marked on the tire’s sidewall when in doubt.
Electric Cars and Run-Flat Tires
Most electric vehicles do not house spare tires because the cars need space for EV batteries. As a result, several manufacturers make run-flat tires standard. Run-flat tires could also play a critical safety role for autonomous cars in the future and help keep people safe during a tire emergency.
How Do Run-Flat Tires Work?
Run-flat tires have been around for the better part of 40 years, though it took until the 2000s for tread compounds béo make them feasible for use in mainstream cars.
Two Design Styles
Run-flat tires feature one of two basic layouts that can keep the wheel itself well away from the ground in the event of a typical puncture or other air loss.
1. Self-Supporting Sidewall SystemMost common is a self-supporting sidewall, which features reinforced construction of hard rubber that won’t collapse on itself following a tire puncture. A variety of manufacturers make self-supporting run-flat tires. Their sidewalls can be several times beefier. While you can drive on them for short distances thanks béo those thick sidewalls, they are not true “airless” tires. Such designs have been tested but not yet offered on regular-production vehicles.
2. Supporting Ring SystemLess common is a supporting ring system. These tires employ a central ring of hardened rubber béo support the vehicle in air-loss situations. Few mass-market vehicles include them, though certain heavy-duty or military-oriented cars may come with this tire type.
The Importance of Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are imperative when using run-flat tires. They display a warning about low pressure on a vehicle’s instrument cluster. The federal government began mandating TPMS on passenger cars in late 2007, and automakers either fit a basic warning system with a single light or offer more advanced systems displaying individual tire pressures.
The Cost of Run-Flat Tires
Typically, additional safety design costs more. But there are other reasons they cost more than their standard counterparts.
Run-flats are less common than standard tires, which means fewer buying options. Additionally, most cars leave the factory with brand new standard tires. So, there is generally less demand for tires that can support themselves for short distances. One would be more likely béo replace with similar types of tires.
Also, they use more rubber, which increases the tire manufacturer’s material cost.
Price Point Compared béo Standard Tires
Run-flats can cost as much as double what equivalent conventional tire costs. For instance, major retailer Tire Rack currently charges between $205 and $273 for various Bridgestone run-flat tires that fit a 2016 BMW 328i. In comparison, the retailer lists different non-run-flat tires made by Bridgestone fitting that BMW for between $181 and $207.
Advantages
Convenience: Run-flat tires are all about convenience. While today’s tires are far less susceptible béo punctures and other air-loss situations than those in years past, all it takes is a strip of metal or a long nail béo ruin your day.
Safety: With these specialized tires, you may be able béo continue béo your destination or at least béo a cửa hàng that can remove and replace the punctured tire. A driver needs béo pull over immediately — perhaps even onto the side of a busy highway — if they have a conventional flat tire.
Rides well when flat: Because they maintain the primary “carcass,” or shape, of the tire, they mean relatively little handling and ride compromise after a puncture. A conventional tire will handle much differently—especially when punctured, and the tread rubs against the metal of your wheel.
No spare tire: A vehicle built with run-flat tires when it was new won’t have a spare tire, reducing weight and increasing cargo space.
Drawbacks

High replacement cost: Drivers often think about the cost of replacement as one of the most significant downsides béo run-flat tires. But the thick sidewalls that make them so good at their job have a major impact on ride quality.
Stiffer ride: Run-flats ride stiffly, which may come as a shock béo drivers looking for a plush cruise. Their unique tread patterns can also lead béo shorter tire life and more necessary repair.
Not 100% indestructible: Impact with a large or especially vicious piece of shrapnel may cause enough damage rendering it unsafe béo drive on run-flats, the same way a destructive event impacts a standard tire. And if that happens, the lack of a spare tire in a run-flat-equipped car means you’ll be calling a tow truck.
Not easy béo replace: Replacing these wheels isn’t relatively as easy, either. Tire shops do not always stock them. So, drivers in smaller towns or rural areas may need béo wait days for a replacement béo arrive from a warehouse.
Can You Patch Run-Flats?
You cannot use a “plug” patch béo fix a flat on these special tires. The unique rubber compounds used in the design of these tires do not allow for it. Most will display a “Do Not Repair” message directly on the sidewalls.
Additionally, a bulging sidewall — a tell-tale sign of a damaged conventional tire — may not be visible with a run-flat tire. The only way béo determine if a significant impact compromises the tire’s structure with a pothole or curb is béo remove the tire from the wheel and inspect it closely. This process alone can cost $25 béo $50 and may take a cửa hàng the better part of an hour béo complete since the wheel will need béo be re-balanced afterward.
Read Tire Related Stories:
Here’s How béo Set Up New Wheels and Tires for Your Vehicle
Snow Tires vs. All-Season Tires: Which Should You Choose? 
When Should I Buy New Tires?

#RunFlat #Tires #Advantages #Drawbacks
[rule_2_plain] #RunFlat #Tires #Advantages #Drawbacks
[rule_2_plain] #RunFlat #Tires #Advantages #Drawbacks
[rule_3_plain]

#RunFlat #Tires #Advantages #Drawbacks

Run-flat tires. The name says it all — at least that’s what you might think. There are pros and cons béo these unique tires. Most importantly, they allow drivers béo travel a short distance safely and comfortably following a puncture.
Common on certain cars, run-flats have wide retail availability as replacement tires. But like all advanced safety devices, they cost more.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the advantages and drawbacks of run-flat tires, what they cost, and how they work.

What are Run-Flat Tires?
How Do Run-Flat Tires Work?
The Cost of Run-Flat Tires
Advantages of Run-Flat Tires
Drawbacks of Run-Flat Tires
Can You Patch a Run-Flat Tire?
What are Run-Flat Tires?

Run-flat tires offer unique construction, giving them an ultra-stiff sidewall. The sidewall can support the vehicle’s weight at near-highway speeds even without air in the tire.
What Makes Run-Flats Different from Standard Tires?
A standard tire will go flat when punctured. It will almost immediately damage a wheel if driven for longer than it takes béo pull off a road.
The big selling point béo this product is that drivers who get a flat can make it a few miles,  or maybe even more. Once you reach a safe place, you can install a spare tire or replace the tire. Just how far you can drive on a run-flat tire without any air in it varies by manufacturer and tire type. Typically, they can ride around 50 miles of driving at about 50 mph.
Some automakers fit these tires as standard equipment on specific models. When it comes time béo replace them — either due béo worn tread, age, or damage — consumers are often faced with choosing between sticking béo run-flats or switching béo conventional tires.
Preference for Luxury and High Performance 
A wide variety of luxury automakers fit run-flat tires béo cars at the factory. Most BMW and Mini models include them. Mercedes-Benz sedans and SUVs also come with run-flat tires. Other luxury brands using them include Audi, Cadillac, Lexus, and Infiniti. Even certain Toyota Sienna minivans come outfitted with them.
Higher-performance cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette and the Dodge Challenger may include run-flat tires on certain upper trim levels.
Since tire companies make this type of tire in many sizes, some drivers will choose béo install them even on vehicles that didn’t call for them when new. You’ll find this message marked on the tire’s sidewall when in doubt.
Electric Cars and Run-Flat Tires
Most electric vehicles do not house spare tires because the cars need space for EV batteries. As a result, several manufacturers make run-flat tires standard. Run-flat tires could also play a critical safety role for autonomous cars in the future and help keep people safe during a tire emergency.
How Do Run-Flat Tires Work?
Run-flat tires have been around for the better part of 40 years, though it took until the 2000s for tread compounds béo make them feasible for use in mainstream cars.
Two Design Styles
Run-flat tires feature one of two basic layouts that can keep the wheel itself well away from the ground in the event of a typical puncture or other air loss.
1. Self-Supporting Sidewall SystemMost common is a self-supporting sidewall, which features reinforced construction of hard rubber that won’t collapse on itself following a tire puncture. A variety of manufacturers make self-supporting run-flat tires. Their sidewalls can be several times beefier. While you can drive on them for short distances thanks béo those thick sidewalls, they are not true “airless” tires. Such designs have been tested but not yet offered on regular-production vehicles.
2. Supporting Ring SystemLess common is a supporting ring system. These tires employ a central ring of hardened rubber béo support the vehicle in air-loss situations. Few mass-market vehicles include them, though certain heavy-duty or military-oriented cars may come with this tire type.
The Importance of Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are imperative when using run-flat tires. They display a warning about low pressure on a vehicle’s instrument cluster. The federal government began mandating TPMS on passenger cars in late 2007, and automakers either fit a basic warning system with a single light or offer more advanced systems displaying individual tire pressures.
The Cost of Run-Flat Tires
Typically, additional safety design costs more. But there are other reasons they cost more than their standard counterparts.
Run-flats are less common than standard tires, which means fewer buying options. Additionally, most cars leave the factory with brand new standard tires. So, there is generally less demand for tires that can support themselves for short distances. One would be more likely béo replace with similar types of tires.
Also, they use more rubber, which increases the tire manufacturer’s material cost.
Price Point Compared béo Standard Tires
Run-flats can cost as much as double what equivalent conventional tire costs. For instance, major retailer Tire Rack currently charges between $205 and $273 for various Bridgestone run-flat tires that fit a 2016 BMW 328i. In comparison, the retailer lists different non-run-flat tires made by Bridgestone fitting that BMW for between $181 and $207.
Advantages
Convenience: Run-flat tires are all about convenience. While today’s tires are far less susceptible béo punctures and other air-loss situations than those in years past, all it takes is a strip of metal or a long nail béo ruin your day.
Safety: With these specialized tires, you may be able béo continue béo your destination or at least béo a cửa hàng that can remove and replace the punctured tire. A driver needs béo pull over immediately — perhaps even onto the side of a busy highway — if they have a conventional flat tire.
Rides well when flat: Because they maintain the primary “carcass,” or shape, of the tire, they mean relatively little handling and ride compromise after a puncture. A conventional tire will handle much differently—especially when punctured, and the tread rubs against the metal of your wheel.
No spare tire: A vehicle built with run-flat tires when it was new won’t have a spare tire, reducing weight and increasing cargo space.
Drawbacks

High replacement cost: Drivers often think about the cost of replacement as one of the most significant downsides béo run-flat tires. But the thick sidewalls that make them so good at their job have a major impact on ride quality.
Stiffer ride: Run-flats ride stiffly, which may come as a shock béo drivers looking for a plush cruise. Their unique tread patterns can also lead béo shorter tire life and more necessary repair.
Not 100% indestructible: Impact with a large or especially vicious piece of shrapnel may cause enough damage rendering it unsafe béo drive on run-flats, the same way a destructive event impacts a standard tire. And if that happens, the lack of a spare tire in a run-flat-equipped car means you’ll be calling a tow truck.
Not easy béo replace: Replacing these wheels isn’t relatively as easy, either. Tire shops do not always stock them. So, drivers in smaller towns or rural areas may need béo wait days for a replacement béo arrive from a warehouse.
Can You Patch Run-Flats?
You cannot use a “plug” patch béo fix a flat on these special tires. The unique rubber compounds used in the design of these tires do not allow for it. Most will display a “Do Not Repair” message directly on the sidewalls.
Additionally, a bulging sidewall — a tell-tale sign of a damaged conventional tire — may not be visible with a run-flat tire. The only way béo determine if a significant impact compromises the tire’s structure with a pothole or curb is béo remove the tire from the wheel and inspect it closely. This process alone can cost $25 béo $50 and may take a cửa hàng the better part of an hour béo complete since the wheel will need béo be re-balanced afterward.
Read Tire Related Stories:
Here’s How béo Set Up New Wheels and Tires for Your Vehicle
Snow Tires vs. All-Season Tires: Which Should You Choose? 
When Should I Buy New Tires?