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Runflat tyres and the reasons I don’t like them.

My Dad has an X3 3.0D x-drive, came with runflats, as soon as they needed changing, he went onto normal tyres. Made it a much better drive

My pops-in-law has an F10 530D; came with runflats, x2 punctures that couldn't be fixed, one hour browsing Camskill and Tyreleader; he bought his normal tyres (Michelin cross climates IIRC) and had them fitted a few days later; has done nothing but talk about how much of a nicer drive the car is now!

Runflats have their place; but not many folk I know, know where this place is...
 
davidsrsb said:
Run flats are supplied to avoid having a spare, what do you do when you go over to normal tyres?
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Carry a can of tyre repair goo or in the case of my M235i, BMW supply an electric pump with a bottle of gel that you pump in to repair minor punctures.
 
Mark_R said:
Well, that is what the differential is there for. Unless you only drive in a dead straight line on a dead flat road, there will always be a difference in the rotational rate of the wheels. The idea that a diff can’t cope with a tiny difference in diameter from different tread depths sounds like utter cobblers to me.
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I don't know about Subaru, but I can assure you that with another brand the car is extremely sensitive to this. I agree with you in terms of mechanical compensation through diffs etc, however how the on board computers interpret the data and adjust parameters is an entirely different matter. This then alters gear shift patterns etc.
 
I should add, some people are not sensitive to what their cars are doing. My wife wouldn't notice if one tyre was 10psi down, I imagine many others are the same, in the way some people wouldn't notice a speaker being out of phase and conversely most people here would instantly recognise it.
 
I can't help feeling that if I switched out my RFTs I'd want a spare and a jack. Small compressors take forever to pump up a tyre but more importantly goo sprayed into a tyre will only suffice for a minor puncture. Clearly a destroyed tyre whether RFT or not will require a spare but...my belief is that a destroyed tyre is significantly less likely with an RTF. Quite a lot of my mileage is either in fairly or very remote locations. You can't cover every eventuality but I feel RFTs have a place.

My 335i vert with MSport suspension with RFTs was rock solid - man, machine and road in perfect harmony...or at least synchronisation.

My first X3 with MSport suspension was firm but quite reasonable bearing in mind I prefer a firm setup, just a little jiggly at low speed on very poor roads.

My current X3 has two settings for the shocks, comfort gives a good ride in most situations except when a certain type of undulation is present the car can rock. Switching to Sport eradicates this effect totally. The Sport setup is great for myself when I'm exploring the 313bhp and 460lb ft of torque on offer.

I expect "normal" tyres would improve the ride but I'm not unhappy with the ride in the current car - it's the 335i where RTFs were unsuitable. I feel more confident in terms of punctures when driving remote locations with RFTs so I'll likely stick with RFTs on my current car.
 
clivem2 said:
I feel more confident in terms of punctures when driving remote locations with RFTs so I'll likely stick with RFTs on my current car.
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RFTs are good for only around 50 miles with zero pressure, after which they are no longer safe. They are no less prone to catastrophic tread damage if they are run over a large rock, for example. I'd rather take my chances with goop and a 12V compressor. At least after 50 miles of slow leakage, I can top up the air pressure.
 
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