I’m getting ready to replace the 235x55R19 tires on my our 2017 Santa Fe and the run flat tires are the same price as the others.
Any comments, war stories or experience with them here in the group?
Added: The car has a pressure-monitoring system that notifies the driver when any tire pressure falls.
My experience with them was not good. The ride was not as smooth and my MPG dropped.
I just replaced all four of the tires and the shop accidently put regular tires on and I drove on them about a month before they called me up and told me and I went back in to have the run flats put on. I did notice a slight difference in ride but did not measure the mileage.
We had a flat one time and we were able to drive to the dealer to have it replaced. It was very convenient and I would give up the slight difference in ride and mileage for that.
That said, most cars that have these do not have spares, so you would be taking a chance not replacing them with run flats.
Sidewalls tend to be very stiff on run flats. Makes for a very “hard” ride.
It’ll be interesting to see how they ride. I just ordered a set of Bridgestone Driveguard-Plus 235/55R19’s.
I tend to favor a firm ride suspension and Bridgestone is the only tiremaker with a run-flat tire that is intended for cars that were not equipped with OEM run-flats. They are reported to be a little less harsh than the tires made for OEM replacements.
I’ll post my impressions when we try them a few miles.
They ride rougher and are noisier. I would never go out of my way to buy them. There are a lot of quality tires out there. I actually have Nokian One tires on my sons car. They have extra sidewall strength to help with pot hole blow outs if that is of interest.
I had run-flat tires on a MINI Cooper and the car did not have a spare. Replacement tires were very expensive, and it was not recommended to ride on the run-flat tire for long without proper inflation. Not all tire locations are equipped to mount run-flat tires.
I much prefer a good set of performance tires and a spare. I also recommend having a good tire inflator in the car. Most times, when a flat occurs, the leak is slow and occurs over time. A flat is noticed after the vehicle is parked for a while. With a tire inflator, if you have a flat, the tire can be reinflated and last long enough to drive the car to a service center. No tire changing.
Tire inflators can be purchased at a very low cost.
If your vehicle has a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) which displays the tire pressure in each tire, it is a good idea to check the pressures frequently. Preferably each time you drive the car.
I chose to have run-flats installed because the car is only used for longer highway trips. It has a TPMS system, a normal spare tire and an on-board inflator.
So far, so good… they provide about the same quality ride and have a 65k mile warranty and are V speed rated (140mph). You can also drive an additional 50 miles with zero lbs air inflation in them. I figure that will allow us to adress the flat-tire problem in a safe location.
A few years back I was driving a rental car on a winter trip to California. Coming home through a wide pass, rocks were falling and bouncing across the entire I-5 width. I could see the one headed my way across all the lanes in both directions, but could not avoid it. It hit the front passenger wheel dead on. No spare, but some device to inflate the tire…the completely decimated tire, and probably wheel. So instead of replacing the wheel with the spare and being on my way, I had to wait hours in freezing cold for a tow truck driver that had a difficult time finding me…
I fully understand…! I used to work in the Cascades and evens like this were common. We all carried two spares, an extra charged battery, 5 gal of water and 5 gal of gas, Those supplies saved me [and others] more than once.
But you did not explain why you could not use the spare. [just curious]
In Alaska we had to be pretty self-sufficient while traveling. In addition to the normal stuff we always carried water and, in the winter, even MRE’s, sleeping bags and a camp stove.
While traveling in the winter, a failure can get serious in a hurry. I once had to change a shredded fan belt at -66 degrees in Tok and then drove home through Mentasta Pass where is was noticeably colder than the minus 66 in Tok.
The rental car did not have a spare tire. It is also possible there was additional damage beyond the decimated tire and wheel. When the tow truck finally arrived at the rental place at LAX, the first car also didn’t have a spare; I kept turning cars down until they found one that did. Ever since I have made sure that any car I rent has a spare tire. Way too many do not.
Sorry.
I should know better and not read / post when it’s late and I’m tired.
Sorry.
I should know better and not read / post when it’s late and I’m tired.
