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I have a 2007 Dodge Durango that I am considering having body work done. It is in great condition, and I plan to do some traveling. As a female, and older, I have been considering replacing my tires with "run flat tires". I have read on them, but never have known anyone that actually owned some. I have priced them, and they don't seem that much more expensive than what I generally get, but I do see they get less miles, which at my age, that is not of great concern, as I will probably have to downsize in the coming years to a smaller vehicle.
Has anyone had the run flat tires? Which type/manufacturer? Did you like them? Or, if you have thought about them, read about them, etc., do you think they would be worth purchasing?
I hated them when I bought my BMW X5. I replaced them the first chance I could. They did not ride nearly as good as regular tires. They are not as smooth on the highway, and they are heavy and yes they get less MPG as you are aware. Just have AAA or some sort of roadside assistance and you will be okay with good regular tires imo.
Run flats should be banned, they are bad for the environment and costly to replace. It cannot be repaired if it just has a simple hole. So you have to replace a perfectly good tire when a simple hole can be patched but the tire repair shops won't do it and you have to throw away a pretty good tire just for a simple hole.
I had them on both my Corvettes. Lots of newer cars and upper end cars have them now because they don't have room for a spare tire. My current car has a collapsible spare tire, which means it might as well not have one. I'll never use it.
Run flat tires ride a little rougher than a regular tire, but they are a bit of a safety feature in that if you have a puncture with loss of pressure, you can just keep on going, at least for a while, at a reduced speed. Generally the limit is about 50 miles, and I think once you do that it can't be repaired and you'll have to buy a new tire. But - if you have a irreparable flat on an AWD car, you'll have to buy a new set of tires as well because the tread on all the tires has to be the same, or very close to the same
Given your situation, purchasing them might be something to consider. They might keep you from being stranded with a flat. For what it's worth, the President's official car (The Beast, as Trump called it) has run flat tires but they're a little more exotic than the ones you buy.
Eh. My Ma had an AWD Toyota Sienna. The rear diff took up the space for a spare, so it came with run-flats and no spare. They rode rough, made a lot of noise, and wore out quickly:
I've had them and driven when they were flat. Kind of impartial if they are necessary or not. I mean if you have AAA and a spare, no need to get run flats. Spend your money on getting a set of smooth running michelins over run flats imo.
I had them on both my Corvettes. Lots of newer cars and upper end cars have them now because they don't have room for a spare tire. My current car has a collapsible spare tire, which means it might as well not have one. I'll never use it.
Run flat tires ride a little rougher than a regular tire, but they are a bit of a safety feature in that if you have a puncture with loss of pressure, you can just keep on going, at least for a while, at a reduced speed. Generally the limit is about 50 miles, and I think once you do that it can't be repaired and you'll have to buy a new tire. But - if you have a irreparable flat on an AWD car, you'll have to buy a new set of tires as well because the tread on all the tires has to be the same, or very close to the same
Given your situation, purchasing them might be something to consider. They might keep you from being stranded with a flat. For what it's worth, the President's official car (The Beast, as Trump called it) has run flat tires but they're a little more exotic than the ones you buy.
Corvette owner here, too. I've read through HUNDREDS of RF/non-RF debates, over the last 20 years, on various Corvette based discussion sites. All I know is this, there's NO FREAKING WAY that I'm sitting by the side of the road, with a flat tire, either waiting for the AAA to come rescue me, or as others have suggested, carrying "fix it tools", and trying to make repairs, with traffic whizzing by, 10 feet from my butt!!
Do they ride a little rougher? Possibly, but I don't find it that objectionable. In the case of the OP, however, I have "mixed emotions". For her, yes, a RF might get her out of a jam, should she puncture a tire while passing through a questionable area, until she can get the tire repaired. But does her Durango have a TPMS system that would alert her to the tire situation? Secondly, should her RF tire, for whatever reason, be unrepairable, I'm sure that obtaining another one, especially while travelling, could be tricky.
I have them on my JCW MINI Cooper. They've saved my butt twice, allowing me to get back home after screws went into the tire in a place that couldn't have been patched even in a standard tire. Bought from Tire Rack, they were replaced at no cost other than mounting and balancing.
The Dunlop SportMaxx are really grippy, as well. Since the JCW has really stiff suspension, regular performance tires won't be appreciably softer...
I have a 2007 Dodge Durango that I am considering having body work done. It is in great condition, and I plan to do some traveling. As a female, and older, I have been considering replacing my tires with "run flat tires". I have read on them, but never have known anyone that actually owned some. I have priced them, and they don't seem that much more expensive than what I generally get, but I do see they get less miles, which at my age, that is not of great concern, as I will probably have to downsize in the coming years to a smaller vehicle.
Has anyone had the run flat tires? Which type/manufacturer? Did you like them? Or, if you have thought about them, read about them, etc., do you think they would be worth purchasing?
Thank you.
How many flat tires have stranded you on the side of the road in the last 10-20 years? If the answer is none then you are overthinking this and you don't need run flats. Make sure your spare tire is in good condition and inflated properly, maybe buy a plug in (cigarette lighter) tire inflator and a can of fix a flat if you want to be extra cautious.
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