I am curious. By a great margin, the thread with the most hits on the BMW CCA website is titled "Run Flat Tires" (currently almost 14,000 views). Pro run-flat folks cite how the tires saved their bacon on some nasty piece of road. Anti run-flat folks cite how run-flats ride like Fred Flintstone's tires. I have only had 1 punctured tire in my life (and I was still able to drive it to a tire shop). I don't see why having a spare is such a big issue. Have I just been impossibly lucky? In cars you personally were driving, when is the last time you got a flat tire?
Last Flat While I have to admit that flats are a fairly rare event for me (knock on wood), the inconvenience of not having a fix on hand (either a RF or a jack and spare) is too great to do without. The last flat I had was on a new '07 3-series with about 4K miles on it. I drove to the dealer (5 miles) and bought a new tire. The flat before that occurred about 2 years before in heavy rain leading on to 295 between Baltimore and DC in a Lincoln LS. The road narrowed to one lane bordered by Jersey walls due to construction. A flatbed truck ahead of me dropped an alternator off the bed as he hit a bump. I had nowhere to go to avoid it, and it blew out my left rear tire (a brand new BFG summer performance tire). I limped to the shoulder about 1/2 mile away to change the tire in steady rain with rush hour traffic passing by at 65 mph splashing any water on the road on me. I was between the car and the traffic and getting soaked. To make things worse this was my first day back to work after having a radical protatectomy with numerous complications in surgery 5 weeks before. I was not supposed to lift anything, and frankly was not feeling too good. Needless to say it was a terrible day. That day I would have gladly had a RF. Of course that was before I lived with runflats and got to hate them.
About 3 yrs ago. Ran over a drainage grate that was not really level with the surrounding pavement. Whole in sidewall. Had to replace run flat. I cant find the picture I took of it but I would be willing to bet it was about a 2 to 3 inch gash. I hit so hard it damaged some sensor and bent part of the suspension (a arm i think). Traction control (and cruise control) would not work until repaired.
The only flats I ever got were due to nails letting the air seep out of my tires overnight, so in essence, I got the 'lucky' flats were I didn't have to change/replace the tire on-the-go.If these still count, then 2 in the last 2 years.
July, 1971 in my Rover 100 (aka The Baby Rolls Royce due to the fact that its motor was one bank of a Rolls' V-12 (or so the story went)) while doing a hs run on NV SR 93 into Wendover, UT. Was lucky to keep it on the pavement. I still carry spares in my cars but only because I'm supposed to.
I've had a number of flats in my time driving, both stationary and while driving, flats from nails and potholes, thankfully no catastrophic blowouts resulting in some emergency-like response.
I had a screw in the rear of my 330i. The tire was a 255/35ZR-18 Sumitomo HTR Z III. I bought the road hazard warranty when I purchased them from the Tirerack. It did require a quick dialog with the local tire store with the warranty admins, but once there, everything was fairly easy.
In my 16 years of driving I have only had a hand full of flats. But I was always glad I had a spare to get me on the road again. Down time was never more than 10 minutes! I have had two high speed blow outs, both were when I was in college. The one was at about 70 mph and other at about 90 mph. The one was in my 86 Jetta at the time, I heard what sounded like rocks in the rear wheel well, looked in the rearview and saw black things flying in the air. Very little change in dynamics of the car though. Pulled over and the rear drivers side tire was shredded and too hot to touch. Second time was my in 86 Mazda 2WD pick up at 90mph., that one I felt a bit of a drop, but again no dangerous change in vehicle dynamics, but again the tire was shredded. Pulled over and had it changed in no time. I also lost the exhaust on this trip about two hours prior. It was quite a trip to say the least, there were four of us in my small extended cab truck. I realize I was fortunate in that these flats were rear tires and did not upset the vehicle, especially at these speeds. But these could of been major inconveniences if I had not had a spare tire. Both times I was far from home and a repair station for that matter. But, both times I was back on my way quite quickly. Thanks in part to my father making sure I knew how to change a flat when I turned 16.
about 5 years ago I had my E46 330xi on Queens NYC, 5 passengers hit a hot pole, sliced through 2 left tires and had to be flat bedded, on a holiday.... not sure if run-flats would have saved me. Later E90 330xi I got the tire protection package w/run-flats but haven't had a flat, did replace a cracked wheel though under tire protection program.
And is the first "M" car that I think is an abomination. Wait, I don't consider it an "M" car so I guess it's just a "normal" abomination.
I'm inclined to think the simple act of answering that question would be a curse for a flat in the near future. Therefore, I abstain, because in a car with no spare and just a can of goo to save your butt, superstition is real and I'm not willing to chance it
Update: 2 days ago . Brand new wheels and tires. Hit a pot hole and bent rim. Tried to put tire on new rim and will not hold air, had to get new tire as well. I hate PA roads.
About 2-3 years ago. Was heading back from a road trip in the middle of a bizzard. The chain or something must have cut the tire, had to pull over and change the tire (in the middle of a blizzard) with no gloves, painful work with numb hands but it builds character.
Early 2007 my wife had to work a Saturday so I drove her in a 99 528i sport that we had and after getting on the highway the car felt like crap. Pulled over and it was flat as a pancake.
More RFT Comments Just changed my winter snows and am back on my Bridgestone RFT's. The performance of my Z4 is back. What a difference. This was my first season with snow tires. I've had my Z4 for almost a year. Was seriously considering going to high performance non run flats until the recent report in Chicago of a disabled car on the side of the road rear ended by a drunk driver. Both occupants in the disabled car were killed. I think I'm going to stick with my RFT's even though I feel every bump in the road. Maybe I'll try a different brand when due for a change.
Probably a lot higher than anyone would like to think - but I doubt that's the point; more likely, a choice more of self-preservation rather than playing the odds, ie: why take the risk of death-by-impact when a presumably safer option is available? I find traffic of any density whizzing by at highway speeds in close proximity, if I'm stopped, to be disconcerting, too.
The fact that Chicago is now under a perpetual state of construction with virtually NO shoulders probably has a lot to do with my current decision. The shoulders that do exist are barely wide enough to get out of anyone's way in an emergency. Who knows.....I may get tired of the bumps and shakes of RFT's as the roads improve. I drive the Z summer and winter so for now I'm sticking with the run-flats.
