Run-flat tires do have their advantages (and fans)

We received many responses to our story on the pros and cons of run-flat tires.

People often indicated that we'd missed the mark and that, in their opinion, the safety benefits of run-flat tires certainly did not outweigh the problems. Our reader/subscriber letters agreed that run-flats have issues:

• Difficult to find replacements in certain areas
• Limited number of replacement models
• Inability to repair run-flats
• High replacement costs

Some even said that these issues were greater concerns than most were willing to live with -- even with extended the mobility run-flats offer. However, after suffering a flat this past Thanksgiving eve, I'm still convinced that run-flats do, indeed, offer a safety benefit.

Let me explain.

Much of the pre-Thanksgiving traffic was in full swing, as many businesses closed on time (if not early) to allow their employees to get home early. I'd signed out our Sienna AWD minivan (equipped with run-flat tires) for the long holiday weekend to travel to Vermont with my family and to add miles to the tires for our ongoing long-term wear evaluation. I picked up my children from daycare—two kids ages three and eight—and put them in their child seats. The van was also full of all the stuff I needed for the weekend: cocktail party supplies; a movie screen for entertaining the children during the party; folding chairs that I borrowed for additional seating on Thanksgiving and for the party; and a mix of food and beverages... You get the picture.

As we're traveling on a rural—and particularly narrow—Connecticut road, we came up over a knoll to find an approaching pickup towing a trailer and taking a bit more than its fair share of the road. I'm somewhat forced to go a bit farther to the shoulder than I normally drive and end up hitting something (I'm not sure if it was simply a pothole or a rock) rather hard. I hadn't gone fifty yards when the Sienna's tire-pressure monitoring system lights up—I knew I had a flat.

Well, let me just tell you if I had been driving on standard, non-run-flat tires and needed to make a tire change, I'm fairly sure that I would not have been able to do it safely in the location I was in without putting my children, myself, and the Sienna in serious danger. You see, the same knoll that prevented the approaching pickup from seeing me would have prevented anyone from seeing my tire-flattened Sienna as well. Thinking back, I'm fairly sure I would have sacrificed the wheel and would have simply driven on the flat tire until I could have gotten out of that location.

But...as luck would have it, I quickly and almost joyously remembered: THE SIENNA HAS RUN-FLATS! Not only would I be able to safely drive myself and my family home (albeit a bit slower), I wouldn't be standing in the middle of the road unloading my children, food, drinks, movie screen, and chairs in order to change a tire.

A day later I drove—carefully, mind you—on that same tire without any pressure in it to a location where I could get the flat changed.

Admittedly, before this all happened, I could have only envisioned a variety of scenarios where run-flats would have been beneficial in the event of a flat -- a busy highway, an uneven shoulder where jacking a car could be dangerous, or in very poor or cold weather. Little did I realize they'd be my saving grace on such a dark Thanksgiving eve with kids and a load of stuff on a narrow country road in Connecticut.

—Jennifer Stockburger

Share your experiences in the Comments below, or in our Cars forums.

Related blog posts:
Update: Toyota Sienna AWD run-flat tires
Toyota Sienna AWD run-flat tires wear well for us
Toyota Sienna AWD tires - patience wearing thin
Toyota extends run-flat tire warranty
Toyota Sienna run-flat tires? Spare us.
Run-flat tires go flat with our readers   

Comments

[David]

I'll rather drive on my rims and destroy them than have run flat tires on my car.

[Tiruvan]

Glad it worked out for you! We drive minivans so our families can be safe and I think run flat tires should be standard on all minivans.

[Cale]

I would imagine that a tire that loses pressure so rapidly (within 50 yards!)would also jeopordize vehicle handling. Run-flats offer a distinct advantage when it comes to maintaining control.

[Bob from Sussex, WI]

I own a 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited AWD. This was the first year they came with Run-Flat Tires as Standard Equipment. My first set of tires were completely worn out after 19,000 mi. There were no replacemnets available in the whole USA and I had to wait 3 months for a new production run. In all I replaced the Run Flat tires three times (four sets including the originals) in 100,000 miles. Also after 12 to 15,000 miles the Run Flats become very noisy as the abnormal wear pattern progress's and your van sounds like it was running with bad wheel bearings. On that fourth set of Run Flats I was promised that a manufacturing change had been incorporated which should extend the life. On that set, the noise level did not start to occur until 18,000 mi. After 20,000 mi, I got a flat. Thinking too that I could drive to a safe place at a slow speed I was completely wrong. After 10 miles, my van was shaking and vibrating so much I could not drive over 5 mph. The tire was smoking and had a six inch long tear in the sidewall. I had to call for a flat bed tow truck.

I have tried to find out from several sources as to what Toyota has changed or fixed on subsequent year Sienna's with AWD with no avail. Toyota has offered no fix except a free set of replacement Run-Flat's. I was told by Dunlop that their Run Flat tires are now rated at only 25,000 mi. I find that totally unacceptable.

At the 100,000 mile mark I replaced the Run Flat's with a set of Michelin standard tires and have been so ever pleased since. My Sienna runs like a new vehicle for the first time, smooth and quiet. The original rims work just fine except now I must carry a spare which takes up interior room. By the way they don't seem to make a standard plain steel rim for a spare in the size required. I had to purchase an original equipment rim.

Wish someone out there could tell me what design changes were made in the '07 and '08 Sienna's with AWD that rate them a "recommended" rating by Consumer's Report.

[Dave from Fullerton, CA]

I also own the same year and model as Bob from Sussex. ('04 XLE limited AWD) I also had the same identical problems. 22,000 mi into my second set of Dunlaps, I also had a tire failure on my right front. I was able to get off the freeway and hobble to a nearby Firestone tire dealer. I too wanted to install standard radials. The store manager talked me out of it and said he'd be doing me a disservice by installing a lesser tire. He said Toyota requires the run-flats on this model. Since I was a 100 mi. from home, I agreed to have him install a set of Bridgestone run-flats. I don't expect better mileage on these either.

Toyota did install my second set of Dunlaps for free. I'm sure Toyota won't admit but I'm guessing they tweaked the suspension to match the tires on later models.

[Andy]

Without a doubt, these tires wear quicker and are heavier, louder and more expensive than a standard tire. But, just like when I slimed my kid's bike tires when they were young and sacrificed weight, speed, rolling resistance and little extra cost, I'll sacrifice the same to ensure that my wife and kids will never be stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire.

These things are just like an insurance policy. You'll never truly realize the value until you need it to work for you. Personally, I'm a fan. Our first set on our 2006 AWD Sienna went 29,000 miles before hitting the wear indicators - roughly, the same mileage as the OEM tires on my AWD Subaru and our AWD Lexus. During those 29K miles these tires rescued my wife from two flats. We live in the mountains of Colorado and, with both flats, we were able to safely drive to town - which means descending 2,000 feet in elevation in 8 miles - to get the tires repaired.

In this case, you only get what you pay for when the tire fails - a somewhat unique concept and probably a hard concept for most to get their heads around. But, if you've seen them work, you're probably a little more tolerant of these tires. Maybe even a fan, like me.

Minivan's are an exercise in benefit and compromise This is just another part of the minivan equation.

One tip: I had heard these were hard to find so I ordered mine months in advance of when I would need them. The Goodyear dealer stored them at no charge and, ultimately, I saved over $120 by avoiding a price increase that occurred between the time I ordered and the time of installation.

[Troy]

My girlfriend has run-flats on her BMW 330 and they have been a constant source of trouble. She has has several flats in her 2 years' ownership. Neither BMW nor the tire dealer recommends repairing them, and neither tire dealers nor wholesalers stock many models. It has taken a week to get the wrong size, and another week to get the correct size. The tire also has a "100-mile" limit on its use once it's flat, and the car does not carry a spare. So within that 100-mile limit, you must A) find a tire dealer who B) is open for business at the hour of your flat AND C)has your size run-flat in stock. They are also more expensive than conventional tires. I would not recommend them for any application.