Run Flat Tires

[Dt99idr]

Due to the cost of the MG5 spare wheel, I was wondering what people's thoughts would be of fitting run flat tyres as an alternative?

 

[Jocko]

The problem with run-flat tyres is once punctured they must be replaced. They cannot be repaired as the process of running flat can damage the tyre wall.

 

[Dt99idr]

The problem with run-flat tyres is once punctured they must be replaced. They cannot be repaired as the process of running flat can damage the tyre wall.

That's certainly a consideration, personally I've never had a puncture on a tyre with enough tread left to be worth repairing.

 

[Jocko]

You are lucky. I had a puncture on a 5-month old tyre and by the time I got stopped the tyre was damaged beyond repair.

 

[Jomarkh]

Due to the cost of the MG5 spare wheel, I was wondering what people's thoughts would be of fitting run flat tyres as an alternative?

I picked up a spare from a Golf mk5 on ebay for £35 plus a few bolts from a guy at work who does cars up. I tried it on the car it is slightly smaller diameter but it will certainly get me to a tyre shop.there are other threads on here with pictures

 

[Jonhklee]

I thought only cars designed for run-flat can run them, as suspension needs to be tuned for them.... having said that MG5 suspension is more of the soft side anyway.

 

[Jocko]

I thought only cars designed for run-flat can run them, as suspension needs to be tuned for them.... having said that MG5 suspension is more of the soft side anyway.

As long as the car has tyre pressure monitoring, which all newer cars must have, then you can use run-flat tyres.

 

[Dt99idr]

As long as the car has tyre pressure monitoring, which all newer cars must have, then you can use run-flat tyres.

That was my understanding. Obviously it would be better for the suspension to be designed for the tyres, but my hope was that the ride wouldn't suffer too much as they're not exactly low profile tyres. But I've never run them before - thought someone might have tried them on another car

 

[Adee]

Surely a set of run-flats is going to far exceed the cost of a spacesaver spare!
Plus the standard tyres are probably selected for low running resistance.
Personally I think a spare tyre should be mandatory (on safety grounds).
I stumped up for the spare - but it did grieve me. Worth a one-off price of a couple of hundred quid not to be stranded in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the RAC?

 

[Dt99idr]

A quick look on tyreshopper shows run flats are available for £119, with equivalent standard tyres for £90. So not a cheap option, but £250 for a spare pays for quite a few flats at a £30 premium.... (+ the benefit of not needing to change the tyre by the side of a busy road)

 

[Adee]

A quick look on tyreshopper shows run flats are available for £119, with equivalent standard tyres for £90. So not a cheap option, but £250 for a spare pays for quite a few flats at a £30 premium.... (+ the benefit of not needing to change the tyre by the side of a busy road)

I can't disagree with the maths, but I don't understand your strategy. At what point do you fit the runflat(s)? Are you suggesting that you wait till you've worn out your current set of tyres then replace all four with runflats? I wouldn't think that doing one at a time would be a good idea, every time you get a puncture. I'm probably just being a bit thick.

 

[Dt99idr]

I'm working on the assumption that I usually wear tires out rather than get a puncture, so I would swap to run flats whenever that happens. Certainly would swap a whole axle, which an early puncture would muckup. And obviously holding the risk of a puncture until that point.

 

[Adee]

Yes that's how I would do it. Just hope you don't have a puncture until the tyres need changing for the first time. TBH punctures seem to be very rare these days- I usually get about 1 every 5-10yrs. I presume run flats never blow out - or maybe they are less likely to do so at least?? You'd be stranded if you got a blow out obviously. To be fair I've never had a blow out!

 

[Dt99idr]

Yes that's how I would do it. Just hope you don't have a puncture until the tyres need changing for the first time. TBH punctures seem to be very rare these days- I usually get about 1 every 5-10yrs. I presume run flats never blow out - or maybe they are less likely to do so at least?? You'd be stranded if you got a blow out obviously. To be fair I've never had a blow out!

I think the stronger side wall is supposed to resist that (though can still happen) - but no worse than if all I have is a can of gunk...
I'm looking at this as not being better than a spare really, but better than the gunk, nearly as good as a space saver and still having the weight saving of not carrying a spare.

 

[Adee]

I think the stronger side wall is supposed to resist that (though can still happen) - but no worse than if all I have is a can of gunk...
I'm looking at this as not being better than a spare really, but better than the gunk, nearly as good as a space saver and still having the weight saving of not carrying a spare.

The "can of gunk" solution is woefully inadequate and hated by tyre replacers as it's hard to remove the residue when the tyre is changed. I'm renowned for being a tight-fisted git but I did reluctantly stump up £190 for the spare wheel kit which was a "special deal" when I bought the car. Good luck with the run-flat concept.

 

[Kithmo]

Does anyone still do their own tyre repairs ?

 

[Adee]

Does anyone still do their own tyre repairs ?
View attachment 3395

Wow. I've never seen one of those before. Probably a bit ill-advised in these days of health and safety overkill. Personally I don't see a problem using inner-tubes, though, for the majority of puncture repairs where the tyre itself is in good fettle.

 

[Kithmo]

Wow. I've never seen one of those before. Probably a bit ill-advised in these days of health and safety overkill. Personally I don't see a problem using inner-tubes, though, for the majority of puncture repairs where the tyre itself is in good fettle.

Inner tubes can cause problems in tubeless tyres, trapped air between the tube and the tyre, balancing issues etc.
I bought one of those tyre repair kits a few years ago, whether I would have courage to use it or not is another matter, the glue is probably out of date now anyway. I definitely wouldn't use one on a tyre that has been run flat for any distance, the tyre needs removing to check for sidewall damage in that case.
There are some convincing videos on you tube on how to use these kits.