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HOW TO IDENTIFY RUN FLAT TIRES

     It’s important to know what kind of tires you have on your car, thus if you are ever faced with an adverse situation, you’ll know what you safely can and cannot do. The majority of cars these days come with Run-Flat tires. They do this because it has a few added benefits:

UPSIDE

     The main benefit of a Run-Flat tire is that it allows you to keep driving up to 50 miles at 50 miles per hour. This means that a person doesn’t have to get out of the car on the side of a busy highway or try to change a tire in the dark.

Better handling

     More stable after a blowout: Because a Run-Flat tire can support the vehicle without any air pressure, steering and handling will remain near normal after a sudden deflation.
Lower vehicle weight: With no spare tire and the repair tools removed, vehicle weight is reduced.

DOWNSIDE

Cost:

     They are harder to find and more expensive. A 225/55R17 Run-Flat tire at a local shop in California costs $249. The standard tire equivalent costs about $174, a $75 difference per tire. Also, many Run-Flat tires cannot be repaired, you cannot buy road hazard insurance for them, and often, they need to be replaced in pairs.

They Don't Look Flat:

       A side effect of the stiffer construction is that the sidewalls do not bulge if the air pressure is low. This means that it is critical to have a tire-pressure monitoring system and to check your tire pressure frequently.That's why run flat tires require the use of Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. TPMS monitors are supposed to alert the driver when the tire has lost 25% of it”s proper pressure, but the systems are still somewhat wonky and expensive.

There's No Spare:

     In almost every car that comes with OEM Run-Flat tires, the manufacturer has not seen fit to provide a spare. It is argued among automotive experts that it is not safe to not have a spare tire. Having no spare is bad enough. Getting a can of fix-a-flat in the trunk is like being slapped in the face by the carmakers.

Blowouts are still possible:

   If a driver fails to notice the Run-Flat warning, and drives beyond the zero-pressure range or above the speed limitation, the tire can begin to disintegrate with the same destabilizing effects. Additionally, if the puncture occurred on the sidewall or if the tire hits a large object, the driver will have to call a tow truck.

Reduced tread wear:

    Run-flat tires wear out on average of about 6,000-10,000 miles sooner than owners using standard tires. How can you identify if you are on run-flat tires or not? All the information you need is on the sidewall.

Here is a chart of some run flat tire manufacturerors:

Bridgestone:RFT
Continental: SSR
Dunlop:       DSST
Firestone:    RFT
Goodyear:   EMT
Kumho:       XRP
Michelin:     ZP
Pirelli:         RFT
Yokohama: ZPS

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