Run Flats - Discuss

[Katana1000]

Goodday one and all

First of all i would like to say hi to one and all as this is my first post here!!

Been a lurker here for some time, but due to recent unfortunate event regards runflats, i thought i would ponder on pros and cons of these dreaded things.

Now i have read all the previous posts, and wonder if there is something i am missing.

Is the main drawback of these things down to the problem of finding someone to work on them??

The thing is, surely, its a great thing to be able to continue driving with a flat tyre, albeit at reduced speed, to get to the main dealer to hopefully have it repaired/replaced?

If we were to replace the tyres with normal ones, and got a puncture that tyreweld could not fix, were stuck, and cannot move on at all!!??!!

Other advantages i hear are that these tyres are less susceptible to punctures, ard are much more safer in a blowout.

It seems there are arguments on both sides, but how do you all feel about the pros and cons yourselves??

I must admit, after my recent, as yet not repaired puncture i have, i am almost at the point of totally giving up on the RAV because of these and buying something else instead, which is a shame because its a great car!!

Unfortunately i need all the space i can, so carrying a spare in the boot is not an option for me.

It seems crazy that Toyota can even think of supplying a car without a spare wheel, as i look at other vehicles now with envy when i see their spare, and ponder on what a wonderful invention that is!!??!!

Lastly, i remember Anchorman saying that he was going to have a meeting with Toyota to see if there is any way forward on this to support us better than we are being at the moment, did this ever happen???

Anyway folks, thanks for your time and i look forward to your comments

[stewyinpagham]

Having just returned from a European road trip in a T180 with RFT's I think the RFT's are a good idea but are just toooo expensive to replace. Having said that, I did purchase a £26K car so whats the odd £500 once every 30K miles? I had a Metro in the 1980's with TD tyres that were £70 a rim so being tied to a tyre brand is not a new thing, even my then 'new' MK2 Astra GTE cost £80 each corner and they lasted <15K!

I've had my T180 from new and now with 40K on it, I've only had to replace 2x worn front tyres and 1 puncture in total (£70 @ Toyota Hedge-end).

You are right about the fix-it gunk. My Bro has a Honda Civic and he needed a tyre in France on a Saturday morning of a French 'saints' holiday. He was recovered back to his hotel on a truck and had to wait till Le-Quick-fit opened on Tuesday.

This tells me that a spare wheel has to be the way to go if you dump the RFT's. Even if there is one available in your shed, it gets you out of trouble.

There are a few pics in previous posts of spares on shelves and vertically mounted spares behind the back seats. You can always store 'stuff' in them.

[vivianM]

Having just returned from a European road trip in a T180 with RFT's I think the RFT's are a good idea but are just toooo expensive to replace. Having said that, I did purchase a £26K car so whats the odd £500 once every 30K miles? I had a Metro in the 1980's with TD tyres that were £70 a rim so being tied to a tyre brand is not a new thing, even my then 'new' MK2 Astra GTE cost £80 each corner and they lasted <15K!

I've had my T180 from new and now with 40K on it, I've only had to replace 2x worn front tyres and 1 puncture in total (£70 @ Toyota Hedge-end).

You are right about the fix-it gunk. My Bro has a Honda Civic and he needed a tyre in France on a Saturday morning of a French 'saints' holiday. He was recovered back to his hotel on a truck and had to wait till Le-Quick-fit opened on Tuesday.

This tells me that a spare wheel has to be the way to go if you dump the RFT's. Even if there is one available in your shed, it gets you out of trouble.

There are a few pics in previous posts of spares on shelves and vertically mounted spares behind the back seats. You can always store 'stuff' in them.

I think they are a good idea - replacing them when worn out, in proportion to the initial cost of a new T180, it is a quite minor cost. weigh up what is the cost of servicing at a main dealer over a few years.

Safety against a blow out is a good feature, if you have had a high speed blow out on a motorway you will know why I say that, having had two, in the past, with very high performance cars they are not pleasant!

Provided you check on the dealers who can replace runflats in your own area and also if you are going more far away you should have the problem covered - a good point and I do not know the answer to the following - if you are a Club Toyota member and call on their AA assistance for a tyre problem they should get you to the nearest dealer who can change the tyre , if needed or repair a puncture without you driving and using up the 100?? miles @ 50 mph.

To be fair I do carry a spare when going away on a break , but only if it is a great distance from home.

I do think the T180 is being dammed a bit because of runflats - all it's other features well out weigh this problem - I do say my T180 is rated as high as my earlier Sierra XR 4x4 2.9L which was very best car I had and having had very many between Jensen Interceptor SP 7.2L and Austin 750cc I have had plenty to chose from.

Still it will be nice if Toyota ever set up the meeting with Anchorman about runflats.

Best wishes to all,

Guy

[bothwell_buyer]

I've twice had blowouts - one when my RAV had 4 folk in it and we were on a motorway bend at 70mph - the car had 215/70x16 tyres and a rear tyre blew with no noticeable handling effect at all. the guy behind flashed us to stop!!

The other was more recently with my 225/40 x 18 tyres with a blow out and immediate deflation caused by a bolt flying out of the tyre (where it had been embedded) at a speed in excess of 100mph. No change in handling at all.

Neither of these were runflats, but the car is a 4.1 with 4 wheel drive which obviously is set up well.

I'd guess that unless you are visiting industrial yards or places full of metal debris, then having run flats is no big issue given the number of times you are likely to have a puncture.

Mind you in saying that I'm glad our Transits don't have run flats as we frequently get punctures from nails lying about in our yard... despite using a magnetic bar on the forklift to clear metal debris almost every day. A transit with a blowout scares me, despite them having reinforced tyres. Aren't there a number of expensive cars that use runflats?? Porsche; BMW etc?

[anchorman]

The meeting never happened but the intent is still there from both parties - it's a matter of opportunity.

My issue with the tyres has never been with the concept, that is sound enough. It was always with availability and price. Only recently have I heard of an owner getting tyres from a third party at a reasonable cost. Prior to that it seemed the only reliable source was through the TGB network and at great expense and often unacceptable lead times. Even Bridgestone themselves talked the talk but made it very difficult to source via their own distributors, always hiding behind this availability of the BSR machine.

Guy

Not sure they guard against blowouts, only punctures

[MarsKy]

I made time during my holidays to get my alloys changed under warranty today. But they couldn't be changed as the valves had seized and they will have to break them and put new ones in. All will be done under the 3 weeks of warranty I still have left. But there's another reason to be wary of the RFTs if you are out of warranty...

Anyway, the manager offered to drive me to the train station, and so we got talking:

* They can repair a puncture on RFTs for £40, assuming no sidewall or support ring damage. And valve isn't seized. I suspect some of the stories from others about the cost of the puncture escalating is because repairers are being a bit too enthusiastic in getting into the repair, and possibly breaking the valve assembly. The manager also said that they do a lot of repairs after Kwik Fit have had a go.

* They hate RFTs as much as most of us do. Especially the cost to them of buying in machinery for a Toyota/ Bridgestone experiment which has failed.

* Bubbling/ corroded alloys are not covered under the Toyota extended warranty. But seized valves would be.

[XT5North]

I know they are a different system but I have a BMW 5 series which has run flats and I had a puncture last week 300 miles from home. I was able to carry on by topping the air in the tyre up and still driving at 70mph, so they are a great safety aid. However I still prefer a spare wheel if I am honest.