NYC peeps: how bad are runflats?

[IEDEI]

our streets suck.....in brooklyn the streets are full of craters most of the year. What do other NYC people do with their tire situation?

I will be running dedicated snows and summer tires when i get my car. Should i IMMEDIATELY swap out the RFT when i take delivery of my car? Do you know if tire shops are willing to do trade-in type swaps for tires? Anybody know any good shops in NYC to do this?

I'm thinking that i'll just swap out the RFTs from the beginning. So when you guys run NON-RFTs....do you keep a space saver in the trunk all year? I have AAA but i don't know if i want to always require a flatbed every time i puncture a tire.....besides here in NYC flat tires are not UNCOMMON.

thanks for your advice in advance.

[friedymeister]

I'm living in Brooklyn, the RFTs are terrible. I use a dedicated set of blizzaks on 17s for the winter.

The ride w/ the stock RFTs is pretty harsh, and if you hit any major potholes, you will crack/bend your wheel.

[FIRST1]

all-season Continental DWS. They've been great. But yeah just follow the crowd, get PSS and winter tires and you're set.

edit: Oh and yes, I have a spare in the trunk

[IEDEI]

thanks. all seasons are not really an option because i have to drive in snow to work no matter what (work at hospital) so dedicated snows and summers are always the best solution.....

any of you guys know if tire shops are willing to direct swaps upon delivery?

[andrew777]

I would go down to 17's for the NYC area. 3 months of running run flats and I had 3 flats, then 2 season's of 18's and 2 more flats, and the last 3 season's have been on 17's no problems at all. 17's in the winter all the time and no problems with them either.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by andrew777

I would go down to 17's for the NYC area. 3 months of running run flats and I had 3 flats, then 2 season's of 18's and 2 more flats, and the last 3 season's have been on 17's no problems at all. 17's in the winter all the time and no problems with them either.

i always run 17s in the winter. 18s for summer is fine....the 313s on the 135is are WAY TOO nice to let go of

[Converted1]

I'm in a similar situation. I bought the car last September. Between February and June, I bubbled or blew out 3 front RTFs and cracked one front wheel in the NYC area. 2 happened on the same day 15 seconds apart on the Meadowbrook parkway. They were both under overpasses on a bright sun day, and contrast visibility was terrible. I went under one, hit a pothole which cracked the drivers side wheel (but surprisingly enough the tire was fine and even held pressure). As I was merging to get off the highway to see what the damage was, I went under another overpass and hit another pothole which blew out the passenger side. This was 10 seconds and less than a quarter mile apart. I had the top down and both kids in the car and I was shaken to say the least.

I've been driving 18" 40 series tires on my 337 for 11 year and 155K mi and never bent a rim or had a blowout. I do all my own maintence/upgrades and consider myself a careful driver.

For the last 2 months, I've done a TON of reading about this issue. Seems like there are a few factors at play:

-Roads are in dismal shape from a rough winter and low budgets
-the factory M wheels are a brittle weak casting
-the runflats are harsh and brittle as well
-the front rim width and 215 tire size is narrow making it susceptible to damage

I thought for sure I was going to a CSL rep and PSS set up, however I changed my mind. The primary reason the RTFs are put on the car is predictability in the event of a blowout. Even with a cracked rim and blown tire, the car behaved flawlessly. I'm not convinced that non-RTFs in the factory size will fare any better dealing with potholes. I feel more comfortable knowing that I have a better chance getting the car off the road safely with the RTFs. If I wasn't using the car the way I am, I might have gone with the pilots sports for driveabilith alone. I had them on my 337 and loved them.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by Converted1

I'm in a similar situation. I bought the car last September. Between February and June, I bubbled or blew out 3 front RTFs and cracked one front wheel in the NYC area. 2 happened on the same day 15 seconds apart on the Meadowbrook parkway. They were both under overpasses on a bright sun day, and contrast visibility was terrible. I went under one, hit a pothole which cracked the drivers side wheel (but surprisingly enough the tire was fine and even held pressure). As I was merging to get off the highway to see what the damage was, I went under another overpass and hit another pothole which blew out the passenger side. This was 10 seconds and less than a quarter mile apart. I had the top down and both kids in the car and I was shaken to say the least.

I've been driving 18" 40 series tires on my 337 for 11 year and 155K mi and never bent a rim or had a blowout. I do all my own maintence/upgrades and consider myself a careful driver.

For the last 2 months, I've done a TON of reading about this issue. Seems like there are a few factors at play:

-Roads are in dismal shape from a rough winter and low budgets
-the factory M wheels are a brittle weak casting
-the runflats are harsh and brittle as well
-the front rim width and 215 tire size is narrow making it susceptible to damage

I thought for sure I was going to a CSL rep and PSS set up, however I changed my mind. The primary reason the RTFs are put on the car is predictability in the event of a blowout. Even with a cracked rim and blown tire, the car behaved flawlessly. I'm not convinced that non-RTFs in the factory size will fare any better dealing with potholes. I feel more comfortable knowing that I have a better chance getting the car off the road safely with the RTFs. If I wasn't using the car the way I am, I might have gone with the pilots sports for driveabilith alone. I had them on my 337 and loved them.

wow that's a pretty crappy series of events! I do think that RFTs seem to be MORE susceptible to damage than the average tire...mainly because a non-RFT has more flex/bounce/reply to the insult and is not so 'rigid'....but i definitely see your point about having the safety to drive on them afterwards.

I have been driving my A3 which has 225/40/18 tires for the past 2+ years with NO flats or anything.....i think sometimes it's also just a matter of chance/luck.

either way i'm leaning towards getting rid of the RFTs....although i may try it out for a little while just to see how it is...

if anyone here might need RFT tires.....shoot me a msg.

[twin fed]

you got the long version......so short and simple they suck

[3002 tii]

Bad but not as terrible as some make it out to be. It only hurts when you hit that one really nasty pothole during winter and it makes your teeth rattle. The other 95% of the time is bearable.

[propkaPT]

Knock on wood ive been driving on them for 8 months out of the year and have not dented a rim or blew one out from hitting one of the nyc craters. I have however received many 1 finger salutes trying to avoid them.