Best price for Pirelli run flats?

[miss notax]

Hello!

Well, what a nice start to a Monday morning. Flat tyre (or not actually flat - this run-flat thing is a bit of a novelty!).

I would like to replace this asap as although I managed to get the car to work it wasn't feeling too great. I have found a couple of mobile fitters that operate around here and the prices are about £135 each for Pirelli 205 / 45 / R17 run flats. Any good? Anyone know of a local (Southampton) mobile fitter that's worth a call to better that?

Thanks :-)

[Justin S]

Just swop them for non runflats and sell the good tyres on ebay to recoup the difference. Think I paid £65 a tyre for the falken 912's ? for ours each.

[gonzales]

Unlike most I like the runflats, they've saved my @ss more times then I can remember.

However Pirelli's are not the best tyres, had a set on for 20k miles and they were awful. Swapped to Dunlop Sports and the handling and road holding is much improved. Plus you can repair Dunlops, you can't with Pirellis.

Being of a more Northerly locale I can't offer ideas of places to get tyres (most of mine come from a local tyre fitting place who beat all the big names for prices). However I paid less than £125 per boot at the last swap round.

[miss notax]

Thanks for the replies - interesting to hear different opinons on the run flats! In the end, having tried with to luck to source one for fitting today, I have wimped out of any decision and have got hold of a not-very-worn one to replace the punctured one. It'll buy me some time and i'll decide what to do when they both wear out later on in the year / next year! £270 for two includng fitting was my best quote.....

One question though - should our usual tyre bloke be able to fit a run flat tyre or does it need anything special? Is it easy to damage the sensor on the wheel? I have seen that lots of people seem to have problems with the run flat sensors and I really don't want that if I can help it!

[DarkMatter]

miss notax said:

....One question though - should our usual tyre bloke be able to fit a run flat tyre or does it need anything special? Is it easy to damage the sensor on the wheel? I have seen that lots of people seem to have problems with the run flat sensors and I really don't want that if I can help it!

We've not had any problems with runflat sensors when our runflat tyres were changed (I thought the MINI runflat system detected a change in rolling radius?), but on one occasion I think the fitter chipped the paint on the rim due to the greater difficulty in fitting run flat tyres. On another occasion I noted that the fitter used a pad to protect the rim when changing the tyre.

Black Circles can offer competitive prices and fitting can be arranged at the Best Autocentre at Calmore Industrial Estate. Remember to check the condition of your rims though, and point the condition out to the fitter, before and after fitting.

[Justin S]

Mini uses the abs sensor to detect speed rotational difference , so no sensors in the wheels.

[miss notax]

Great, thanks for your help

[M@1975]

Would have done you a deal for a full set of pirelli runflats! All mine are nearly new but need replacng with something that will work on the track, RFTs are not reknowned for achieving great levels of grip when being thrown around Brands!

[miss notax]

Ah well - hold that thought!! Let me know when you want to sell them and we might be able to come to a deal!

[MX-5 Lazza]

gonzales said:

...Swapped to Dunlop Sports and the handling and road holding is much improved...

But which Dunlop Sports? Dunlop make a lot of different tyres are they all seem to be called Dunlop Sport something...

[storeys66]

My local dealer's servicing dept told me quite authoritatively that you can't replace RFT with non-RTF as the wheel rim won't allow it...?!?! FYI, it was Dick Lovett MINI Bristol.

In terms of replacements, I've heard that the Continental Sport Contact 3 is supposed to be a pretty well sorted RFT. It won the last EVO Tyre Test anyway. Anyone tried these out yet?

[MX-5 Lazza]

storeys66 said:

My local dealer's servicing dept told me quite authoritatively that you can't replace RFT with non-RTF as the wheel rim won't allow it...?!?! FYI, it was Dick Lovett MINI Bristol.

He is wrong. It's true that you shouldn't fit RFT to wheels that aren't made for them but there is no reason why you couldn't fit non-RFT to RFT wheels.