Run flat tyres 'a must'
Run flat tyres 'a must'
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Discussion

911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

218 months

Saturday 6th December 2008
quotequote all
My daughter has just had 4 run flats on her Mini One. She was told by almost every tyre place she must have run flats (as the car was delivered) due to Insurance issues with people fitting normal tyres instead, so midifying the car, so no insurance!

Beware.

JCW

905 posts

230 months

Saturday 6th December 2008
quotequote all
Absolute bks. They just wanted the additional margin.

Bosh 964

70 posts

226 months

Saturday 6th December 2008
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Better to be safe than sorry though

I'm with Swiftcover (Axa) and checked with them before I ditched the run-flats on my BMW 330d as I was technically modifying it and they said no problems

911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

218 months

Saturday 6th December 2008
quotequote all
Interesting!
This is why these things are best aired on Forums.
Power of the internet.

ian_c_uk

1,415 posts

226 months

Monday 8th December 2008
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One of the reasons for choosing 15"s on my clubman was the *non* runflat tyres. Had runflats on my last car, 325i, and hated them.


911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

218 months

Monday 8th December 2008
quotequote all
She has 4 runflats on the car now, and she like it, so that's good.

I've seen such 'scaremongering' before fly around to someone's profit.

Mini's are not cheap to run are they?

Deva Link

26,934 posts

268 months

Monday 8th December 2008
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Hmm..technically *any* change to the car breaks its EU Type Approval. If you change from runflats does the tyre pressure warning still work?

An insurance company could say that they've rated the car based on those "safety features" so if the car was in an accident caused by a blow-out they might not be very happy.

If the insurance company OK it, then fair enough. But ideally get it in writing or at least note who you speak to and the date & time.

ian_c_uk

1,415 posts

226 months

Monday 8th December 2008
quotequote all
Deva Link said:
Hmm..technically *any* change to the car breaks its EU Type Approval. If you change from runflats does the tyre pressure warning still work?

An insurance company could say that they've rated the car based on those "safety features" so if the car was in an accident caused by a blow-out they might not be very happy.

If the insurance company OK it, then fair enough. But ideally get it in writing or at least note who you speak to and the date & time.
The tyre pressure warning system is unaffected by non-runflats. Also, if the "safety rating" is identical on 15" wheels, then it's unaffected by non-runflats.

catmartin

889 posts

220 months

Monday 8th December 2008
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They are fine. I have 17s and have Dunlop SP9000s on them - the non runflat version! A few tyre places have been weird about it as regards insurance, and one guy thought that only runflats could go on due to the sensors, but his boss corrected him....but once I tell them I have cleared it with my insurance company (which I have) then they are all happy. She will need some form of rescue device though as she won't have a spare tyre. That puncture spray is meant to be sufficient I think.

911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

218 months

Monday 8th December 2008
quotequote all
She has the spray in the boot, it came with the car.

I don't trust Insurance Companies, and feel they will walk away if they find a good reason to.

I think this tyre thing could be that excuse.

catmartin

889 posts

220 months

Monday 8th December 2008
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Have her phone them and have a written follow up delivered detailing the conversation.

christer

2,804 posts

274 months

Friday 12th December 2008
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It has generally been considered that run-flats are inferior to good premium brand tyres in terms of grip and traction. I am not sure that the gap is quite so large any longer with tyre manufacturers presumably putting considerable effort into improving them but there is no way that they are as good as grippy normal tyres even now.

I appreciate that this is slightly off-point to the original one made - but there should be absolutely no problems with this - if in doubt check with the insurers - but my my point made in the first paragraph should at least make the logic clear in your mind - i.e. that it is not at all a bad idea - and is in fact beneficial to the performance of your car.

JimmyJCW

17 posts

207 months

Sunday 14th December 2008
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I have to say, they're useful if you have a blow out on the motorway at 70(ish) MPH. I've actiually stuck with them since that. I will admit that for the more spirited driver, they aren't all that good... spose it depends what you use the car for really.

The fact a tyre fitter is telling such cock and bull stories to get you to purchase more expensive rubber with more margin in them is shocking.

Name and shame i say!

haggi

881 posts

236 months

Monday 15th December 2008
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load of balls ive had non runflats on for ages on my mini, and i know of about 1000+ people who have too

DanGT

753 posts

249 months

Tuesday 16th December 2008
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Odd how if you talk to tyer companys all tyers should match and be the correct rating. But every one just puts on what they want until run flats came along. The new run flats are better than the old ones.

The zafera I drive at work dose not use runflats and only has a can and a pump only. So there is no way of getting the wheel off the car or getting home if there is a big hole in the tyer. This dose not effect the insurance.

Any way now I am getting off my high horse.

Rakey

108 posts

206 months

Wednesday 21st January 2009
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911hillclimber said:
My daughter has just had 4 run flats on her Mini One. She was told by almost every tyre place she must have run flats (as the car was delivered) due to Insurance issues with people fitting normal tyres instead, so midifying the car, so no insurance!

Beware.
I'm afraid its rubbish, I've had non-runflats on my car, infact it came with them from a MINI dealer.

What a lot of tyre places are not happy to do is to take a risk of fitting the wrong thing, so just so this to cover themselves, as fitting runflats to a non-runflat rim can end in disaster, as the wheel needs a certain lip on it to hold the bead of the tyre.

If fitting a different brand or make of tyre is classed as a mod then how do companies like Kwikfit survive with fitting non-OEM exhausts to cars? As surely thats a modification, a deviation from the original specification.

Runflats though are probably best for you to have on your daughters car, they do give a certain peace of mind, I have them on one of our cars too, the one the wife drives most, but they do offer less grip and a poorer ride, oh and theres the cost of them too. But I'm not knocking them, they have their place, just that you've been given duff info.

Edited by Rakey on Wednesday 21st January 12:27

marco-sparco

31 posts

211 months

Thursday 22nd January 2009
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My local tyre dealership advised me to keep using run-flats when i got the car, they were sayin the usual about the sensors but also mentioned that economy decrease and stopping distances would increase if i didnt. Would that be in relation to mixing run-flat with ordinary tyres????

Rakey

108 posts

206 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
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marco-sparco said:
My local tyre dealership advised me to keep using run-flats when i got the car, they were sayin the usual about the sensors but also mentioned that economy decrease and stopping distances would increase if i didnt. Would that be in relation to mixing run-flat with ordinary tyres????
You shouldn't mix runflat with non-runflat, that is a no no.

As for sensors, that one always cracks me up, its the ABS that detects change in pressure in the wheel, and it can do this with or without runflats.

If anything your safety in terms of grip and stopping distances are improved by not having runflats, as the runflats take an age to warm up and get grippy compared to a normal performance tyre. Also there is a far greater choice of tyres you can get which are not runflats. My favourites are the Eagle F1's, but can't have these on my GP, so went with the Pilot Sports which are also pretty good smile

marco-sparco

31 posts

211 months

Friday 23rd January 2009
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thanks lad. I runnin on khumo tyres goin well at de moment.

mercedes tech

261 posts

239 months

Saturday 24th January 2009
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what the fook has it got to do with a tyre fitter what tyre you have fitted as long as it is road legal,
monkeys