Run Flat Tyres

[Ken Barlow]

Anybody using them on a TVR ?

[Simple]

Not tried them on a tvr, but would have thought the tyre wall would be way too hard and make the ride awful. I have a cooped s as a daily driver on top of the tiv and specifically specked this without run flats after trying a friends who had them. It ruined it.

Could be wrong mind I am no expert on tyres!

[Laser Sag]

Simple said:

Not tried them on a tvr, but would have thought the tyre wall would be way too hard and make the ride awful. I have a cooped s as a daily driver on top of the tiv and specifically specked this without run flats after trying a friends who had them. It ruined it.

Could be wrong mind I am no expert on tyres!

Think you would be absolutely right on that, BMW had to change the suspension settings on the Minis and their other ranges as they were awful on run flats on the standard suspension when first introduced.
The TVRs do not have a great deal of suspension travel and reducing that further by having a solid sidewall would be a disaster IMHO of course.

Find some of the early road tests on the Tuscans on 16 inch wheels with high profile tyres and then compare them to the tests on the 18 inchers with low profile rubber attached and those differences are just from reducing the height of the side wall cant imagine what it would be like with a run flat as well.

Would agree with the comment above ref the Cooper S I sold one because the ride was so hard for every day use.

[Simple]

Yeh but without run flats the mini is ok, I mean it isn't exactly soft but as a daily it puts a smile on my face when I get to a decent road and stops me wanting to shoot myself when I get to a decent road and realise I haven't got the tiv with me. Much better than the diesel it replaced.

But yeh, run flats should be a big no no! I went to 17/18 on the chime when I fitted SP12s and if I am honest that definitely made the ride worse.

[BIGMIKE1]

I fitted some last year on my everyday vectra as I got michellins very cheap but was always worried if they actually had any pressure in! All the cars that are designed to have them have tyre pressure monitors, so you could go howling into a bend on a flat tyre and not know about it till the tyre pulls off the rim!

Unfortunately the car was spun accross the M1 by a foreign truck about 6weeks after fitting them so it wasn't a problem after that

[scotty_d]

Simple said:

Not tried them on a tvr, but would have thought the tyre wall would be way too hard and make the ride awful. I have a cooped s as a daily driver on top of the tiv and specifically specked this without run flats after trying a friends who had them. It ruined it.

Could be wrong mind I am no expert on tyres!

Same as me, We have a Mini Cooper S as a daily driver on Run flats. The mini is about the same kerb weight as the Cerb so could work i guess on light cars.

The handling on run flats is great for road use never tracked the MCS. Noise is the only draw back and the price to change them out £160 a corner for a mini!!!!!

I find the Run flats fine after taking the mini on a good run up to here to Applecross in the wet on the way up with no drama's and bikers holding me back on this road too

So plenty of grip from them.

[Gazzab]

Swapped from run flats on my mini. Car ride is much improved.
I would suggest that a Tvr needs the softer tyre wall and that run flats will ruin the ride and handling.
In my years of driving I have never had a flat where a run flat would have helped.

[Guillotine]

No good for a TVR, for all the reasons above.

It'll tramline, crash about all over the place and handle like a tea tray.



Andy

[bobbins]

Gazzab said:

Swapped from run flats on my mini. Car ride is much improved.
I would suggest that a Tvr needs the softer tyre wall and that run flats will ruin the ride and handling.

This.

Had a pair of Bridgestone SO3 runflats on mine when I bought it. Tramlined all over the place (18ins too) and took serious concentration and skill to keep in a straight line at speed - couldn't get them off quick enough.

In a word, OP, don't.

PS: £100 the pair if you want them

[geoffphead]

Run flats were really awful on my Mini cooper S which is highly tuned, they kept coming un-glued from 18in rims.The handling was terrible too, my car has lowered ebach racing springs,uprated shocks etc.
I put some normal boots on and its go kart handling again, but nowhere near as much fun as my Tam