In a recent discussion in our local ‘coffee group’ an attendee said he had heard that run flat tires are hard to mount (and dismount) and it’s possible you may need to buy a new wheel because of trouble in dismounting a flat run flat.
Any truth to this?
I think the more notable difference between standard and run flats is the ride quality. Run flats don’t have much of a cushion when you hit ruts, potholes, and just about anything else in the road.
As for the mounting issue, you need a special machine and they are harder to deal with than conventional tires. Run-flats have not been the success tire makers were hoping for and Michelin is actually discontinuing its PAX system that came standard on Honda minivans in 2005-2007.
I personally do not like them because ride quality suffers, they are expensive and you cannot readily find shops sometimes to assist you on a trip or in an emergency.
Dave G. is right on the money. Folks I know who bought cars with no spare because they came with run-flat tires, replaced the run-flats with conventional tires when they wore out, and bought a roadside assistance policy from AAA or their car insurance company. They are money ahead in the long run.
There are some versions of RunFlat tires that can not be interchanged with conventional (non-RunFlat) tires and rims. In other words, you can not put conventional tires on the rims and the tires do not fit on conventional rims.