If you’ve ever been late for a date, appointment, or meeting because of a flat tire, you already know how frustrating it can be. If you’ve ever changed a flat tire in the rain, after dark, or on the shoulder of a busy highway, you already know how frightening it can be. So while we enjoy the freedom our vehicles provide, it’s amazing how quickly that freedom vanishes when a flat tire strands us.

Since the early development of the automobile, tires have played an important role in determining a vehicle’s overall comfort and safety. However, there are few consumer products placed in harms way more often than our tires, which encounter extremes in temperature, exposure to the elements, and attacks by debris on the road during their life. And while the tire manufacturers’ continuous research and development efforts have improved tire durability and longevity, only recently have they developed tires that can temporarily maintain vehicle mobility using standard Original Equipment and aftermarket wheels. These run flat tires provide the driver more flexibility when deciding where to have tire repairs made.

Today, I had the delight of testing a set of Run Flat Tires, courtesy of BMW. They sent me a set for my M5 which I hastily installed and ran the gauntlet at the interstate. My impressions:

• They’re heavy. For some reason, the extra reinforcement gives a sense of sluggishness to the wheel. If you’re a drift racer or slalom driver, you shouldn’t use run flats. The tires can take away your dexterity.
• They require more braking distance. I don’t why this happens, but run flats require me to pump the pedal earlier than usual.
• But the protection is amazing! I deliberately ran over spikes and nails. Despite the size of those suckers, I managed to travel an extra 100Km to reach a gas station.

Bottomline: Get run flats if you’re a family man who goes on extended road trips. But if you race cars for a living, forget the tires until they improve its core handling capabilitues

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