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What’s the Deal with Run-Flat Tyres?
Once upon a time, buying new tyres for your vehicle was as simple as visiting the local dealership and picking the appropriate ones for your model. Nowadays, it could be said that consumers have too much choice and when you 
make that call to check stock availability, you’ll be given countless options ranging from the basic type right the way through to the premium brands.
Amongst these options you may also be provided with the option to convert to run-flat tyres. In simple terms, these are tyres which can still be used even if they incur a puncture. They work through a reinforced rubber sidewall, with this able to temporarily hold the shape of the wheel until the driver makes the change.
On the face of it, they sound perfect. However, there’s plenty to think about when it comes to run-flat tyres – as we now take a look through the various pros and cons that are associated with them.
The Pros
The advantages of run-flat tyres are pretty obvious for all to see. If you were to get a puncture with your regular tyres, you could be left stranded in the middle of nowhere (assuming you either don’t have that spare wheel, or don’t know how to change it). Run-flats eradicate such concerns and allow vehicles to move safely, even if they have a completely flat tyre.
The other advantage, which a lot of people forget about, is that the inclusion of a run-flat tyre means that there is no need to carry that cumbersome spare wheel. While some vehicles now arrive with that can of injectable foam in case of emergency, most still have a spare wheel either attached on the rear of the car or tucked away in the boot. Needless to say, it’s heavy from a fuel efficiency perspective, while it can take up a lot of space if it happens to be tucked under your boot.
The Cons
A lot of people are surprised to read that run-flats are far from perfect. While it would be nice to think that the infamous flat tyre has been conquered by technological advancements, all of this does come at a cost.
The first drawback takes the last sentence literally – the financial cost. There are now countless stores offering cheap tyres, but when it comes to run-flats it is much more difficult to find inexpensive ones. Naturally, you’d assume that this will change as they become more popular, but for now they are out of reach for a lot of drivers. Unfortunately, you also can’t mix run-flats and traditional tyres up, meaning that you will have to purchase a total of four.
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