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[xyz123]

So far, the only things I have heard about run-flat tires is that you can drive on them for a while after a flat but that they are heavy, stiff and expensive. From this, I would think that it is safe to assume that the casing construction is a lot different from non-runflat tires. I am curious to know whether this difference has resulted in any difference in puncture resistance (through the tread) for better or worse than non-runflats. I am only guessing but I would think that tread life is more or less independent of casing design and construction so I wouldn’t expect much if any difference there. Anybody hear anything about puncture resistance?

Thanks, my apologies if this has already been answered in this forum and I missed it.

[- Paul -]

The sidewalls are thicker - not the tread (as far as I'm aware) so can't see much more puncture resistance unless the offending item enters via the sidewall.

[E90Fleet]

The tread is the same as normal tires, so puncture resistance is the same.

For interest:
A friend drove over a 100miles on his runflats with a 2" hole in his tire after hitting a rock or something on the highway and he felt no ill effects

[xyz123]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

The tread is the same as normal tires, so puncture resistance is the same.

For interest:
A friend drove over a 100miles on his runflats with a 2" hole in his tire after hitting a rock or something on the highway and he felt no ill effects

Thanks, I am a bit surprised that puncture resistance is entirely a function of the tread. Besides the tread, the puncture resistant belt(s), if any, underneath the tread are probably also the same, runflat vs non-runflat, but I wondered if the cross plies are different in a way that affects resistance to penetration. These radial plies would seem to be a lot stiffer and heavier than on non-runflats, judging by how the sidewalls did their job in your example. But I suppose that once a foreign object penetrates the circumferential belt, the cross plies offer little resistance, whatever their other characteristic are.

[rob944s2]

I hit a pothole in my E90 after havng it one month, middle of the desert. Split the sidewalls on two tires (left side) and drove it 120+ miles home on the run flats @ 50 mph.

Damage report: Needed two new wheels / tires. New front strut and strut plate. Alignment.

Rob

[BMW Lawman]

Good Lord.....how big was that pothole.....or was it the Meteor Crater in Arizona?