gwalsh88

On a recent trip up to New England from Florida I hit a gigantic pot hole in Pennsylvania on Interstate 81 at about 5:00 AM in the morning in the rain. My right front tire completely deflated as the bead was damaged. I was in a tough spot as it was too early to try and find a tire shop and my experience is they never carry these tires in stock. I did try to add air but it just came right out again around the rim. With no options left I got back on the road, set the cruise to 55 MPH and started to drive in the right lane. It was very embarassing having mini vans passing me but I pulled over every 50 miles or so to make sure the tire was not breaking apart and although it was flat it was holding together. Around 9:00 AM I used my trusty GPS to seek out a tire store and as I suspected they did not carry these tires in stock. Jumped back on the road and kept driving. I was careful about more pot holes and slowed way down when taking curves and the trip easily took me another 4hours than it should have but I made it! I don’t know how long you are supposed to drive on a flat run-flat but my experience was testament to how great these tires are.

This was going to be last trip on these tires as I already had 56,000 miles on them so when I got to Massachusetts, I went to the local Firestone dealer and bought myself 4 more! The remaining tires still had enough tread to make it back to Florida but what the heck.

tomzarbo

That's amazing that they lasted that long. I've see a few of the Goodyear run-flat raw tires before they were mounted on rims, and they do have a sturdy sidewall, but to think that any tire could last that long holding the engine up is surprising. Nice to know though! Wow, you got how many miles from those tires?

Thanks for sharing that info,
TomZ

gwalsh88

I got 56,000 miles! (I drive like an old lady most of the time.)

By the way I though for sure the tire pressure sensor would be toast but both the rim and sensor were fine!

dvilin

That is pretty impressive and one of the reasons I have stayed with runflats.

peter pan

Wow that is really awesome

geo2000

Good to know, thanks

NOCRISIS

that will shut down a lot of nay sayers,,for the moment,,,,

Blaq Ops

On a long road trip at about 2am in the morning, I got a flat tire light on one of my rears. Within 2 minutes I got another light on my other rear. TWO FLATS!!! I had well over 100 miles to go. I slowed down but never stopped. The next morning I took the car to the tire shop and they inspected and fixed it. Runflats are definitely worth it on road trips.

NOCRISIS

,and a t-shirt like in your avatar would be ok also,,,,

ratmotortom

WOW !!!!

not08crmanymore

Amazing!!!And that right there is reason enough for me to never use anything BUT runflats on my Vette!

JoesC5

But it's a lot more fun trying to get the bead to hold air while lying in the mud with your trusty 12v mini air compressor.

not08crmanymore

Yea..no!!

NotreOkc

Those are the exact tires I have on my C6, had them on about 2 years now. I love them and this just reaffirms even more how great these tires are. Thank you for sharing!!

george vee

I had a similar experience with goodyear fi supercar tires.
I hit a pot hole and got a flat at midnight, I called onstar and was told I could drive 100 miles at 55mph. I drove 85 miles to get home and the tire still looked like it could go more. I don't leave home without my run flats.

C8-Vette

You should contact Firestone, they may want to make a commerical about your experience. Big bucks in it fo you, or at least a free set of new run flats. I' m even more happier I have them on mine!

swifty

I would have expected the low tire pressure to wreak havoc with the active handling system - not so? 55 mph was possible without such problem?

Thanks for the testimonial - I have a set of FWO RF's ready to go on as soon as the GSC RF's get thin.

VET4LES

Great story, thanks for sharing.

AORoads

300 miles on a runflat that's flat! that's phenomenal.

Here's what tirerack said as a general rule; btw, couldn't find anything on Firestone's site....:

"Tire Tech Information/Run Flat Tire Information
Run Flat Tires

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Tires That Help Maintain Vehicle Mobility...Even After Being Punctured

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.

Tires don't typically carry the weight of our vehicles, the air inside them does. There are three basic elements which determine the load capacity of a tire: the size of the air chamber formed between the tire and wheel, the strength provided by the tire's construction to hold air pressure, and the amount of air pressure actually in the tire.

Most flat tires (and tire "blowouts") are the result of slow leaks that go unnoticed and allow the tire's air pressure to escape over time. Therefore, monitoring tire air pressure in real-time gets us half way there. If we had tires that could maintain temporary vehicle mobility even after air loss, we'd be just about invincible.

Today there are three technologies used as Original Equipment on vehicles to help maintain vehicle mobility when a tire is punctured. They are self-sealing tires, self-supporting tires and tires supported by an auxiliary system.

Self-Sealing

Self-sealing tires are designed to fix most tread-area punctures instantly and permanently. These tires feature standard tire construction with the exception of an extra lining inside the tire under the tread area that's coated with a puncture sealant that can permanently seal most punctures from nails, bolts or screws up to 3/16 of an inch in diameter. These tires first provide a seal around the object when the tire is punctured and then fill in the hole in the tread when the object is removed. Because these tires are designed to seal the tire immediately upon being punctured, most drivers will never even know that they just had a puncture. Also because these tires feature standard tire constructions, the traditional loss-of-air symptoms that accompany a flat tire remain to warn the driver if the tire is damaged beyond repair. Therefore, self-sealing tires do not require a low air pressure warning system.

Example: Continental ContiSeal.

Self-Supporting

Self-supporting tires feature a stiffer internal construction, which is capable of temporarily carrying the weight of the vehicle, even after the tire has lost all air pressure. To provide "self-supporting" capability, these tires typically attach rubber inserts next to or between layers of heat-resistant cord in their sidewalls to help prevent breaking the reinforcing cords in the event of loss of air pressure. They also feature specialized beads that allow the tire to firmly grip current Original Equipment and aftermarket wheels even in the event of air loss. Because self-supporting tires are so good at masking the traditional loss-of-air symptoms that accompany a flat tire, they require a tire pressure monitoring system to alert the driver that they have lost air pressure. Without such a system, the driver may not notice underinflation and may inadvertently cause additional tire damage by failing to inflate or repair the tire at the first opportunity. Typically, self-supporting tires maintain vehicle mobility for 50 miles at speeds up to 55 mph.

Examples: Bridgestone RFT (Run Flat Tire), Dunlop DSST (Dunlop Self-Supporting Technology) and ROF (Run On Flat), Firestone RFT (Run Flat Tire), Goodyear EMT (Extended Mobility Technology) and ROF (Run On Flat), Kumho XRP, Michelin ZP (Zero Pressure), Pirelli RFT (Run Flat Technology) and Yokohama Run Flat and ZPS (Zero Pressure System).
Symbol for Run-Flat Systems featuring self-supporting tires

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a worldwide federation of national standards bodies, has adopted a run-flat system symbol for extended mobility systems featuring self-supporting run-flat tires.

Auxiliary Supported Run Flat Systems

Auxiliary supported systems combine unique wheels and tires used for Original Equipment vehicle applications. In these systems, the flat tire's tread rests on a support ring attached to the wheel when the tire loses pressure. The advantage to this type of system is that it will place most of the mechanical task of providing run flat capability on the wheel (which typically doesn't wear out or need to be replaced), and minimizes the responsibility of the tire (which does periodically wear out and requires replacement). Additionally, auxiliary support systems promise better ride quality because their sidewall's stiffness can be equivalent to today's standard tires. The disadvantage to auxiliary supported systems is that their unique wheels will not accept standard tires and that their lower volume will make this type of system more expensive.

Example: Michelin's PAX System wheels and tires
Symbol for Run-Flat Systems featuring an internal support ring

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a worldwide federation of national standards bodies, has adopted a run-flat system symbol for extended mobility systems featuring an internal support ring.

It is too early to confirm which system, if any, will be widely accepted by vehicle manufacturers and consumers in the future."

gwalsh88

I was going about 75 MPH when I hit the pot hole and as soon as the tire went flat the DIC said to "Reduce Speed to 55 MPH". Once I hit 55 MPH the message changed to the regular "Right Front Tire is Flat" on the DIC.

No issues with the active handling.