I am looking to trade in my bmw 335d for gen 3 Prius and wanted to get an idea of how much fuel economy to expect with run flat tires (RFT)? Does having RFTs defeat the purpose on a prius? My car is equipped with RFTs and I live by them... I have had many flats over the years and just love being able to get it fixed at my convenience. The decrease in ride quality and the extra expense is something I can live with. Thanks
Don't do it, just make sure to get a model with a spare. There was a recent thread here on the subject, even google can't seem to find it tho. But the consensus was negative.
Thanks.... Yeah I searched before posting but could not find it either... Spare will not do for me though... I know there is more rotational mass but if your able to get RFT and ditch the spare I would think this would decrease the hwy mpg by no more than 5 mpg.
Rhinotire - Puncture Proof /Flat Proof Tires: Welcome! I thought of them for my Holy Grail trip to Alaska by motorcycle in an effort to circumvent Murphy's Law. I believe they can get any tire you want (even the Prius eco tires) and apply this treatment to them before you have them installed. Let us know how it works out.
Not that I think they will work, but there are some products you can put in the tire that will seal punctures, but I don't know if there are any that are compatible with the TPS systems new vehicles come with.
I noticed one a screw embedded in our son's car yesterday afternoon. With the screw in place it was leaking slowly. Within an hour I had it off the car, it plug-repaired, back up to pressure with a bicycle pump, and re-installed. It's not that hard.
I believe the MPG difference between the best and worst non-RFT tires is larger than that on a Prius. Remember that when translating this type of difference from a lower MPG to a higher MPG vehicle, the translation is non-linear. A particular drag that will knock 1 point off a 25 MPG vehicle will knock 4 points off a 50 MPG vehicle. This becomes much more clear when economy is expressed in units of liters/100km or gallons/100-miles.
Still considering getting a Prius... am still wondering if anyone has any first hand experience with run flats fitted on them. At this point, I dont mind taking a small mpg penalty but, dont want to lose 25 mpg. If someone has tried this and lost only 15 mpg... then this is something I am willing to consider. Unfortunately, driving with out run flats is something I do not want to do.
Run flat tires seem hard to find, and there aren't many choices. To me that indicates that not many go that route, maybe for good reasons? Again, I would just ensure I got a model with a spare, and take along plug repair kit and air pump as well.
