Run flat tires a tire specially designed with heavily reinforced rubber in the sidewalls that can be driven for about 50-100 miles with no air in it. Because of the design, the tires are a lot thicker and unflexible comparing to regular tires. These tires give just about enough time and miles to change the tire in a better, safer, or even dryer place. They can come in handy if you have a flat on a stranded road, or in a bad weather. The miles that they cover could be just enough to get you to the next available mechanic, tire shop or a service station.
In comparison to regular tires, the run flat tires provides extra safety in possible situations, but the they also can affect the comfort of the drive. By having the sidewalls reinforced, the run flat tires are automatically thicker, and less flexible, so you will probably feel every hole in the road, and they can also wear out faster than the regular tires.
The tires themselves are quite expensive and they might not be for all users. Besides the price, the tread life could also be a downside for this kind of tires, but if you are willing to pay more for extra safety that they provide, then these tires are just for you.
Of course, the choice is mainly up to you, your budget and your driving habits. Some of the things that you should be aware of before deciding on purchasing run flat tires are:
1. The price it is higher than the price of regular tires, and although it provides extra safety to you and your vehicle, it can be quite of a downside. Also, buying cheap or used run flat tires is not recommendable.
2. Safety when you bust your regular tire, you are forced to go out of the vehicle and change it, no matter where you are or what the weather conditions are like. When you have run flat tires on your car, they give you the possibility of driving for an extra 50-100 miles with a flat tire until you find a suitable place to change the flat.
3. Wearing out a feature that is a shortcoming of the run flat tires. They wear out more often than the regular tires so you will have to buy new ones more often, that takes us back to the costs of the tires. They are not so popular tires, so you might also have problems in finding them right away.
4. Spare tire and repair when you buy your vehicle it is highly possible that you wont get a spare run flat tire to go with it. Repairing the run flat tires is also an issue. It is not recommendable to do it because of the structure of the tire, but if you do, it is highly unlikely that it will be good as it was before the flat.