Toys4RJill

Fair point you make. But you will not make it from Florida to Virginia on a run flat. Your trip will be interrupted and you will need to go to a tire center or back to your dealer, run flats only last for about 80 miles. What would you say if it was Sunday morning and the tire center or dealer cannot get your run flat till Monday? You don't need to do that with your LS full size spare, you can do that in Virginia or Florida with no trip interruption. There is also no guarantee that your tire lock will work at the tire center either. Most tow operators can remove the Lexus lock with a universal key (at least they did for me on my two flat tires).

Oliver Enterprises

First thing I did when I got my car home was replace those silly locks with regular lug nuts.

volk50

Seconded for Contintental DWS tires. Amazing all-season tire with a 50,000 mile warranty. I replaced all of my BMW run flats with DWS tires. Run flats are more expensive and make the ride harsher.

mckellyb

Continental DWS 06 rubber...thirded.

I've had 'em on both an '05 Cadillac STS V8 and the LS 460 L. They're going on my wife's '17 RX 350 when it needs new tires, too.

rehr0001

I had them on my LS and just put on a new set. Count me in the minority, but I love mine (Bridgestone road guard). I think they ride just fine and after getting double flats (must have run over something on the interstate) on my way to my daughter’s state championship hockey game, I can tell you they’ve more than paid for themselves. I’d have been stuck on the side of the road and missed the game without them. I paid $965 installed after tax for 4 and don’t consider that too expensive. Are people’s experiences with the newer models? From what I’ve read, they’ve improved quite a bit in recent years.

Shad034

I had RFT's on my BMW, replaced them with non-RFT's, so I have some apples to apples comparison to offier.

To be clear, runflats ride harsher than non-run flats, but not harsh in general. Its a relative comparison, as the newer run flats are definitely better than the older ones. However, side by side with a comparable quality good set of non-run flats, they ride harsher. No way around that if you want a sidewall that can withstand no air pressure.

The major downside to them is typically the expense and availability of replacement. They are more expensive than comparable non-RFT and you might not be able to get what you are looking for when you need it, especially when you are travelling and in the middle of nowhere at a tire shop. The RFT tire is good for one blowout and then its pretty much done. They can be repaired, but most shops won't do it since they don't know for sure how long you drove it uninflated and what damage might have occurred.

All that being said, with RFT's you are still rolling in the event of a tire issue and there is something to be said for not having to change a tire on the side of the road. Personally, with the amount of times I've experienced flat tires, I prefer to have non-RFT's. I have a full size spare in the LS and its a whole lot cheaper to replace.

SW17LS

Thats another good point about being on a long trip and being worried about having a flat. If you're in some rural area and you need to buy a new tire, you may not be able to find an appropriate runflat. In which case you'd have to put the spare on anyways, so why bother with the runflat?

Shad034

In that example, the advantage would be getting to drive up to 80 miles or so to somewhere that sucks less before having to swap the tire. That could mean you get to town where a tire shop can do the swap for you on a lift or possibly to the hotel for the night so you can deal with the tire in morning.

As a worst case example, its 2AM, its February, and about 12 degrees outside. Being able to finish the drive out of nowhere and into somewhere before having to deal with changing the tire doesn't suck.

You still have the problem of the cost and availability of a new one and all that, but the RFT made your life a little better last night for sure. I still don't want to deal with them personally, but I can see where people are willing to make trade-offs.

SW17LS

But the question you have to ask yourself is how often is this going to potentially be an issue? I can't tell you the last time I had a flat tire I had to have changed in order to get someplace. Put an air compressor in your car and a can of fix a flat and you have the same benefit, without the drawbacks.

For instance my Pacifica has no spare AND no run flats. It has a compressor and a can of fix a flat.

Shad034

and THAT is why I don't like them personally. I can't remember the last time I had a problem with my tires either.

However, there are instances where they would be nice to have. 2AM, 12 degrees etc, I'm not changing a tire, nor am I outside with fix-a-flat and an air compressor.

You're just trading one convenience/advantage for another.