I am considering an NX350 hybrid but am concerned with the run flat tires.
They seem to be noisier, stiffer riding, last fewer mikes and in some cases not repairable.
Have you folks experienced the above?
Is there a shot that a dealer would replace them for standard tires at no cost?

 

Noisier - somewhat, but its not like a marching band on the street. Think more like a similarity to how some winter tires sound. It doesn't bother many people at all, but for some they'd rather rip their ears off.
Stiffer - perhaps a smidge, yes. With wheels getting larger and larger all the tires are getting stiffer. If this is a big concern, if you do get an NX consider aiming for the smaller 18" wheels.
Shorter life - yup, they will be on the shorter life for the average driver
Not repairable - not really any different than any other tire. Some people say they are completely not repairable in any situation, but for surface tread punctures its really no different than any other tire. They will indeed be ruined by actually running them flat, just like a normal tire.
Get free replacements. I guess that depends on your dealer and what you consider a reasonable replacement. Cheap discount brand, maybe, shiny new Michelin CC2s (which seem to be a favorite), probably not.

 

On my 2024 NX 350h, I had a run flat that was not repairable - at only 4,500 miles.

After 10,000 miles I couldn't stand the noise any longer - replaced all with non-run flats and bought a Modern Spare (that definitely eats up the cargo space).

The noise drove me crazy when driving around town - didn't notice it as much on highways.

I will never purchase a vehicle with fun flats again. It was an expensive experiment for me.

 

I wouldn't make a statement that I won't buy a car with run flats again - it's becoming a trend to either have run flats or a tire repair kit. You may end up buying something that you may not want at all. Who knows.
Many argue that they never used their full spare tire as they have owned the vehicle, but then there are folks who use them often. I guess it depends on where you live and how clean the streets are in your area.
I've had puncture in my run flats for me to not even know, but then the dealership saw them and repaired the tire.

I've been running on winters for the past 3 months and yesterday I noticed my regular winter tires a bit noisy as it got warm. It did feel more noisier than the run flats I've used for almost 3 years. Personally for myself, I do not find the run flats that noisy, but I do find them wear out much faster in comparison to other vehicles/tires I've owned. With that being said, I would most likely change to regular tires when it's time to change, but I haven't decided on what to do since I already have a set of winter tires. CC2s might not be the best option for me.

 

Run flat tires are great for people like my dad (90s) who can’t safely deal with a flat tire. I’m not sure if they’re *ever* repairable. We ran over a nail in his car and had to replace the tire, at great cost. I wouldn’t have them.

 

Thanks for your detailed answer.
The tire swap I had in mind with the dealer was the 18” that come with the non hybrid 350.

 

I find they are noisier than my Michelin XIce 2 winter tires. Most noticeable on some road surfaces at highway speed as well as over joints & bumps on the road. About to do the seasonal swap this week. Am not looking forward to having the run flats back on. Am contemplating biting the bullet and buying 4 Cross Climate 2's. I will then try to sell the winter tires next fall and the extra set of rims (20") I will have.

 

Hi all,
The downside of not having non run flat tires is having to carry a modernspare.com tire and kit on road trips. We travel plenty of places out here in the West where having a flat tire that can't be fixed would be a major pain in the a**. So we carry a modernspare.com in our MME when we've traveled along with an inflator and plug tire repair kit.

 

That early.. 😄 I'm going to wait until end of month.

 

In Ontario Canada typically car dealerships will tell you that your tires on your new car are warranted by the Tire Manufacturer exclusively and any problems can be taken up with them. Tire shops, including the ones located within dealerships, don't usually give you any money back for your new tires equipped on your car. They will gladly sell you other new tires and give you back the originals for you to sell yourself.

To each his own I say. If you look hard enough and are picky enough no tires are good at everything only some things and you gotta pick what your priorities are for yourself.

I know this video is 2 years old but it offers a great comparison of a tire brand and model that is the SAME TREAD and SAME RUBBER COMPOUND on all 3 tires, a regular, run flat and a new self sealing tire. Brand is Hankook Energy 4S2. Turns out they're really close in all important aspects of what you want in a good tire. I'm really impressed with the one that has sealant in it, they put 16 holes nail holes in the tire with no sign of leaks!


This is a great comparison of some of the latest all weather tires too:

 

If you like the vehicle, I think you should just buy it regardless of the stock run flat tires.

Then try it out. If you don't like the RF tires, replace them with something you like. It costs you about $1000, not insignificant, but still small compared to the total cost of the vehicle. You might be able to recoup some cost by selling the stock tires.

I seriously doubt if the dealer would replace the stock tires at no cost. They are not in the business of selling tires, in particular used tires (ones they are installed, they are used). I think the amount of the paperwork generated would not be justifiable to the dealer.

FYI, my daughter replaced the stock RF tires on her 2025 NX450h+ when it was at 5K miles. She opted for the Michelin Cross Climate 2.

 

This day and age I don't think you'll find ANYONE that'll sell you and install a used tire. Maybe a junk yard, but otherwise, lawsuits have taken care of that. I've had friends that have bought brand new tires off someone on facebook or wherever, for their motorcycle, dirt bike, and couldn't get a bike shop to put them on due to safety / liability concerns.

Trust me those new RF tires on the NX won't last long, tire tread wear is crappy. Most people don't find them that bad for dry and wet conditions and noise certainly isn't that bad either. I find them a little too stiff for my liking but then again I've never had a car in my life with 50 series tires so I can't complain.

 

do you have the hybrid NX? If so, can you fit the spare tire/jack in the trunk well?

 

Nope, I have a hybrid and there's no room under the rear floor for a spare because that's where the 12 volt battery is. In fact you don't get a jack, you don't get a tire wrench to remove the tire bolts (not nuts like in the past), you get are you ready ....... a fricken screwdriver! so that you can use it to stab your eye out when go to look for what you have in your trunk to help with your flat that has left you stranded!

I carry a fix a flat kit that has a built in 12 volt air pump, I bought a jack, I bought wheel alignment studs to help locate the rim onto the hub while at the side of the road, since there isn't studs like most other cars have. Other than putting a spare in the back storage area you may be able to use roof rack cross bars and put a spare tire up there, where it will look oh so nice.

 

Need my 32K service done, don't want to put that off any longer.