My guess is the people complaining about the RFT's are the ones who opted for the F-sport or Luxury packages, which upgrade the wheels from 18" to 20". Even if we were talking about standard tires, the difference between the two would be pretty obvious in terms of road noise and ride harshness. I intentionally opted for the 18" wheels when I was shopping my car knowing this would result in a softer and quieter ride.

 

Say what? 18” still Run flat tires. I have 18” and the rides not would it could be with regular tires. Even dealership acknowledges they get constant complaints about them. Love the car, but tires suck!

 

Yep, the base 18” wheels are using run-flats also. All I know for sure is I have absolutely no complaints with road noise or ride harshness of the 18” Bridgestone Alenza and I highly suspect it’s the result of removing 2” of sidewall when upgrading to the 20” rim that contributes to most complaints of ride harshness. I really dig the cargo cubbies under the rear floorboard where the spare would have gone!

Edit: should probably point out that RFT’s can certainly be repaired just the same as a regular tire, but it depends on the circumstances of running the tire in run flat condition or not.

1. Did your tire pressure light go off while on a long trip and you continued to drive another 50-100 miles in “run-flat mode” before taking it to the shop? If so, the tire is a liability and should be scrapped. It served its purpose, time for a new tire!

2. Is it a slow leak due to a nail in the tread? Did you notice the low pressure in the morning before setting off to work and the tire never drove flat? If so, pull the nail and plug the hole and pump it back up to pressure. If you lack the tools to do self repair, at least pump it up and drive slowly to a tire shop. If a tire shop is doing the repair, ask them to patch, not plug it… that forces them to remove the tire from the rim so the inside of the tire can be inspected. A tire that has been driven flat will have tell tale wear marks along the inner lip of the sidewall and rubber sand-like shreds accumulated within the tire… time for a new tire!

 

I have 20" RFT. I find the ride compliant and the tire noise minimal. IMO the quality of the ride (save for the cornering) is actually better than my previous car, a 2015 Audi A4 with 19" rims. Of course it's an apples to oranges comparison, just my impressions.

 

I recently had a loaner 2023 NX250 with non run-flat Dunlop tires while my 350H was in for warranty work. I noticed a noticeable difference in ride quality and handling compared to the run flats in my NX350H. Definitely will replace with regular tires once they wear out.

 

After getting a flat last week, I installed four new Michelin CrossClimate2 (245/50R20) tires on my NX which are non-run-flats. Here's a question that might sound dumb: What should the PSI be for these tires? Should it be the same 33 PSI cold tire pressure as stated on the door jam sticker for the stock run-flats (235/50R20)?

I know typically the recommended tire pressure for a vehicle is determined by the manufacturer and can be found on the door jam sticker. This pressure is not necessarily tied to the tire brand but rather to the specifications of the vehicle. However, I am unsure if this applies to the situation where we are transitioning from run-flat to non-run-flat tires and from 235/50R20 to 245/50R20. Any advice, thoughts, or sharing from personal experience on this is appreciated!!

 

You are always safe using the door sticker recommended pressure for any tire (well, I suppose for pneumatic ones anyway). The recommendation is typically the best combo of comfort and performance. There is never a good reason to run below this in normal conditions, but there are a few reasons why some people haven chosen to run pressure a bit high.

• Run a few extra PSI for a slight mpg gain
• Frequently with high loads and/or high speeds
• With winter approaching, a bit extra will make up for some pressure reduction from the cold.

For every person that says one of the above is a good idea, you'll find another that says its not. I've heard some people like to run their tires at the max sidewall pressure and claim to gain tons of benefits without any wear or performance issues, but that will make some people react like their hair is on fire. IMO, at or maybe slightly above is a good place to be.

 

My dealer runs 35psi for the NX350h 18" wheels. It's common for dealers to inflate 2-3 pounds above the door jam number, likely for reasons similar to what Droid13 said. I've always run 2-3 above door jam number in all my cars. Because of constant changes in temps even day to day it's virtually impossible to keep the tires exactly at door jam psi in any case. Better a bit over than a bit under.

 

Have you noticed a difference in noise drive with the non runflats?

 

Absolutely correct. For every ten degrees drop in temperature tires will lose one pound. Summer 80 degrees and now 40 degrees four pound drop.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I've also noticed that each time I bring my car in for service, the dealership inflates the tires about 2-3 pounds over the recommended psi on the sticker. Since it's winter now, and I observed a slight drop in MPG after getting the new tires, I'll probably be adding a bit more air to the tires, increasing them from 33 psi to 35 psi (Costco Tires initially set them to 33 psi).

After transitioning to non-run-flat tires, the ride is much smoother, and I feel more in control of the wheel. However, I did not notice any difference in road noise while driving.