It's clear from all the previous posts that runflats are inferior to conventional tires. I would like to know if the new Dunlop runflats are superior to the older Bridgestone runflats. I would like to hear from people who have had both tires. I actually had only mild problems with my Dunlops until I added Daizen antisways. Now I notice more jarring and road noise. I'm trying to decide if I should dump the runflats now or wait until they are worn. I hate the idea of throwing away a new set of tires.

 

I have only had the one set of B'Stones run flats that I threw away with 50% of tread left on them and went to Michelin Pilot A/S and am so happy I did.

I can't speak to the quality of the Dunlops but I can say that I was almost ready to get rid of the car because of the ride and harshness that the Bridgestones created. Changed tires and I now look forward to uneven road surfaces.

 

I just traded-in an `02 SC430 for an `04. After test driving the `04, I had the dealer swap-out the Michelin Pilot A/Ss (as well as the spare kit) from the `02 for the Dunlop run-flats on the `04. The ride with the Michelins in the `02, which had 20,100 mileage, was SIGNIFICANTLY better than the ride in the brand-new (less than 30 miles on the odometer) `04 equipped with the Dunlops. I'm sorry that I cannot give any comparison regarding the Bridgestone runflats, but my understanding of runflats in general is that they're not known for handling or offering smooth rides - necessarily, because of the technology, the side-walls on the tires are EXTREMELY stiff. As a result, the tyres don't absorb road contours nearly as well as other performance tyres.

 

I had the original B'stone runflats on my 02. I never had a huge problem with how they rode, but they could be a bit unstable at times. I recently swapped them for the Dunlops and feel as if the problem has been corrected. I like the reassurance of the runflats.

 

I relaced the Bridgestones with the Dunlops on my wife's SC 02. The tires made a major improvement in the ride. Much less energy transfer into the cabin.

 

I'm with Max and KG, big improvement in ride and handling. I've only had the Dunlops on for a couple of weeks and haven't done a real road trip yet (max trip is 50 miles). So I'll report back in a few weeks after I do.

Here's what I recommend. If you want to stay with RFTs do move to the Dunlops when you wear out your stones. Otherwise, skip the dunlops and go right to conventional tires. That's likely what I'll do next spring.

George

 

Another observation. The stones were very noisy when cold. With the top down the tire noise gave the stereo some real competition for the first 10 minutes or so. With the Dunlops, sweet music from the stereo and sweet silence from the tires.

George