How far can I drive on run-flat tyres?

With more and more runflat tyres hitting the road, the impact of a puncture is changing, including the safe travelling distance after an incident.

“Run flat tyres are typically built and designed to travel 80km at 80km/h with no air,” says Jon Tamblyn, Bridgestone Australia’s national technical field services manager.

They are impressive numbers to many – and in most case enough to get you home, or at least to somewhere the tyre can be fixed or (as will usually be the case) replaced.

Even so, it’s important to exercise caution and understand the limits of uninflated runflat tyres.

“Often a puncture from a nail will result in a leak rather than a complete deflation, so when there is still air in the tyre a greater distance may be possible. This, of course, also depends on a couple of other factors such as weight of the vehicle and load,” Tamblyn explained.

As with spacesaver spare tyres, Tamblyn emphasises the need for caution.

“After a puncture, especially if it is just one wheel, it will affect the handling of a car and even on a runflat tyre you should aim to have it repaired or replaced as soon as possible.”

He stresses that there is no one-size-fits-all answer regarding speed and distance when it comes to runflats.

“Mercedes Benz’s ‘Extended Mobility’ tyre has a recommendation of no more than 50km at 80km/h,” Tamblyn offers by way of example.

He also sees a growing acceptance of runflats as carmakers eliminate spare tyres to save space and money and tyre companies work to cut the harshness and noise of the early examples.

“We expect to see more runflat tyres in the market over the coming years as standard fitment on new cars.

“Although the early-generation products were subject to some criticism, the majority of motorists can’t tell the difference [in comfort] between conventional tyres and modern run flat tyres due to the advancement of tyre technology since they were first introduced,” Tamblyn stated.