51–56 of 56 posts
http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2012/03/05/why-gr...
(edit: not being negative on this new product, just providing some context)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Great unsprung weight seriously affects comfort and handling. I'm not sure this tradeoff is a good one.
I have a 5 series bmw (f10 latest one), and I have had other premium cars before and I (and many car experts) can tell you nothing comes close in this price range in terms of handling and comfort of BMW, run flat tires make no difference for me compared to regular tires on my previous Merc and my friend's audi a6. Why downvoting? It's my personal experience and opinion? Sometimes I don't understand HN users...
> The series of “rigorous tests” that the company is putting its tires through are meant to prove their durability, hardness (efficiency), stability, ability to take high-speed turns (slalom), and ability to maintain their integrity at high speeds (up to 130 kilometers per hour). That's only 80 MPH. I'm interested in the no flats and potential fuel savings but I'd want to be able to travel at freeway speeds on long t…
What exactly do you consider freeway speeds? Even in the metro ATL area which is notorious for thinking the speed limit is a suggestion, the vast majority of traffic is moving under 85 MPH.
Punctures occasionally cause blowouts, and those are awful, but still subject to tradeoffs. If airless tires tank the efficiency of your vehicle you'll think to yourself, "Well, I've never had a catastrophic blowout... and changing a tire is a pain, but isn't that bad."
We've used airless for decades, just not in cars. We aren't just waiting for a simpler manufacturing process, there are other constraints at play.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
They might be heavier but they allow you to get rid of a spare wheel, so overall the car is lighter.
Beyond the issue with unsprung weight, that seems like a truly awful trade-off. A run-flat still needs to be serviced if punctured and is still vulnerable to sidewall damage and potential blow-outs. If you carry a full size spare (I sure do) in the event of most tire failures, you still have the ability to get much further down the road with less drama.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Beyond the issue with unsprung weight, that seems like a truly awful trade-off. A run-flat still needs to be serviced if punctured and is still vulnerable to sidewall damage and potential blow-outs. If you carry a full size spare (I sure do) in the event of most tire failures, you still have the ability to get much further down the road with less drama.
None of the new sedan vehicles carry a full sized tire, they all carry a temporary one, which can only be driven 50 miles at low speed. So still worse than broken run flat
If you're interested, it's pretty easy to get the correct sized wheel from somewhere like RockAuto or Discount Tire Direct.