Run-flats work, but are most of us ready for them?(run-flat tires are becoming popular among auto owners)(Statistical Data Included)

Though it hasn't reached the volume of Bill and Monica's problems, there has been some discussion lately about run-flat tires.

A network TV person called the other day to ask if run-flat tires really do perform as well as they're advertised. He said his program was thinking about renting a track to run some tests.

I was astonished by the question.

"Those run-flats perform far better than the ads claim," I told him.

"They are not only capable of taking you 50 miles at 55 mph on a flat tire, they could go a couple of hundred miles at a much higher speed if the driver pauses every 50 miles or so to let the tire cool off and avoid cooking the rubber compound with the heat build-up."

Obviously, tire manufacturers must be very conservative in their claims to avoid the possibility of lawsuits should the tires fail - even for reasons not connected to their run-flat ability.

The next question the TV guy asked made more sense.

"Is the public ready to accept the idea of run-flat tires?"

The honest answer to that one is, "Nobody knows."

…