My 13 year old DD, the 05 Impala had to go. The underside was rotted out. If I had a flat tire on the road, I would not be able to jack it up because the lift point was rusted out. So this leads me to the thread name. I bought a new car, Chevy Cruze. This thing came with the run flat tires. Well, we had a heck of a snow storm Sunday night. I was able to get car off road, but not in garage until I moved the snow. Monday night I go out to garage to go to work........The darn thing acted as if a tire was out of balance. It became very bad at 70+ miles an hour. Slowed down, came home and took the night off. I finally realized and came up with the idea of Run Flat tires getting a flat spot, or whatever is used inside froze to the tire knocking it out of balance. Drove the car around at slow speeds until the bouncing went away. I was able to get to 80 with no problem. Looked for it on the web, but of course no info. Has anyone else here had a similar problem with the run flat tires?
Run flat tires?
- Thread starter Louie70Dart
- Start date
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Mopar-Mitch
Well-Known Member
Yes, I had a 2004 Mini Cooper with the run flats on it. When it turned cold after it sat it would beat me to death until they were warmed up. They flat spotted after several miles and I replaced them with a set of Firestone regular tires. It cured the cold shaking problem. Although they did get flat spots to after around 30,000 miles but I think that's normal on Mini's. Cool thing to know the first reincarnation of mini's had Chrysler Daimler engines. Mine had pentastars all over it.
Some of the run flats have a nylon belt cap. Back in the days before radial ply tires, nylon was used extensively on truck tires and the more economy passenger tires. A few of nylons unique properties are that it shape takes a "set" when cold. It becomes pliable again after warming up. Before the later synthetic materials like Aramid, Kevlar etc... Nylon was one of the strongest materials available. It also shrinks when warm. It is still use on some high performance tires as a steel belt cap/stabilizer to help fight the centrifugal forces trying to lift the belts from the body plies by shrinking to apply down force on the belts. If you live in freezing weather and run your nylon tires underinflated, you can damage them by trying to drive on them too fast until they warm up and become pliable again.
I have notice flat spotting on new cars over the last 10 yrs on the lot. Even after just a week of sitting.... after a few miles it goes away.
Our brands use Michelins , Continentals , Perelli etc... so its not due to cheap tires. Must be an industry change in materials formula or such.
Our brands use Michelins , Continentals , Perelli etc... so its not due to cheap tires. Must be an industry change in materials formula or such.
grimreaper
Cross Member
A lady I worked with bought a Mini Cooper a few years back. She came in to work one morning and asked me if I would take a look at her car as she had made an appointment with the repair shop but wanted to know what to expect the work to involve. We went to check it out and it would just about shake your teeth out at 20-25MPH. I checked the tires and they were the run flat versions that Minis came with. We drove it around town a while and finally got it on the interstate for a short run and got the tires reasonably warm. It smoothed right out. So, she called and cancelled her appointment. Every time the temp fell to near zero or below she would report to me how happy she was to have bought the car she did. When It came time to replace tires the local Big O talked her into ditching the run flats, as she never drives the car out of town, and the cold weather convulsions were cured.
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