[penport]

So I've now had 3 punctures over the course of 7 months and 8,000 miles of ownership.
Previous to that I cannot remember a single puncture in 20 years of motoring.
The difference? RFT to normal tyres.

Is this just coincidence or is there any evidence?
The last two tyres had bulges in their sidewalls - due to potholes the tyre shop said - I am generally careful to go over speedbumps with one wheel fully mounted.

So I'm thinking of changing to non RFTs (and to get a better ride hopefully) but would that make any difference to the chances of future punctures?

Thoughts appreciated

[NISFAN]

I'm not sure they are more prone to punctures, but the egged sidewalls are definitely more common. The sidewall is extra stiff, so is more prone to de lamination when taking a hard hit.

[SteveChester]

That sounds like some mega bad luck

Normal tyres miles better than RFTs....

[willjames]

I feel your pain. I got one this week in my Pirelli Sottozero rear off side. I wouldn't mind it's only two months old. I think I picked up a tek bolt off the car park at work (feckin lads dropping them out of their vans)

To be fair the local garage offered to repair but suggested I had a new one just in case with the mileage I do. No pressure though (excuse the pun) but they were honest and I didn't feel like they were trying to rip me off.

Anyways £199.00 lighter in the wallet.

[TheLiverBird]

They're a joke for sidewall damage / bulges. I've had 3 in 2½ years, plus 1 puncture (huge bolt through tread). Made me paranoid and nervous with the crap state of roads. Every journey was a game of dodgems with potholes and I was constantly checking them after every trip.

[Soul_Glo]

I think it depends on the tyre. The Bridgecrap Potenza RFT that I had 6 years ago suffered a lot. I had 3 punctures in total. Two on the same tyre. Within 5k miles. Once plugged I got 20k out of them. I don't know if this is something to do with the stiff sidewall.

The Michelin Zero Pressure that I had only had 1 puncture in 12k miles and a plug repair saw me another 15k miles. These were a lot better as the sidewall was not as stiff as the potenza. The ZP have a tyre in a tyre type design so do better against punctures I think.

I guess it is something to do with rft weight. I reckon with a heavier tyre meeting a nail or screw on the road that foreign object has more chance of puncturing.

With non rft I have seen 20k miles and more without any punctures. Possibly with light tyres things bounce off or are not hammered in by unsprung weight. Reducing rolling mass with non rft helps a bit to improve ride quality and handling.

[Jeff123]

Its just sods law IMO.

I don't think runflats pick up punctures any more often than conventional tyres. The thing that focusses the mind is that when a runflat is punctured, there is so much negativity around the repairing of them, not to mention the cost of replacing them. For example, a guy from Event tyres fitted me a new runflat due to a bulged side wall. The tyre had previously been repaired and he claimed that repairing runflats is "against the law" - and this if from a guy who fits tyres for a living!

[penport]

Agree it's the sidewall damage and bulges that are the issue - no wonder given the massive thumping and crashing that goes on over some potholes - way more brutal than with non RFTs.
I constantly keep the tyre pressure readout on iDrive screen just in case.

have been looking at a set of Pilot Sport 4S all round (~£750) plus there's also a space saver spare to consider