The Tyranny of Run-Flat Tires

June 9, 2025

We have discovered just how evil “run flat” tires are. Many vehicles today come equipped with so-called “run flat” tires. At some point, car manufacturers gave up on good engineering and decided that rather than equip a vehicle with a spare tire, they could save space and money by giving the customer… nothing! No spare. No tools to remove the tire. No jack. No space in the trunk or under the car to store a tire. Instead, we get tires that you can drive on, for a bit, in a punctured condition. That will get you off the freeway; maybe it will get you to a tire shop, if you’re not driving in the middle of nowhere. But that shop is not going to repair your run-flat tire – no, you’ve driven on it! Now you need a new tire. Oh, the tires aren’t new? Well, you’re probably going to need two new tires, as they must match in diameter. Ah, but your car is all-wheel-drive; now you may need four new tires, as they must all match. And did we mention, run-flat tires cost quite a bit more than the regular kind? Oh good grief.

We had the added fun of discovering that the car’s wheels were secured with a special splined bolt, the key for which should have been (but was not) supplied with the so-called “certified pre-owned” car when we bought it. The dealership (a) couldn’t / wouldn’t ascertain which of the 20+ key variations I had, even though it took me all of 30 seconds to look at the photo I sent them and count the splines and Google; and (b) then offered to order the one I told them I had, even though (they said) they wouldn’t guarantee it would be the right one. This was on a Wednesday; “the part will be here Saturday” they said. So, on Saturday morning, I texted my salesperson, through whom all this back-and-forth was happening, to see if I had a key to pick up. No response. I actuall didn’t hear anything until Monday afternoon, when the parts department called me.

Fortunately, being the skeptic that I am, I hedged my bet and ordered a wheel key from Amazon for $10; it did arrive on Saturday, enabling me to get the tire off and take to my friends at Discount Tire – who promptly plugged the hole at no charge, in about 10 muinutes. That’s why I keep sending them my business! BMW, probably never again.

For now, the car will henceforth be equipped with:

…so we have a fighting chance of fixing a minor flat, should the need arise.

Longer-term, I’ll consider getting a “compact spare” for long road trips, but they take up a lot of room in the (already not-so-large) trunk. The car may be sold before we wear out the current tires, as this whole experience is tilting us towards something different, and less “upscale” that doesn’t assume you can’t/won’t change a tire on the side of the road.

But, looking at what’s on cars these days, I might have to make my peace with carrying a plug kit and compressor. Even cars you’d think would come with at least a compact spare, don’t… some have a “hole” for one, but don’t come with the wheel and tire; others have eliminated the spare tire well too, and to further save $ over run-flat tires, just give the hapless new owner a can of goo and say “happy motoring!” At least most of them seem to throw a (crummy) wrench and jack in there.

ADDENDUM: We quasi-solved the problem by selling the BMW and buying a Mazda MX-5 Miata. The Miata doesn’t come with a spare, or a jack, or a tire-iron, but neither does it have run-flat tires. Instead, it comes with a tire repair kit (compressor and sealant) and I put our above-mentioned kit of tools in the trunk. The Miata’s tires are also much less expensive than the BMW’s run-flats. I feel more self-sufficient with this setup, and the car is more fun to drive too!

The Tyranny of Run-Flat Tires - June 9, 2025 - chad r. frost