I put on run-flat tires

Significantly unmatched tires has long been considered a bad idea, especially in foul weather areas. When emergency handling and braking in wet or winter conditions are non-symmetric side to side, accident avoidance becomes much more difficult.

ABS and VSC have made these problems less severe, but they don't perform miracles.

 

So on what type of "other non hybrid" car are you running these unmatched used tires?

 

My Hyundai Elantra & Accent simultaneously use various brand tires. In all cases, I've been happy with improvements with handling & cornering.... & with same or slightly greater MPG.

 

You should never mix runflat tires with regular tires, and so it is written

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=136

 

Then the ABS and VSC systems might have a fit with different size/weight wheels. I understand Subarus require the AWD fuse pulled when the temporary spare is installed.

 

FWIW, I stacked one of our OEM tires (3rd gen Prius) together with the temp spare once, aligned them on one side with a square, and checked 'round the other side: there was at most 1/8" difference.

 

As for Prii, yes, several previous PriusChat members have had VSC problems that originated with different tire sizes. I don't remember if any have involved same tire sizes but significantly different constructions, e.g regular vs run-flat tires.

As for AWD Subarus, that AWD fuse applies only to the automatics, to disable the electric clutches controlling front/back torque distribution. At least that is how it worked for my first Subie's era. Something like that probably still applies to the modern CVTs, I haven't kept up.

Both of my past ('97) and present ('14) Subies have manual transmissions with all-mechanical center differentials, so lack any electric disconnect. Instead, that differential gets too warm and binds up.

 

I got a used Pirelli Cinturato p7 run flat tire, with lots of tread for $30. When I find another used Cinturato, I'll put them on the drive wheels.

 

LOL. with our minivan, I put 6 less than 10 K miles Dunlop run-flat tires into used tire market when we had 1 unrepairable tire each for two sets of 4 tires. Our minivan required all four tires to be replaced whenever one needed to be replaced. Yeah, that was first generation run-flat, but I am not going back now even if new and improved. Used run-flat, NEVER.

 

Our 2004 came with Bridgestone RunFlats. Since I didn’t reset the TPMS with the button it did not recognize one tire go flat. I replaced them with the Dunlop version and those seem to suddenly go flat! Now I have two Dunlops and two Pirelli runflats on the van. Of course with different tread depths.

 

You do you OP, but running used tires always seemed to me like playing with fire. Sure you save a few bucks, but even if you drive slow you're still in a > one ton rolling box that can seriously injure or kill yourself and others.

 

2004 minivan with run-flat, I thought your's is Toyota Sienna AWD, just like ours was. But, then you had to "reset the TPMS". Our 2005 AWD Sienna had indirect TPMS with no internal sensors. There was no TPMS reset. Is your minivan AWD Sienna? If so, were you a member of CLASS for the class action lawsuit for the OEM "defective" run-flat tires? We were.

 

Yes, 2004 Sienna AWD with runflats. Yes, got the extended warranty, but I think it just past the free replacement extended warranty so we needed to pay. Look carefully on the panel underneath the steering wheel. It is there. Every time you adjust the tire pressure you are supposed to reset it, and then drive around x amount of time or miles. The thing is I would check at night or early morning and was not interested in driving at that time, so I neglected this step. When the tire failed I got absolutely no warning light. After replacement with 4 Dunlop runflats with slightly better specs I noticed they suddenly deflate! I more diligently reset the TPMS after adjusting the pressures. One morning I got a nail/screw, just after resetting. The light came on. I stopped the van, looked at the tires, found it, pulled it out, plugged it, pumped with my portable compressor, and took it directly to Just Tires where I had purchased lifetime road hazard warranty. When I got there the guy said he’d immediately order a replacement, but I told him I’m pretty sure the tire was salvageable and it was.

Interesting note, people complain about the cost of direct TPMS sensor replacement. My wife’s ‘18 Honda Clarity has indirect TPMS, same thing, anytime I make an adjustment in the pressure on any tire I will go into the menus, recalibrate, then take it for a little spin.

I stopped finishing manuals front to back, last car was a 2008. I should continue to finish the rest of the cars in the household.....

 

I have an opinion on why the Sienna runflats were such a big issue:

1. People, like me, did not reset the TPMS diligently after adjusting pressure and driving like the manual states.

2. 225/60R17 is a high profile tire, meaning significant strengthening of the tall sidewalls was needed to make them RunFlat, making the tires and hence wheel assembly EXTREMELY HEAVY.

3. The original 17” wheels were also EXTREMELY HEAVY by themselves. Back in the days a little after replacing with the Dunlops I looked on TireRack for the lightest replacement wheels I could find. For some reason RPF1s were not listed, maybe because of their lesser load rating. The lightest listed were Enkei PF01s. I actually took a bathroom scale and measured the weight of one OE wheel and one Enkei. I saved around 11 lbs per wheel! The tire/wheel assembly went from something I could barely move, to something I could! AND the Sienna went from riding like a truck to something A LOT BETTER.

 

The requirement for all four tires being replaced likely had more to do with the AWD system than the run flats.
So those going to run flats on a 2WD car will likely need to replace only the normally recommended two tires.

 

I no longer have the car, but for 13 years I owned it, I never reset the TPMS on mine. LOL The OEM run-flat and free replacement run-flat (both Dunlop) had flat and for the third set, I put on conventional tires. I also bought used OEM wheels and put another set of tires on them. Although I no longer has the car, 4 wheels and tires I replaced run-flats are still in my garage after 10 years. By the way, for the first 3 years of the owning AWD Sienna with run-flats, I have gone through two sets of tires both sets gone because of a flat tire on one of the set. After switching to conventional tires, I did not have any flat.

Yes, that is correct. AWD required, all four tires to be switched at the same time if one needs to be replaced. Regular FWD Sienna came with conventional tires plus a spare tire.

 

Its good you equate used tires to a few bucks saved. Proves you are rich, as you define my thousand to two thousand dollars saved over the last 3.5 years, as a few bucks. Got a spare, but never used Goodrich Premier Touring tire for $10. Got a spare but never used Continental ProContact for $20. Got a spare, but never used Goodyear Eagle GA mounted on a new alloy rim for $30, & two of the same brand & model tires with 2/3rds of their tread remaining, free. Got 6 other good used tires, free. Got 4 Mastercraft 440 tires delivering 40,000 miles for $50. Got two Hankook 431 tires mounted on two sweet 18 inch alloys for $60. Got three Kumho tires mounted on three sweeter alloys for $50. People have wonderful tires & wheels in their garages that they just want gone.... & I get them. Thank you for denigrating used tires, so I can keep getting them cheap. Thank you for letting me drive on wonderful tires, of which many of them would have been in tire dumps.

 

What was the real-world impact on EV range and HV mileage? I’ve got a gen4 prius with an after-market spare but I’m really tempted by the ‘20 Prime, which I’d probably add run-flats to.

 

I wouldn't go there. Maybe get a decent plug-repair kit?

Personally, if a car doesn't come stock with a spare tire, I'm not interested. One person is not a tidal wave, lol, but just think: if no one bought cars that didn't come with spares, how long do you think it'd take, before the manufacturers made a quick U-turn on their "trend".

 

The 1957 Chevy is a popular car for collectors. How many 1957 Fords do you ever see. I may have to check my facts but the 1957 Ford outsold the 1957 Chevy. Why, the 1957 Chevy came with some weird tire that didn't have a tube in it and people were afraid of the new technology, tubeless tires. Once all cars come with no spare it will be a non issue.