Do Run Flat tires require special rims?

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: CKN
There is a "ring" on a run flat tire wheel that keeps it in place when it loses air. I would think you could switch to normal tires if they could be mounted on the rims. I'm sure others on here can give you a more definitive answer.

Only if it's a Michelin PAX tire used on the older Honda Odyssey Touring as well as the Bugatti Veyron and Rolls-Royce Phantom but also found rarely on the Acura RL, Nissan Quest. Armored trucks as well as the Presidential Limo use a similar run-flat support ring with conventional truck tires.

Most run-flats are rigid sidewall type.

 

[Traction]

It is mostly German cars that use the big safety beads I think are called AH2, or double [censored] humps. They have been using them for many years to keep the tire on the wheel during a 100mph+ autobahn flat. They were using them long before run-flats. I've seen several OE run-flats on normal bead seats such as the Corvette. The German wheels can be very difficult to break down the beads. The worst I have done were 30 series run-flats on a BMW. Good luck with one of those on a Harbor Freight tire changer. There are very few tire machines that can handle something like that. Plus they have a drop center that is further from the rim flange which means you have to stretch that short, very stiff sidewall even more. The 25 series 20 inch Corvette tire is somewhat easier, but not much. There are some tire/wheel combinations they shouldn't even produce, because you wouldn't be able to get a tire repaired, or replaced in some areas of the country within 300 miles. And they are not going to have a replacement tire sitting in the rack either.