If it doesn't stick, the sealant forms around the hole. If it remains, the compound forms around the obstruction and seals it off from the rest of the tire. If a self-sealing tire gets a puncture, it depends on if the object sticks to the tire or not. According to, that shifts the mechanical responsibility of driving on a run flat to the more-sturdy wheel, lifting some of the burden off of the tire itself. In an ideal scenario, a self-supporting run flat tire would be able to continue driving and support the weight of a vehicle due to the reinforced sidewall.įor an auxiliary-supported run flat, the weight of the flat tire rests on the backup's treads. Bridgestone What happens when a run flat tire gets a puncture? The Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus can go 50 miles after a puncture. That sealant deploys automatically if the tire gets a puncture, usually fixing a hole up to 3/16ths in diameter.Ĭontinental ContiSeal, Pirelli's Seal Inside and Michelin's Selfseal are prominent examples. Self-sealing run flats come with an extra lining just beneath the tread containing a puncture sealant. As the tire wears, it only slips to 8 percent. The company says that the tire, when new, is 12 percent more likely to resist hydroplaning than its DriveGuard counterpart.

These include Pirelli Scorpion Zero Run Flats, Goodyear Eagle Sport tires, Bridgestone DriveGuard and Michelin Pilot Sport all-seasons.īridgestone recently announced the DriveGuard Plus, billed as an improvement on its existing line of run flats. This type of run flat is usually found in heavier segments, like military or armored vehicles. Popular options in this category include the Bridgestone RFT, Goodyear EMT, Michelin ZP, Yokohama Run-Flat and Pirelli RFT.Īuxiliary-supported run flats contain a ring of rubber or a similar material on the interior of the tire, which picks up the slack of the deflated outer tire. The sidewall maintains its connection to the rim. This type of run flat features a reinforced sidewall construction, which has an increased chance of supporting the car in the event of air pressure loss. The most common choice is the self-supporting run flat. There are three main technologies used in run flat tires: self-supporting, auxiliary-supported and self-sealing. The Bridgestone DriveGuard Plus comes in most common sizes.

Cost of run flat tires