Sounds promising. We'll see. Bridgestone DriveGuard run-flat tire information, reviews, availability and fitting information - Autoweek
Here is TireRack's initial test: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=183 Good to see progress, but it is classified as a "Grand Touring All-Season" tire, so it won't be considered by performance oriented owners.
So long as everytime you get a "loss of air" scenario of any sort, you need to replace with a new tire, this concept is a no go. Sorry, the latest generation of Runflats, even the ones that come stock on an F56 MINI are still too noisy.
Unless, of course, you are 50 miles from service... with no spare. Run-Flats are a fact of life now (weight reduction). Better ones are better.
Yup....read that....and was like ouch....makes it a $150 nail....and you are STILL STRANDED AT THE TIRE SHOP WHILE THEY ORDER A TIRE....likely all day or overnight... Bet some places might repair them like today....but still.... Big $$$ increase for a minimal increase in perceived safety....
I've had a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS 3G RFT all-season runflats for winter use for the past 3 years. Probably 12-15K miles of total use so far. They are much quieter than earlier RFT and noticeably less harsh overall. However they still hit a bit hard on bumps, and are not as smooth as a non-RFT. But at least it is a step in the right direction.
Soooo..... If you have runflats..... and you never get a nail..... Is it worth putting up with runflats? Or bask in the glory of the smooth ride and handling prowess of non-run flats and just carry this kit in the boot.... I guarantee you will be back on the road much quicker in the end.... And if you need a replacement tire because the nail went through the side wall and they won't plug it..... Chances are the tire shop will have the $150 performance non-run flat tire in stock than the $400 run flat.....
^^^ Can you imagine how hard it would be for you to try and hammer that nail into the tire at say 75 MPH..... And most it not all nails lay horizontal on the ground.... It's like "How the hail does that even happen"..... Perfect storm I guess.... I would guess that nail didn't cause a leak....
One more thing about replacing tires on our cars....with traction and stability control...you have to replace them in pairs unless they are fairly new and the tread is somewhat evenly worn. My other car had a nail go through the tread and out the sidewall and just nick the rim. The rim go nicked but was thankfully not bad enough to need to replace a wheel. I don't have runflats on that car but it does have a spare. On my MINI, I carry a compressor, bottle of fill-a-flat and a plug kit. I had to replace two tires. So I have one tire with 85% tread left on it.