Replacement tires for the Run - flat tires

You can check out www.tirerack.com for prices on tires. They're usually pretty good, but you will have to take them somewhere to be mounted, and that could cost a bit. You do need to stay with run-flats, bdcause if you do get a flat, you can drive with no air for 50 miles at about 55mph before it will shred. On the other hand, regular tires may be cheaper, but if you get a flat, say, on the highway, you will shred it in a heartbeat, you're out 1 more tire, and you have to pay for a tow truck. Since the originals wore out so soon, it was probably due to a lack of tire rotations, which should be done about every 5000 to 6000 miles, low tire pressures, or the vehicle is out of alignment, which is almost always true of new cars. Also, regular tires are not as stiff, so the ride and handling characteristics of the van will certainly change, mostly feeling softer, but with less steering response and cornering stability.

You don't 'have' to stick with run-flats. You can put regular tires on your van and have no problems at all, however like the person before me said, you won't have a spare. You can remedy this by just buying one. There are kits you can buy that will let you mount it inside the back of your van, some of them come with covers so that you don't have to look at an ugly tire all the time.

I would go to the dealer I heard that toyota is paying for the tires becouse they are wearing out so fast

I have 2004 Sienna XLE AWD. Already got the check from Toyota 2 years ago regarding Tires. Anyhow, Only disadvantage having Non-RFT on AWD Sienna is that you have to carry a spare in the trunk? Did I get it right? If I want to switch from RFT to Non-RFT, Do I have to buy new rims as well? or is it ok to keep the current rims, and have non-rft mounted? <== This is my major concern. Thanks alot!

I have a 2006 Sienna XLE AWD. Run flat tires are going bad @ 40,000 miles. Thinking about replacing them w/ the same tires that are NOT "run flat" tires and joining Triple A so that I get a free tow in case of a flat. (I have not gotten a flat tire in YEARS!). I know that other non-AWD Siennas run on the "regular" tires, so I would assume that my AWD could do just as well on a tire that could last 60,000 miles or more. Has anyone else done this?

I am in the process of replacing my RFT's with regular tires on my 2006 AWD Sienna. I was told that my getting 46000 miles was quite rare. The average life of the Bridgestones is 20,000 miles. Also I was told by my Toyota dealer that a spare cannot be mounted underneath like the FWD Siennas. So I may look into mounting inside. The regular tires will work on the current wheels, so says the same dealer. 20,000 mile Bridgestone vs. 70,000 mile Michelin. No contest.

TO Answer your question, You can run Regular tires on the wheels you already have. no modification is necessary. Like everyone says, the AWD system takes up the required space to mount a spare under the vehicle. Go with the regular tires and buy a can of the tire fill goop and a small air compressor (a lot of Euro vehicles come with this instead of a spare) and you'll be fine. You just have to remember when using this tire 'sealant' goop ina can, you still need to take the tire in for a proper repair.

I just bought yokohamas avid for my LE AWD and bought a spare rim for 65 dollars from ascrap yard. It takes up a lot of space in back of the van. Did anyone find that the pressure had to be higher than 35psi or the low pressure indicator comes on? I hope they last as long as I hope.

I have a 2005 Sienna XLE AWD. Just turned 50,000 miles. I have gone through 3 sets of RFT's. after the original set wore out at 15,000, Toyota replaced with another set of Dunlops. the second set wore out at about another 15,000. Again, Toyota Replaced with Brigestone RFT's. These made it to about the 20,000 mark. I refuse to spend money on these tires. Here is what I did. As this car is mostly used for short 5 or 10 miles runs with the occational long trip. I bought a refinished 17" x 6.5" wheel on ebay that matches my original set. Spent about $120. I then got (4) Michelin Harmony's 225, 60r, 17 tires from Tirerack.com. Spent about $116/tire. Great tire by the way. All reports say that they last about 50,000 miles. I had the installer throw one of the old run flats on the spare wheel. If we take a trip beyond 2 hours from home, I'll throw the spare in the trunk with some luggage on it. I may look into getting it mounted if it makes sense. Otherwise the spare will sit in my garage. Here is the deal with the RFT's, Not everyone sells them and not everyone even installs or removes them. Lets say you keep the RFT's on and your on a trip driving at 8:00PM on a Sunday night and you get a flat. You are supposedly ok to keep driving for about 50 miles. What good is that going to do you if you dont have a spare? Good luck finding a matching tire on a Sunday night in a remote area. I am surprised that Toyota has not addresssed this issue yet.

Did you replace your RFT's with regular tires without having to buy new wheels? If so, what type of regular tires did you buy? We own a 2006 Sienna AWD XLE and in the last 1.5 yrs had to replace 5 run flats! Our car currently sits at a toyota dealership until Monday when they open. I do not want to buy another run flat in my life! Costco across the street sells NRFT's and would love to just buy from them!

I had new Michelin radials put on our 2004 Sienna to replace the harsh-riding, high rolling resistance, expensive and short-lived run-flats. They fit fine on the wheels that the RFTs were on. I bought one of those latex-filled inflator cans, a 12-v compressor, and a tire puncture repair kit in lieu of a spare but haven't had any need to use them yet. We're planning a trip about halfway down the Baja coast this summer and I'll buy a spare for that sort of trip. The only problem I ran into with the transition was getting a shop to put regular tires on in place of the RFTs. The third place I tried had no problem with it. Costco wouldn't do it, saying that it was a safety issue. They said it would be unsafe not have a spare. I noted that this should be my decision, not theirs, and pointed out that motorcyclists are always without spares and nobody seems to worry about it much.

Are you still out there? I was wondering how your Michielin Harmony's worked out. I have a 2008 AWD and have gone around and around with Toyota. We are looking for a good non-run-flat for a replacement.

Hi: Add me to the list of disgruntled Toyota Sienna AWD owners. We purchased the 2005 AWD for the express purpose of being able to drive in bad road conditions, snow, mountains, etc. We have not really had the opportunity to do so, but even driving on our local roads and interstate highways seem to be an issue with these run flat tires. Our first set needed replacement in short order. I was given a lecture of how I should keep a close watch on the air pressure. For goodness sake, they have a monitor that NEVER lit up and I take the car to the dealership for all service...what more do they want from me. So the next set and the ones that I will be replacing next week are the Dunlop and I seem to be getting less than 20,000 miles to them. Each time I replace the tires it is between $800 to $1200. This should be illegal. If it isn't FRAUD then it is certainly misrepresentation to sell an ALL WHEEL DRIVE vehicle that can not even drive local roads without chewing up tires. Well I just wanted to put my 2 cents worth in and also ask if any of you out there who have changed to the other tires are finding any success after a year or so of wear and tear. I really would like to know if it is just the tires or does the suspension have any effect on the wear and tear of the tires. They keep saying now that it is because it needs to be aligned more often. Then TOYOTA should have that in their book of recommendations. My car goes to the DEALER for service at "every" recommended point!!!! I am tired of the abuse by TOYOTA! If the car chews up tires like this then it was "poor design". Vehicles are required to give a realistic list of miles per gallon expected...then certainly there is an expectation of miles per tire replacement and 15,000 is unacceptable!

I have a 2006 Toyota Sienna 4 Dr AWD Limited. I have replaced the tires 3 times now and the mileage is still not 60K. They keep saying rotate periodically etc.. but inspite of doing all this I get uneven wear and tear on the van. Today I have decided to move to regular non-flat tires with a spare. Thanks everyone for the feedback here. Toyota still doesn't seem to address the quality issue of this van and tires. They even told me that the tires are warranteed by Dunlop and not Toyota. Little did I know that as a cunsumer i was buying a brand new car and not individually shopping for tires !!

The run flats are insane! I had a puncture on my Sienna van while on my way to Boise, and had to do a field repair with a rubber plug. Well, now the tire itself is done-for, as I ran it about 90 miles before repairing it, and another 80 or so afterwards. I guess that is the good news...I got a lot of use out of a dead tire. The bad news—in a city of over 200,000 people you'd think there would be someplace to buy one! No Way! I am stuck here at least 1 day, possibly more. So, the safety of the tire is you can run on it. The downside is that, if you run on it really at all, it will be unsafe to use and you will have to replace it! But wait! This is an AWD vehicle. That means it's not one tire to replace, but 4 TIRES! And, I have never gotten 20,000 on a tire. So, cost of owbership is at least $700 a year greater given the frequent tire replacements. And, you MUST rotate, the fore/aft wear is dramatically different, and that will stress the AWD system itself if the tires are grossly out of synch. I like the suggestions of using a spare for long rides, and using spray gunk for local mishaps.

Mine is an 06 sienna XLE AWD. I had the same issue at about 20,000 miles, which seems to be the norm. I was highly disappointed that I was not made aware of the short life at the time of purchase. I guess I was just naive enough to believe that an overpriced and expensive vehicle would include a quality tire. We replaced with non runflats and now have 50,000 miles on the van with another good 20-30,000 on the current set of tires. the only issue that I have had is that I have to constantly fill the tires as my tire pressure warning light is continually coming on. I don't have a leak, have taken it to the shop several times, and the tire in question is always different. I don't know what the deal is, but it is definitely a pain. To anyone asking, follow the advice given above, avoid run flats, keep tire goup canister in car and buy a cheap spare from salvage yard for long trips. Anyone considering buying an AWD vehicle with runflats and no spare, RUN THE OTHER WAY!

My wife drives 2006 Sienna XLE AWD. She had exact similar issues on the run-flat tires. After reading all the commnts, I plan to replace them with the regular tires and buy a spare rim. But I could not find a jack in the car - does anyone know if the car should come with a jack (and the tools to replace the wheel in case of the flat tire)? Thanks.

you'll have to purchase the jack and tools along with the tire. Salvage yard should have everything you need including a spare tire for $50

Anyone has any experience on "mixed installation"- 2 run-flat and 2 regular tire on the car(2006 Toyota Siena XLE AWD)? I have 2 run-flat tire that are really worn out while the other 2 still ok (maybe due to lack of proper rotation). People at tirerack says "mixed installation" could cause problem since the rubber types are different. I know it's not recommended to get the best performance- but for just regular driving I have done it with my Lexus with no problem. Any advice is appreciated.

I have 2004 Sienna XLE AWD, and, after being stranded THREE TIMES because of my crappy RFTs, I am replacing them with conventional tires. I love my van; the vehicle itself has been trouble-free, but making the RFTs standard was a huge mistake by Toyota. Frankly, I feel like this is a class-action lawsuit just waiting to happen.

Bought the Sienna AWD van in 2004. Took it to Alaska. Bought Blizzak run flats for the snow and they were wonderful. Very pricey, but lasted longer than the regular ones. The day we were to head out of Alaska, we got a flat. There was no place in the whole state that carried the right size fun-flat tires. We bought regular Cooper tires, got an extra rim that fit, put one of the run-flats on it as a spare and haven't gone back to run flats since. The regular tires still wear unevenly and I also have a problem with the tires getting low sooner they should. Getting ready to replace them and will stay with the regular tires based on all the feed back. Thanks for the advice on the getting the "goop" and an air compressor.

I am glad that I am not the only frustrated customer. Took my LEASED 2010 Sienna XL AWD in on Saturday for a checkup (thought the brakes were worn) and they told me that it needed an alignment and 2 new RFT's in front. The car only has 24,000 miles on it! I told them that I thought that since the car is leased and only has 24,000 miles on it that those tires should be covered by Toyota but they refused. So I didn't get the tires. They may have been worn down due to the fact that I haven't had the tires rotated? The reason I haven't done that is because I go to Jiffy Lube for my oil changes and they said that due to the special bolts Toyota uses, they will not longer rotate Toyota tires for fear of breaking the bolts. Are you kidding me? Toyota wanted $193/ea. for the two tires. Does this sound wrong to you? This is my second leased Sienna and I didn't have to do any maintenance or tire changing on my last one.

$193 is a lot better than the $300 ea I was quoted. I have never leased so I do not know how that all works, I just know tires aren't covered under the standard warranty so I would have to assume they wouldn't be covered in a lease either???

Maybe we should start one! Who has the money or time to be dealing with this rft issue? I, too am replacing mine with nrft. Thinking of somehow mounting the spare in a locked case on roof rack...????????

The under side tether for the spare on our old Voyager rotted so we tied it to the roof rack. It was really easy spot in a parking lot. It did look alittle hillbilly though. Still better than $800 every 20k. We plan on doing this with no rft's for ou 04 Sienna in about 5k. Any suggestions on an all season for the same $800? it's gotta go farther.

I hear everyone's pain and I too finally threw in the towel on these nasty run-flat tires. I had all of the same problems, less than 20k 3 times already, harsh and noisy drive, etc... I just got some non-RFT 780-A-A rated Coopers (compared to the 360-B-A Dunlops) installed and momma mia... I almost cried the ride was smooth and quiet, I could actually hear the people in the rear talking...my dilemma now is getting a spare, but there are some good ideas in this thread and my brother (a mechanich as well) informed me that the Sienna and the Camry have the same tire lug nut pattern, which will help when I hit the local junk yards looking for a spare...

I bought a 2008 Sienna AWD and 2 tires blew out within 20K miles. Toyota replaced 3 of them, but wouldn't replace the 4th. This last week, 2 more blow outs. Had to put a Cooper non run flat on just to get back to Tacoma. Believe me!!!!! Those run flats won't go 15 miles at 40 mph. They'll shread and ruin youir rim. I think there aught to be a class action suit against Dunlap and Toyota for putting those pieces of crap on such a fine car. I'm in litigation right now on this very matter. Four blow outs in 3 years, That's not right!!!!!! &it's dangerous..............Bob from Arizona

I really got burned at the Toyota dealership last week. It cost me $312 and didn't even offer me any Vaseline. That was my 4th blow out in 3 years and they will not run 50 miles at 50 mph. It'll start to shread at 15 miles at 40 mph and ruin your rim.

Can I just replace one rft with non-rft?

I own a 2007 Sienna AWD. Have 30K on original Bridgestone RFT. One is starting to separate and noticeable wear only part way around the tire on the inside shoulder. I just replaced them with NRFT Yokahama TRZ at Discount Tire. What an improvement in the ride, noise ,etc. Now I have to address the issue of no spare tire. Does anyone know if you can run a smaller diameter "donut" spare on the Sienna AWD system for short distances (50 to 100 miles) without damaging the AWD system?

the jack is right side rear of van.I have 2006 awd seinna w rftires And icame with jack

jack is Rt.side rear of van.There are two knobs to turn to open compartment. I have 2006awd sienna and it came with jack

I replaced my RFT's with 90,000 mile Michelin Hydroedge and looks like I'll get the full 90,000 miles out of them for 20% of the cost of RFT's. I bought a Toyota Alloy wheel like the originals and have the Michelin on it for a spare. The dealer said that the Toyota rear rack will only fit compact spares. Justin, tell me where you can buy the kits for carrying the spare. Floyd

I was also very frustrated with RFT. Replaced three sets in 52K miles. The recent replacement was only 6 months back and Toyotta guy told me it's okay to replace only two RFT ( which were really bad). Now other two RFT tires are bad. This time I decided to to go with NRFT tires. So I decided to go with mix of two tires with RFT and Two tires NRFT. Is there any problem using mixed tires? And also for long drive of 8 hours trip once in a while?

I bought a spare from a non AWD Sienna on ebay. I called and talked to someone at toyota and they said I could do it without damaging the AWD system on my 2008. The dealership will sell your a donut spare rim and tire but you will pay out the nose. BTW the donut spare fits nicely in the back where the "stow and go" goes. It's in my van 24/7

I own Toyota 2004 AWD XLE Limited. Now its 92000 miles and Bridgestone RFT is badly damaged after 30000 miles again. I am planning to change it with NRFT ( Michelin - HydroEdge). Please advise if it's OK to do that. I will keep spare tire for long drive.

Own 2011 XLE AWD. We do at least one 1,000 mile trip per month and have been crossing fingers on each one running the RFT... Well I've reached 23K, and one of the tires has a leak - overnight in the garage it loses 5lbs... I fear that the tread is worn to the point where it will not be fixed... I've decided to go with 5 new conventional tires so that I have a full-size spare. I'll keep it in the back with the stroller locally, and if I need the interior space on longer excursions, mount it on the roof rack with a lock - it may look crazy to some folks, but is common in other countries... I'm seeking recommendations as to a replacement tire... I don't need to be able to throw the van into a corner fast... just looking for quiet ride and decent treadlife...

I have a 2005 XLE Ltd AWD. I replaced the original set of RFT's per the Toyota replacement they issued. I have since replaced one of those due to a mounting or manufacturing defect, another one due to a flat tire, 2 more due to wearing and I think I just got my 2nd flat. I am done w/ RFT's and put on Michelin Defenders. I also bought a flat tire fix kit to carry. I hope I'm done w/ tires for a long time. This was all done in the matter of 76k miles and 6 years.

Just looking for prices and experiences with RFTs, as I own a 2006 sienna AWD. just turned 100,000 mi and I've changed tires out every winter for snow tires... Hard to know exactly but I'm guessing I've gotten at least 50k on these run flats - first set I owned, the ones that came with the car originally. I do service my car pretty faithfully and rotate the tires... Sorry to hear others are having a bad experience, but for me (single mom with 3 kids) I'm willing to spring for the RFTs if it means not being stranded at the side of the road because of a flat.

RFTs are only useful for the case where you get that nail or some other object stuck in the tire and get a small/slow leak. RTF will not help at all when you get a blowout. In the event you get tire damage where the RFT fails, you now need to call AAA, a tow truck, spouse, etc., to come bail you out. I dumped the RFT, went with normal tires around the same price and I purchased a spare tire I just keep in the back. The spare is a hassle when you need to fold down the seats, but I have a lot of piece of mind when travel long distances knowing I have that space. The non-RFTs also provide a smoother quieter ride and I get much longer tread life. Even if you keep the RFTs, seriously think about getting that space, especially if you travel long distances.

Sorry, last sentence should read... "Even if you keep the RFTs, seriously think about getting that SPARE, especially if you travel long distances"

I've got a 2004 Sienna XLE AWD. I went through 2 sets of RFTs because they were wearing out so quickly. One night I had a blow out coming home from a ski trip with my family. I was able to drive about 35 miles on the RFT's before the bad tire shredded. We waiting for a flat bed tow truck, and a 90 mile tow home at 2 in the AM. Lucky I have AAA+. The next day I went to Costco and had all the RFT's removed and replaced with regular Michelin tires on the original rims. The vans ride improved dramaticaly. It handles great, much better then with the old tires. I now drive around with a can of Fix-a-flat and no spare. Still have my AAA+. Almost 40K on the Michelin tires and still going strong.

Great info above. Thank-you. I have a 2011 Sienna. Love the van, hate the tires. Would never have bought the car had I known. Going on my second set of RFT--replacing every 28,000 miles at $1,000 for 4. Crazy expensive. Also had to buy 2 single tires at 2 different time for road "hazard." Both tires split on the side so I always wonder if it is a defect in the tire. What is the most upsetting is the lack of Toyota support and sympathy. In 2010 (owned van for less than 3 months) we were traveling through Cleveland, OH on our way home to MA. Tire goes and we find a Bridgestone/Firestone. No tire available. Told we would have to wait 2 days for one to be shipped from Chicago. Seriously. Called Cleveland area Toyota Dealers looking for help. No tire, no support, no help. Good Luck we heard. Even called the dealer in MA where we bought the car hoping for guidance and they literally laughed at my husband. Eventually we found 1 tire, drive 20 miles, stayed night in hotel and got on road the following afternoon. After complained with Toyota Nat'l, they did pay for our hotel and dinner. I share this story because I want more people to be aware of this scam that borders on fraud. Thankfully I found this post and will be replacing this set with a set of NRFT.

I've used non-RFT's P225/60R17 98T on 2004 AWD Sienna for 8 yrs and am very grateful for quieter ride and longer tread life. The RFT's absolutely did wear unevenly and quickly, were rotated routinely, and Toyota replaced the 1st set gratis. Fortunately, I've had no flats, though I do carry a full-size spare, that fits in the well that otherwise would accommodate the 3rd row seat, and a ContiComfortKit. Now in the last 3 years I've had 2 blow-outs(jacks are included on AWD)where I've run over something that's cut the sidewall and I wonder if the reinforced RFT sidewall might have prevented it? I'm 65 now, not 55, and changing a tire on the edge of the freeway is even less joyful. Has there been any improvement in RFT's over the last 10 yrs? Any RFT suggestions? Thanks.

yes you can replace with other tires. We had a RAV4 Sport with run flats and replaced them with a standard tire. We then bought a donut at the Car Grave Yard Salvage yard locally.Now were happy as ever Run flats are a bad idea and costs are overwhelming.

This RFT thing scares the hell out of me. I have a 2013 AWD Toyota Sienna with 11,000 miles and travel with TWO Newfoundland dogs. The salesperson conveniently left the RFT out of the sales pitch. Where can you mount a spare tire on an AWD? They are precious cargo. Thanks ksteinrock@comcast.net

I had 4 non-RFT's (Goodyear Integrity) installed two weeks ago to replace the Dunlop 4000 DSST. Mounting on the stock rims was straight forward but the van drives horribly now. The ride is soft squishy and feels top heavy around corners. The Goodyears are terrible in the snow too (even in just an inch or two). The tire shop has a 30 day buy and try policy so I'm bringing the van back Monday to get Dunlop run-flats put back on. They are expensive but I like the stiffer more responsive ride feel.

I bought a 2004 AWD Sienna new and immediately switched out the run flats for regular tires, paid the dealer to install a compartment that is under the floor of the cargo area that stores a doughnut tire that is supposedly good for 50 miles. Had a flat a couple of years ago and used the doughnut to get me to a shop that could fix my flat tire. The problem with run flats has already been discussed - chances of anyone having one on hand is nil so what good is it to be able to drive on them for 50 miles? Poor engineering decision by Toyota but very happy with the car and would buy another one - in fact probably will.

I own 2005 AWD Sienna, the original set of RFT tires I had the Toyota dealer replace after 20K. Toyota had a recall of those tires with a new set of RFTs. The second set lasted about 15K. I had a blow out traveling on an Interstate near Dallas at 70 Miles/hour. Had numerous punctures and leaks, seemed like I had to visit the tire repair man every other month. Finally got tired of these RFT tires and the bumpy uncomfortable rides, replaced all the 4 RFTs with NRFTs. The difference in ride comfort with the NRFTs is a night and day difference. I'm never ever gonna buy any RFTs in my life. As someone mentioned on the post, I am shocked that Toyota is even selling these lemons.

I have a 2005 Sienna all wheel drive. Wonderful car. Terrible tires. Problem is not that run flats don't last long. It is finding a place to replace the punctured tire. This almost always requires a tow truck and several hours at tire dealer while tire is being changed. Very expensive and very inconvenient. Solution: equip car with regular tires and purchase used spare which is carried in back of van. A nusiance but there is no other practical solution. Toyota should get rid of the run flats altogether, provide a conventional spare and a bracket underneath to carry it with their otherwise excellent AWD models.

Toyota has been less than helpful. When I bought my 2013 AWD last year I stressed to the sales gal the "safety of the dogs" is paramount. I have two giant crates behind the front seats and have no room for any kind of spare inside. The second row seats are in my basement, and the 3rd row tucked into the lower compartment. Just as the old Dodge Caravan I traded was set up. She KNEW this and still didn't tell me about the run flat tires! It's about to turn 15,000 miles (have been afraid to travel, fearing a blowout). If anything happens to my Newfoundlands, I'll get the ball rolling on a class action suit. I have everything in writing, but still no resolution from Toyota. Guess they're waiting for someone to get hurt. Stinks!

What you might want to do since you have dog crates in the back of your van is the following: Get rid of the bloody run flats. Put 4 conventional tires on the van. Purchase a used tire and wheel as a spare. Carry the spare on top of the van in a Yakima fiberglass luggage box. I found this worked quite well as we have two airedales and take long road trips with another couple. The 4 of us and the two dogs have ample room. The Yakima is about 5 feet long and can still accomodate a fair amount of luggage along with the spare wheel which is stored in the rear. We simply keep the Yakima permanently mounted on the van when we return from a road trip. Works just fine but very annoying since Toyota should have corrected this huge problem with a spare tire carrier. Again , it is not how long the run flats last, they last about as long as conventional tires, it is locating and mounting a replacement in the middle of nowhere that is a major nightmare in time and money. Only certain select outlets can handle this job.

I finally got rid of my run flats after replacing them at least 3x? One was after a Class Action Suit and Toyota offered up the first set for free. I know I also replaced an actual flat 2x. They suck. Loud, poor mileage, not easy to find etc. I have a 05 AWD and opted for regular tires and a Continental kit that fixes the flat w/ a pump and a 'goo'. I had no desire to put a spare in the van and loose space.

Shitcan the run flats when they are worn out. Get to discount tire and put on the best Michelins you can. Then go to a salvage yard and they will have a dognut spare tire with the correct bolt pattern for your vehicle. I ran this way 9 yrs. the 1st year was fooling around with Dunlop run flats. 1sr set was free on Toyota, second set cost me 1000K. They are ridiculous. Would you rather shred a $50 dognut, or a 250$ run flat? You most likely have tow insurance so what ismthenissue? Trust me, I have fought this battle and I know what I'm talking about. Rid of them dangerous, low mileage POS tires!

The reason you you can't use roadside services when you replace run flats is that when they find out you replaced a set of tires on a AWD vehicle that comes equipped with run flats, they will not cover your tow cost. AAA will bill you for a tow even if you have the premium membership - once they look up your VIN number for the service call they will tell you exactly that on the phone. Secondly, if you go to the Michelin tire company website as well as the Tire rack website and search run flat tires it explains in detail why they do not last long. It tells you everything you need to know about their performance and the longevity of that style tire.

Why won't AAA cover towing? My Sienna has nrf and I continually have to fill tires as my indicator light comes on. Any idea what the cause may be?

Get rid of the rnf's, buy a spare wheel and tire. Put Michelin's or Pirellis on the Sienna. This should solve all your car problems.

I had already had the run flats replaced with dunlops and for a year all was fine but suddenly my tire indicator light continually comes on even after having the tires inflated. Toyota dealership said it may be a tire with bad thread and told me to replace one of the tires. I took the vehicle back to the garage I bought the dunlops from as the mileage on the tire is 30,000 and the warrenty is for 70,000. My steering wheel was vibrating as well so they balanced the tires and reinflated them again. This was just a few days after Toyota filled them. A couple of weeks later the indicator light is back on and the shimmy of the steering wheel occurs. Called dunlop, they referred me to Goodyear. A mechanic from Goodyear said he has rarely seen a bad tire and is most likely something he can repair. Any suggestions would be appreciated before I visit Goodyear.

I bought a "Toyota Certified" pre-owned 2014 Sienna limited AWD with 9000 miles on it, in southern California. I live in NY. Flew out with the family and drove it home stopping at as many National Parks as my 3 week vacation would allow. Heading through Arizona up through Southern Utah in the middle of nowhere ...I pick up a screw in the outer unrepairable area of the Bridgestone EF400 RFT. Thank God i bought a cheapie tire plug kit. Plugged it, added air and it held for a white knucked 200 mile trip to Salt Lake City where I replaced it. 500 miles from home I start hearing what sounds like a bad wheel bearing. Loud noise from the front end when driving over 30 mph. I bring the van to my local Toyota dealer to check it out and they show me 3 of the 4 tires are "chopped" meaning they have a wavy wear towards the inner edge. Im told the alignment is OK and I know I was checking pressure religiously after the Utah flat (the only remaining good tire) Toyota takes NO responsibility and Bridgestone tells me I have no claim because I'm not the original owner and its not a manufacturing defect. 15000 miles on tires that cost $250+ per. Mind you I only put 5000 miles on them myself. I didnt even get the title yet to register the darn thing and I'm replacing tires. It is sickening...Totally unacceptable. What a ripoff. I'm going to replace the crappy Bridgestone RFT's with Conventional Michelins and get a spare. It a disgrace what Toyota and Bridgestone are pulling on the consumer. There is absolutely no piece of mind driving without a spare. I was lucky I found a tire dealer that carried the same replacement in Utah. I had to call around and wait for one to be delivered to a local Big O dealer. There are 2 types of people: Those of us who have had flat tires and those of you who will. Think about it

A full sized nonRFT mounted tire fits in the space usually occupied by 3rd row left seat. I move the spare onto the left rear and move the right rear to spare when I rotate usually at Costco or Discount Tire. 195,000, 2 timing belts, 1 set of RFT's replaced after 20,000 mi and 3-4 sets of michelins(soft and sticky)

Canadian here. I purchased a used 2011 Toyota Sienna LE with approx 55,000 kms on it. At the time of purchase (May 2015), the tires looked quite new. We live in a rural area and probably put on almost 40,000 kms per year, with 60% of the time on winter tires versus summer tires. We drive mostly paved highway, but the final 7 kilometers to my house are on gravel. Drove RFTs for about 15,000 kms+ each, last summer - 2015, and this summer - 2016. I put regular NRFT winter tires on every winter, and keep those on for about 20,000 kms per year as well. This year swapping to my winter tires I see that all my summer RFT's are wearing hard on the inside edge of the tire. Tough to see until you actually get the tire off, or unless you are inspecting while the steering column is fully deflected one way or the other. There's a 1-inch strip all the way around the tire that is completely flat and heavily worn. In that 1-inch wear pattern, steel belts were very exposed on 3 of the 4 tires, where 1 of the 4 tires had only a few barbs of steel peeking through. I have no clue how close I was to a blow out, but it was probably coming due in the next month. My NRFT winter tires are holding up just fine, should be able to get 4 high mileage seasons out of them, which is acceptable considering the wear that my other vehicles go through. I thank everyone for posting their experiences. First I'm going to talk to Toyota to express my concern over this, and see what they will offer. If nothing, I'll switch to regular tires ASAP. Will also probably buy a little doughnut with a $20 cigarette-lighter powered compressor and some leak sealant to inject if necessary.

I saw several people suggest using a doughnut tire. Be aware that the AWD vehicle has tight tolerances regarding the radii of the 4 wheels. If it is radially out of radius that can damage the AWD mechanism. Best advice its to use full size spare on roof, or no spare with regular tires but have a tire patch/repair strategy. Many sports cars with no room for a spare have a compressor and "goo" to do emergency field repair. I field repaired a RFT once, and it held a little, but it was already toast. Literally! Out here in Idaho we can easily be 100+ miles from a large town that can service RFT. To drive that long--way past the recommendation--will carbonize the tire. The tire was actually turning to charcoal from friction heating by driving on them. It was probably just a few miles from shredding down to the rim. So much for Run Flat Tires! Junk! And they are blousy and ridge badly! Heck, might as well drive on a flat regular tire, about as bad, but won't last as long! That is how bad they are

Along with all the issues that have been discussed in these posts, RFT's simply don't work. Our original Bridgestones on our 2014 Sienna went about 25000 miles. They were very well maintained and rotated. One failed (blow out) on the freeway in Nebraska. I drove less that 10 miles at less than 45 mph before the flat tire shredded and we were right down on the rim. Thank goodness for AAA! We were hauled to the next little town with a tire shop and two days and $1000 bucks later we were back on the road. We were not loaded heavy and the tires were not worn out - the local Toyota dealer inspected them at 40% tread left. RFT's simply do not work! A person might as well run non-RTF's and deal with the tire failures the same way they will have to anyway, and gain a lower price, longer wear, better handling, better ride, better traction, quieter, and more reliable. Toyota simply must address this. I would never buy a vehicle with RFT's again. Steve

2006 AWD Sienna XLE bought in late 2005. Now at 190,000 miles. Apologies if this is a repeat. First off, I have been similarly disappointed as MANY of the others here regarding RFT performance and have switched to non RFTs. A note on alignments. Early on I started to see a correlation between accelerated wear and position on the rear of the car. Basically the inner race of the tread was wearing off more quickly. I thought alignment and through many irritating convrrsations found that Toyota specifies that the rear tires be set at a negative camber (leaned in at the top) for vehicle performance. This means that the inner edge of the rear tires are bearing more load. My dealership will not "straighten up" the tire because it would be out of spec. The non RFTS have held up better to this.

Someone mentioned a kit available to add to the AWD Sienna that orginally came with RFTs. I have yet to find one. Adding a specialized unit on the back of the van has been stated numerous times to be a poor idea due to the stress factors. I like the idea of carrying a spare on the roof if travelling quite a distance. In the mean time I will carry a portable air pump & tire sealant. I will NEVER buy another set of RFTs!

i bought 5 new rims & tires and ratched the tire against the side as i also took all the back seats out; still alot of room; u gotta have one when u need one pronto.................

I originally had a 2004 Sienna XLE AWD with RF tires. I replaced them with regular tires and two cans of fixaflat. If you get a puncture, fixaflat should handle it enough to get to a service station to get it plugged. If you get a gash/slice, call a tow truck. My wife would never change the tire under any circumstance anyway. Turns out we've never needed it. I now own a 2015 Sienna Limited AWD and at 29K miles it's time to change the tires because I now learned the hard way that the dealer doesn't know how to competently do a 4 wheel alignment. The insides of the tires are shot, so it's not the typical RFT low tire pressure problem. I will be replacing these with non-RF tires too, and continue to carry two cans of fixaflat.

My wife bought a 2017 Sienna AWD XL equipped with the RF tires from Merrillville IN. 2 months after purchase, she is driving on one of our local roads and her tire light came on, she stopped at a gas station and found her passenger front tire was flat, she drove directly to Discount tire and left the van. The next day Discount Tires directed her to take the van to the dealer to see about warranty. Dave the serviceman from Merrillville Toyota said he will look at it, over 2 hours later he finally tells my wife she does not have a warranty for the tires and the front rim is bent, and she will need rim and two tires (both front and back passenger tires). Bottom line, buy a brand new van and two months later I am spending $1500.00 on a rim and 2 tires that I don't want. if my wife ran over something she didn't even feel and it bent one rim and damaged 2 tires, how safe is it for my children to ride in? The Bridgestone RF tire SUCKS. The Toyota rims SUCKS. And without a doubt MERRILLVILLE TOYOTA (Mr. BAUNER) SUCKS. My wife LOVES Toyota and has always bought Toyota (are trade in was a Toyota) but I told her if she ever bought a Toyota again, it would be grounds for divorce.

This might be old news to some, but I can't recall seeing it recently- our 2004 AWD Sienna initially ate through tires at a furious pace. At some point I discovered that Toyota had a service bulletin out for incorrectly set wheel alignment from the factory for AWD Sienna models. Took our car to the shop, had the alignment reset to the correct spec, and updated to a set of Bridgestone EL400s (previously we'd used Bridgestone B380s and Dunlop DSSTs). Since then we've gotten great tire wear and no issues.

2 weeks after buying our 2013 Sienna AWD used we blew a RFT in Iowa on I-80. Pothole. The RFT got us 4 miles down the road to a closed truck weigh station. It was toast. Didn't know we didn't have a spare so the AAA guy had to go back to his shop and get a roll-on hauler. Got a non RFT used Michelin in Avoca (NICE people...$40 for the tire). Still driving on it 2 months later. I blame the blow-out on the low profile tires. The sidewall hit the rim and made a 2" wide flap up into the sidewall. I'm getting rid of the RFT and plan to replace the 18" wheels with 17'' and running 65 ratio instead of 55. Anyone see a problem with that?