I love the way they handle and the ride but I despise low profile tires. If one starts losing air and you drive 25 feet to get out of traffic you have ruined the tire.

Replaced another one today. Just checked air pressure Monday (check every other week) and apparently defective valve stem had slow leak. TPMS light came on and I was in middle lane of 5 lane road. Moved over to outside lane and stopped immediately. Tire chewed up by rim.

Tire dealer says not enough sidewall to protect tire. He replaces multiple each day shredded because of this.

Losing a tire that didn't wear out naturally is always a bummer. Defective valve stem or defective TPMS (or incorrectly installed TPMS)? I have 40 series tires, I think those might be considered low profile - so far no issues after 27K miles (9K miles on the current tires - replaced the cheap-o stock all-seasons).

You like the way the RIDE??????????? You must be under 30. Me, I am 63 and have ALWAYS thought that any profile under 50 was a poor choice. Because without the "baloon" to protect the the rim you will always have issues with broken wheels. BTW, I know, every welding shop in town will weld up a cracked rim.

However I still remember when doing this was a violation of FEDERAL LAW and a 10,000 dollar fine for the welding shop. BTW, there is a very good reason for this ban on repairing cracked wheels. Aluminum in a fully "annealed" state has a yield strength of just 11,000 psi, even 6061 Aluminum. Because welded 6061-T6 is actually 6061-T0. So, when is the last time you saw cryogenic treatment facilities at a welding shop? Yeah, that welded up area on your wheel is actually soft enough to carve with a pocket knife. And, you want to cruise at 80 or 90 mph and that "repaired" wheel.

I specified 17" rims on my p/u I want no part of low profile on a daily driver. I find myself on pubic highways all the damned time. They are subject to yearly destruction up here.

As a style statement they are a bit foolish. If you have a true performance vehicle, well it's part of the package.

Love em on my BMW and hate em on a truck so my truck is not lp.

I love(d) them on Cadillac's ATS line. That is when I was still in the dealership parts business. We sold a BUNCH of replacements for those. It was not unusual to see a car come in with four bent wheels.

Repeat customers were not unknown either. When I retired last year I know of at least one customer on their third set.

Ironically enough I have an ATS with 19s, 55k miles and no tire issues at all. Just sucks you can't rotate them front to back due to them being wider in the rear.

What size tires do you have?

When I lived in California, I had 19s with low profile tires and they were nice. Moved back to Ohio and first pothole that breathed on the car destroyed a wheel/tire.

My BMW has low profile run-flats. If you hit a pothole with these it will jar your fillings but seems to protect the rims.

Hi OP, do you just have low profile or do you have low profile run flats?

My BMW has low profile run flat tires and I can attest to the strength of them.

We drove from Kalamazoo Michigan to St. Louis Missouri to return home with a large bubble I got from a pothole in Michigan. There were no tire stores in Michigan with a replacement so the only option was to drive home in the slow lane the whole way in case it blew.

We made it and the tire store was amazed as well.

Where do you buy your tires? Will Discount or other vendors replace them for free if you pay for their extra warranty?

35" tires for me, what are these low profiles that you speak of?

I see a handful of vehicles a week pulled over on the shoulder with a blow out. Majority of them appear that the rim is shot too. I had very expensive aftermarket rims that came with the car a few years ago, I cringed at every pothole I didn't see in time. Thankfully sold it before my luck ran out.

quote:

Originally posted by AirmanJeff:
Ironically enough I have an ATS with 19s, 55k miles and no tire issues at all. Just sucks you can't rotate them front to back due to them being wider in the rear.

You don't live in Southeast Michigan, the pothole capitol of Michigan...........

My commission check reflected that often.

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:
You like the way the RIDE??????????? You must be under 30. Me, I am 63 and have ALWAYS thought that any profile under 50 was a poor choice. Because without the "baloon" to protect the the rim you will always have issues with broken wheels. BTW, I know, every welding shop in town will weld up a cracked rim.

I think it depends on the condition of the roads you are on. On smooth roads a 50 series (or under) low profile tire rides just fine and contributes to accurate steering and tracking through corners. The negative is they don't add much cushioning on rough pavement, dirt roads, potholes, making for a harsh ride along with an increased suseptability for wheel damage.
The reality of where I live and so often drive is that low profile tires simply don't make sense because the roads look like somewhere in the Middle East where they've been detonating IED's so I want all the cushion and protection I can get. Even then....... my new BMW R1200RS with not even 600 miles after hitting a hole on the last paved road (which is broken up and full of holes) leading to the dirt road to our house. It was raining and the holes were full of water so in avoiding a deep hole I swerved to what I thought was a shallower one and BAM. Over $1,000 to replace it but there are some specialized shops that straighten aluminum wheels so I'm going that route for around $300. (That tire had 35 pounds of air in it too)