Are Runflat Tyres a good idea?

Recent article from the Telegraph:

Are run-flat tyres a good idea? Honest John explains the safety benefits of run-flat tyres. By Honest John 3:23PM GMT 24 Feb 2012 Airs and disgraces?

Run-flat tyres were fitted to my car on the false premise that they were superior. Aside from maintaining stability in the rare event of a blowout, the cons seem to outweigh the pros by a long way. The salesman made much of the fact that you can continue driving with a puncture for up to 150 miles, yet the car company’s website claims the true figure is 50. I got a nail in one after a fortnight and got a shock because the tyres are a good deal more costly than their normal counterparts. What really disturbs me is the disastrous ride over potholes and speed humps. How is this progress?

KL, via email

The principle advantage is that they might save your life because you’ll never be forced to stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway. I’ve almost been killed in that situation and wouldn’t want anybody else to share such an experience. Your ride quality problem is probably due to the tyres’ low profile, not the fact they are run-flats.