JD Power: Customer satisfaction with run-flat tires is dropping
Satisfaction is declining among customers whose vehicles are equipped with run-flat or low-rolling resistance tires as part of automaker efforts to improve fuel efficiency, according to a new J.D. Power study.
Run-flat tires are mostly used on luxury and performance sports cars. In both cases, satisfaction is lower when the vehicles have run-flats instead of spare tires. The reason: Customers with run-flat tires are twice as likely to have to replace their tires as those with standard tires.
J.D. Power found that many consumers believe putting low-rolling resistance tires on their vehicle means compromising traction and durability in exchange for better gas mileage. Better education by the tire companies about the traction and dependability of the tires would be helpful, said Brent Gruber, director of J.D. Powers global automotive division, suggesting the tires are a value, albeit a misunderstood one, to consumers.
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