I commute from Brooklyn to Connecticut every day, an hour each way. I have to drive over streets and highways that are in the worst condition in the US. My 07 A8L rides on Pirelli P6 P255/40 R19 100 V M+S tires on the 19" 12-spoke rims. In 3 years, I have had to buy 9 tires at about $300 each; had 4 blowouts (5 tires replaced, one time blew out 2 tires at once) and replaced 4 other tires bc the bubbles got real big. I always have bubbles in the sidewalls. I'm scared I'll be driving 85 mph one day, have a blowout and lose control.

I would appreciate ideas on the best solution to this problem. Some ideas I am kicking around.

1. Taller aspect ratio. If I get a 255/45 or 50, my sidewall height goes from current 4" to 4.5"-5". Do you think that extra bit of sidewall will significantly reduce the risk of bubbles and blowouts?

1A. I am assuming a 244/45-50 would fit into the wheel well. If it doesn’t, I would consider dropping to an 18” rim. That gets real expensive. May just have to live with the issue.

2. Run-flat tires, keep every other spec the same, assuming I can find one. Does anyone have runflats on their Audi? Does it really change the way it drives? Does it mess up the tire pressure monitoring system? Did you get a flat yet? Did they really run flat for a while?

Thanks in advance for your advice.