If you said 2002, you are 25 years off! Many people believe that the 1997 Corvette was the first car to come with runflat tires. They certainly were the first to come standard with the new generation of runflats. But runflat tires have been around for a long time. In fact, the Dunlop Denovo tire was patented in 1973 and came standard on the Mini Clubman GT from 1977 on. These tires were, however, quite different than the modern runflats. They came with a special wheel which housed several cans of a “fix-a-flat” type of product. When the tire went flat, the cans would rupture. The contents would then escape, sealing and reinflating the tires in the process!

http://www.leylandprincess.co.uk/Bro...htm#Brochures7

 

Tire technology is out there, and has been for awhile.. I feel they can make ultra high performance tires last 100K !! But why, all of us suckers keep coming back for those $150 tires every 20K or less!hmmmmm