Hi. In South Africa it's got
Hi. In South Africa it's got nothing to do with off road driving - it's got to do with being shot if you happen to get a flat on the highway outside somewhere like Diepsloot. Yes, it's that bad. And a puncture repair kit takes up literally 4L of cargo space - it's fits very easily under the cargo area's floor in that nice compartment made for things like that (where you should also be keeping jumper leads). And say you get a flat on your new RFTs and you have to drive 100 miles to a shop where you can get a repair; you'll have to buy at least 2 new tyres, which is an expensive puncture repair when you can DIY for hardly any cost and only 10 minutes. Same thing if you have normal tyres - say you get 2 flats - then what? If you have a repair kit, 20 minutes and you're on your way.
I have 16" wheels on - the tyres are nice and thick and very very comfy, but I also get excellent handling because of the stiffer side walls. It's like having 18" low profiles on when cornering and 16" comfy tyres when driving long distance.
I'm not against normal tyres - it's also possible to get away with not carrying a spare if you have a repair kit. For me, stopping on the side of the road is often not an option due to safety reasons, and thus I will continue to use RFTs.