Abstract: An insert for a conventional tire. The insert includes a doughnut-shaped piece of material shaped and sized to fit inside the tire and to contact an inside surface of the tire's tread during normal driving (i.e., when driving without a flat). In preferred embodiments, the doughnut-shaped piece of material can be sized to contact an entire surface of the tire or to contact an entire inside surface of the tire's tread. Different sized inserts can be used with different sized tires. The insert also includes one or more (preferably about eight) mounting or insert brackets attached to the rim to support the doughnut-shaped piece of material. These brackets can facilitate use of the insert with various different types and shapes of rims. Also, methods of installing and using the insert.