5 flats in 8000 miles might sound good to you but I like my 0 flats in close to 25,000 miles (I really should keep better track of mileage. Basically, I ride about 4-5k miles/year and haven't puncture flatted since the fall of 2004) running high quality, puncture proof tires. My latest choice (the Continentals described above) are very light weight. Not as light as a race tire but lighter than your average training tire.