About run-flat tires. Less than 600 miles and I've got a flat. Have called every tire place in town and nobody will touch them. Say it's a state law they can't.

So, am I stuck buying a new tire? That would seriously bite.

 

Runflats can be patched/plugged just like a normal tire as long as it is in the tread area...about the middle 80%, same as a regular tire.
Big thing is the tire has a limit of miles driven once flat...depends on speed and preasure....but basicly under 50 miles, under 50 mph, depending on load.
If it is not totally flat, add air, and drive it to a goodyear shop..they do deal with runflats and know the rules...but tire can be treated as a normal tire for patch/repair, but can be a pain to mount/unmount unless you have s special machine to do so.

 

When I got my MINI in 2009, and of course it came standard with runflats, I always planned to replace them with regular tires. So at 14,000 miles, I ran over a piece of metal and got a flat. I took the tire to "Tire Discounters" and they told me it was ruined. Rather than buy one tire, I replaced all 4 with YOKOHAMA AVID ENVigor. I also carry a can of Slime fix-a-flat and a Slime compressor. In the next 26,000 miles I have not had a flat.

I case you are wondering...I have ridden motorcycles for over 50 years, including motorcycle trips all over the US and from Ohio to Alaska and back, I have never been too concerned about not having a spare.

You may not want to replace yours with only 600 miles, but IMO, you will enjoy the ride and handling of non-runflats more.

 

Around here is it hit or miss on getting run-flats plugged.
Some shops just don't want to take the risk and trust customers to tell the truth about how far they have driven the run-flat in the flat mode. Because you can only drive on the sidewalls so long before the tire is done, they have just decided not to plug run-flats.
Other shops will plug just about any tire.
The easy answer for me is to plug my own tires. Cheep kits at most auto parts stores work just the same as going to a shop.

If it is state law where you are plugging the tire yourself or replacing the tire may be your only options.

 

"State law" prohibits? Hard to say without looking, but unlikely, at least in specific language. One could check the motor vehicle statutes for their state. Curious, I just checked Missouri and it's silent about them. Beyond, say, where you throw them away.

What I've read previously read about RFTs assert that the mfr's are uneasy about repairing them since they only have XX miles of use without air pressure before their run-flat ability is used-up/lost/compromised, and no certain way to assess that on a particular failed tire. So, future liability-wise, it's simpler to just say no, it seems. If the tire kept you from being stranded, it's done its job and it's time for a new one (such is the thinking).

As others have said: they can be patched/plugged with some success if the leak is in a nice central part of the tread, with the usual good/better/best practices for doing this. Apart from MINIs, Corvettes have used RFTs for a while also, and their forums host similar discussions ("Don't ever do it" vs. "Screw 'em, I plugged mine and ran 10 track days on that tire afterwards", etc.).

One thing I didn't know: OEM Goodyear RFTs on Corvettes have/had road-hazard warranty, pro-rated for tread-remaining and so forth. There's a tire-warranty CD in my MINI, but I haven't looked at it to see if the Conti's on mine have anything similar.

Side note: We found a Philips-head screw in our Corvette right front RFT mid-trip last weekend; the TPMS showed steady air pressure in both fronts so we kept an eye on it on the drive home (it reads pressure in lbs, not just good/bad). No issues, and the screw-o-dectomy on Saturday revealed a small, 3/16's one in the tread block that hadn't come close to the plys / air-holding department. I stood ready to plug the thing, though: no way I was paying $450 for a replacement Goodyear, we intend to go Bridgestones or Michelins next spring when these wear out. And I have lots of practice plugging motorcycle tires (we generally have a flat on every long trip, just unlucky that way, it seems).

 

I had a flat on my '09 at about 1,000 miles. Two tire shops would not repair but I found a local garage that would. There is not a Florida Law against repairing them. I drove it for 20,000 miles when I replaced all four tires without any other problems.

 

O.K. all I'd well, at least for now. The kid at Tire Kingdom patched the tire for $25.00 cash (under the table) and tire looks like it is holding air. Seems that Tires Plus and Tire Kingdom, the only tire dealers around here (I'm at my daughter's on the East coast of FL) claim that it is company policy and liability issues.

I'm hoping I won't have any issues on the trip home tomorrow evening. I am definitely picking up a portable compressor and some Fix-A-Flat to keep in the car. That will guarantee I'll never have another flat again.

I'm going to start paying closer attention to the tire threads now. I don't want to replace the tires yet, but don't count me as a Run-Flat fan.

 

Retired Rev: Why don't you just go to Harbor frieght, O'reillys, Auto Zone or what ever and just get a plug kit and do it your self it is not rocket science. Save the money from the know nothing tire store and then if you get another flat you have the kit. As soon as I replace my run flats I do not plan on a spare. I will carry a plug kit, Slime, and a 12 volt air compressor and fix it my self on the road. If the flat is side wall related I have towing and a cell phone.

 

I'm surprised there has never been a thread about this b4 . . . .

DYNAPLUG

 

Maybe it's a seasonal thing, once every 3 or 4 months or so? I'm terrible at topic searches.

My first flat tire in years and it becomes a damned production. I've already searched for tire repair kits and the next set of tires to replace the OEM ones. Bad thing is that this all happened when I was away from home. If I were home I'd just go to the dealer (or the Bridgestone dealer across the street) and be done with it.