I an currently running the all season run flat tires that came with the mini S lite 17inch rims. I had unfortunately ran over an ungodly large pot hole in baltimore city (lombard st!) and thought my wheels blew...

After parking the car (no tpms warning), i saw that my driver side front wheel did not have any visible indentations but had some rubber residue on the rim... I am assuming due to the impact, the side wall of the wheel had rubbed against the rim and left a nice black streak...

my question is, are my runflat capabilities damaged? from my understanding, they have reinforced side walls....

 

Check both sides of the sidewall for bulges, and make sure it is properly inflated. The stiff sidewalls of runflats look full when they're low sometimes. I'd assume you're ok...

 

Typically run flats have a plastic core. This core is what supports the tire/wheel in case of a flat - it helps maintain the integrity of the tire - thus, allowing you to drive on it for 50 or so miles.

I believe you're ok since the tire is still holding air - if it was damage it would "look" ok, but it wouldn't have any air in it and your sensor would go off.

Cheers.

 

I've cut off both Bridgestone and Pirelli RF's in the past(which are MINI OEM) and they look nothing like that picture. It's a normal tire in the main tread width. The bands of steel cable around the sidewall and inner lip are where all the strength lies.

 

I agree with OxBlue, I stuck a 3 inch piece of floor tile through a runflat and all I could see inside was rim.
Just a tire with some heavy duty sidewall.

 

I agree that's NOT the system employed in any of the RF's I've taken off my MINI's

For your problem..

First - congratulations for being concerned. Many would say "no lights...no foul"

If your tire has not lost air - you R checking right???? - then it sounds like you dodged a bullet. And there is no visible rim damage?????

Hows the steering? Did you mess anything up there? Any new pulling?

Odds R if you have not had a low pres' warning on the tire, or felt any pull all is well. But can I assure you that you did not compromise the strength of the sidewall for the future? No.... I'd just keep an eye on the tire(s) for any slow to develop side bulge/bubble....

"sea story"

when I was about 17 I had a beater car but for some reason I don't remember, I was driving my father's "deuce and a quarter" aka a Buick Electra 225 circa 1973...a ton plus of automobile with a 455 CI

I got lost at night and heading down a dark road (yes she was blond and very cute) I hit a big nasty pot-hole and a front tire went flat. OMG I'm in for it now ....

The next day we took the car to a very trusted front end shop .... the alignment was still right on amazingly and the owner took the bent rim and slammed it with a sledge a couple of times then re-filled the tire. So far as I know the tire held the air 'til BoomPa sold the car....

SO **** the suspension can take a heck of a hit .... but do check things out... Sometimes the difference is a straight hit (manageable) or the side hit my spousal unit once did by sliding into a curb with the wheels at full turn lock... OUCH ... that one was $2000 in front wheel & drive suspension parts ...

 

Sorry for the misinformation - it appears the plastic hub inside the wheel if for taller passenger tires.

I would agree with what everyone else said: check pressure, check for bulges or rim damage and check for pulling.

Cheers.

 

Replace, any tire with a bubble should be replaced.

 

The Michelin PAX runflat system is an alternate to the MINI type runflat tires.

The MINI runflats maintain their shape after losing pressure through the use of a thicker, stiffer sidewall. The Michelin PAX system uses a stiff inner plastic core on the rim which supports the deflated PAX tire. This allows the sidewall of the PAX runflat to be thinner and more flexible, theoretically providing a smoother ride in normal conditions. The PAX system requires a special wheel fitted with the PAX inner support, and is generally more expensive and used in fewer vehicles than the MINI type runflats. Honda minivans are one popular vehicle that has used the PAX system.

 

thanks!

 

These are the same as what they use in Armored cars. They have a solid core incase the tires get shot out, lol.

 

Continental SSR(Run-Flat):

http://www.conti-online.com/generato...reifen_en.html

 

this reinforced sidewall... is it metal or just dense rubber...

 

Several people have mentioned checking tire pressure. I'd like to clarify that you should be checking your tire pressure regularly (potholes or not) with a tire gauge, not by relying on the TPMS.

You can be low on air without triggering the TPMS, which is somewhat akin to the red light for low oil pressure. Neither is to be relied upon for normal maintenance...they are emergency warnings.

 

The pix show the RF as if it's low on air compared to normal. My RF "flat" looked like a normal tire, not halfway low. Which brings me to an off-topic RF story: Friend of mine (smart guy, pilot, mechanically literate) buys 2006 Porshe 911 used from a lady "she said it has runflats on it". He gets an obvious FLAT tire, but because he was told you can drive up to 50 miles (to the dealership where he had tire insurance) he decides to drive on it. Gets about 3 miles and says "hey, this just doesn't seem right" and calls AAA. They weren't RF tires at all!

 

My understanding is the sidewall on runflats is a combination of thicker rubber and extra steel belting. I think the sidewalls on our RF's are short enough that there's little or no visible compression of the tire when flat, which makes it more important to use an accurate tire gauge to check them. A good dial gauge isn't all that much, I got mine at an aircraft supply store for $15. The cheaper stick-type gauges can be OK, but check them against a known good gauge before trusting them.

 

Um thats not a fair comparison (as long as they were set right to begin with) the Beru TPMS sensors in the 2008+ are very accurate and quite reliable, they will give you a warning when it drops 5 PSI (iirc) below the setting, which isn't dangerous like an oil pressure light. I mean seriously there's a reason why some warning lights are yellow and some are red.

 

you should be fine if its holding air good.....though... Id check the back of the rim all the way around. The pothole i creamed this winter bent the back lip only on mine pretty good, but I could feel it.

 

thxs os much for the info

 

My 2008 has been down almost 10lbs without showing any warnings. I check my tire pressure about every 3 months.

 

Personally, I'd chech my pressures more often than that. A lot can happen to a poorly inflated tire in that amount of time. It only takes a minute or two. Have a tire gauge in your car and check them everytime you fill up. Besides, that's usually where the air is anyway.

 

There's something to be said about that. At the very least, frequent checks will give you peace of mind that when you do find a flat, it hasn't been around for very long. Particularly with how the 17" runflats have no sidewall give to them at all; without a gauge the only way you could tell one is flat is by it's temperature. Can you tell I listen to Car Talk?

 

I check my tire pressure every 1-2 weeks

 

With cars that have a top speed of 135 mph +, you don't want to be driving around with tires that could be 5-10 lbs low. The argument for relying extensively on the TPMS rather than a tire gauge is just another argument for lazy.

And while you're at it, check your fluid levels as well (see the posts on this forum from folks who can't understand how their oil level got so low, in only a year of driving!)