I just got my first flat today. Switching to non-run flats, I had brought all the necessary tools to get me back on the road. You can plan and prepare all you like but until you experience one you won't know if you have all the bases covered. Anyway I'm on the expressway about 40 miles from home and I hit something small that bounce off my under carriage. Didn't think much of it until the Tire warning came on a few miles later. It took me about 2 mile before I could exit the expressway ( didn't want to fix the flat with cars whizing by). By the time I pulled over the driver front looked almost flat. Now, the fun starts, I pull out the jack and raised the front, after checking the tire I couldn't find anything in the tire that caused that flat. No nails, no pointed objects, no cuts, no fresh looking punchers. I wish I had a small spray bottle with soapy water to help located the leak. Since I couldn't find a puncher in my tire plugs are useless. So I got out my bottle of Green Slime and my Craftmen Mini Compressor. After adding the Slime and inflating the tire I couldn't check the pressure because my fancy digital tire pressure gauge didn't work, I think the battery is dead. So I used my trustly old manual gauge. Tire pressure was set to 37. I took off for a 3 mile jaunt to distribute the Green Slime throughout the tire. I pulled over and the pressure was 15 lbs. I re-inflated the tire to 37 lbs and drove for another 3 miles. I pulled over and rechecked the pressure, 13 lbs this time. It still was leaking after 16oz on Green Slime! I went to a store and bought a bottle of water and small bottle liquid soap. I mixed up a mixture of soap/water an splashed it on tire. I found the puncher about an 1/2 inch off the thread on the sidewall, this tire is doomed. No way the green slime was going the plug this. So I got out my tire plugs fixed the hole, an emergency procedure, a hole on the sidewall is termimal. I drove very carefully all the way home on the back roads. It's about time for a new set of tire anyway. But I'm home without flatbedding it.



Tools to fix the flat:

Jack and tools
16 OZ Green Slime
Tire valve core remover tool
Tire plugs kit
Pliers to pull objects from the tire
Cutters to cut the tire plug lead after installed
12v Electric Pump, don't get CO2 inflaters you'll need a lot of them if you need to re-inflate
Spray Bottle of water/soap mix (to locate hole)
Tire pressure gauge (I now prefer a manual gauge)
Flashlight

I hope this help those who haven't had their first flat.

 

Nice write-up; good info. Thanks!

 

version of the story WITH run flats:

I just got my first flat today. Anyway I'm on the expressway about 40 miles from home and I hit something small that bounce off my under carriage. Didn't think much of it until the Tire warning came on a few miles later. It took me about 2 mile before I could exit the expressway. I drove very carefully all the way home on the back roads. It's about time for a new set of tire anyway. But I'm home without flatbedding it.


Wife and daughter drive the MINI occasionally and I really don't expect them to mess with slime and plugs and pumps. There is a place for run flats in my garage..... a spare would be nice too.

 

Yea, many of us have tossed the run-flates in favor for tires that have a better ride, performance, cheaper and repairable. You have to weigh those advantages against the security of run-flats then decide what is best for your situation. Keeping a spare stored at home would help locally if you have someone who can fetch it for you.

There is a product called PermaSeal that is injected into the tire before a flat. It coats the inside of the tire to prevent flats. Essentially making your conventional tire into a run-flat. It looks pretty impressive. The site has a video of Jay Leno demonstrating it.

I may go this route on my next set of tires.

Note: Run-flats would not have saved me because the puncture was on the sidewall. The sidewalls are not protected because damage there ruins the integrity of the tire.