This morning I noticed a nail in my run flat tire on my R56. Being that I had to get to work ASAP I went to a local auto shop and had the hole plugged. The nail was directly in the middle of the treads, not on the sidewall. The shop plugged it from the outside in just a few minutes and I was on my way.

Has anyone had experience plugging a run flat? I had read that it is not recommended, but I don't know if that is just overly-cautious advice or if I really should be worried and just replace it.

 

My runflats were patched from the inside and lasted through the life of the tire. If the structural integrity isn't compromised by the damage then it should be OK.

 

so long it never 'ran flat' you are fine ... I've put plenty of plugs in mine over the years and never had a problem

I do my own with http://www.dynaplug.com/

 

No tire can be plugged on or near the sidewall.

In the tread, most manufacturers and some shops will not reccommend plugging, as they don't know how long the tire has been run without air pressure. A runflat driven without air will support the car, but the heat and stress will eventually damage the sidewall. If the nail was hit yesterday and you didn't get a pressure warning until you went to drive this morning, and the shop you went to is close by, then a plug is fine. I've driven tens of thousands of miles with plugs in my runflats.

 

So far, so good. I've been driving on the plugged Run Flat on both highways and around NYC (bumpy roads) and the tire seems to be holding up just fine. Air pressure is fine, the car isn't pulling at all. Will keep you posted.

Thanks for the help!

 

Ideally the plug/patch is the best solution but it requires the tire to be broken off the the bead and a combo plug/patch pills the hole and seals the tire from the inside. While this is ideal a plug will also work just fine. If it continues to hold air it will likely last the life of the tire. I had 2 in one tire and 1 in another on my original set of runflats. Sounds like no big deal to me. Just keep an eye on it periodically.