So here I am again with one of those little annoyances in life...a nail in my tire. My mini dealer told me that I had one and I would need to replace the tire. With only 5500 miles (3 months) on them I am a little unhappy. Here is my questions:

Can a run flat be fixed in a nail is in the tread?

If I do replace the tire Do I need to use mini or can I go to a tire center and have them do it? I was a little concerned cuz its a runflat and the weights are inside the wheel and not on the lip.

Any thoughts? Its the 16" 195-55 R16. Thanx.

 

If the nail is in the tread, it can be fixed like any other tire. Any good tire shop that has the equipment to handle runflat beads will be able to do the work. Ask if your tire shop can handle runflat tires. Mini dealers charge exorbitant prices for tires and tire work.

 

It's ridiculous that people keep being told a flat on a run-flat tire can't be fixed. No different that fixing a flat on a non-runflat tire. Of course you should stay away from the dealer for tire repairs, the prices are almost always incredibly high. Find a good tire shop and stick with it. I've been using the same shop for over 20 years. I trust them.:smile:

 

Moved this to the Tires/Wheels forum to make sure that the experts get to see it...

But I was under the impression that the only time a run-flat had to be replaced do to a puncture was when the hole was in the sidewall. Heck I've got a patch in the tread of one of my runflats, the local Goodyear shop did it for like $11 a year ago...

 

Mine was patched too when a bolt/screw went through mine. That was last year, no problems with it. I'd say it's safe.

 

Same thing happened to me. I took it to the local Firestone dealer and had it fixed for $12. I used it for another 8 months including a great week at the Dragon. After that I moved to standard tires because the run flats were almost out of tread.

 

So long as the nail is completely in the thread portion, it can be fixed. I recently had to replace my runflat but only because a chunk of metal really did a job on the tire. Good Luck!

 

When I had mine replaced it was because the nail was closer to the edge of the thread than the width of a thumb.

 

I've got a screw in my tread right by the side wall. It's not leaking, though. At the cost of a run-flat it can stay there for a bit till it's time for replacement.

 

So why would the dealer not repair the tire? Why would he tell me to purchase a new one?

 

Simple:


$



I picked up two sheetmetal screws in one of mine, but it was repaired just like any other tire. I understand, though, that the tire lost its "Z" rating (whatever that is), and I now have to keep it below 130mph...

 

That sucks. Below 130.

 

Another simularity between run-flats and non-runflats, neither should be repaired if the problem is in the sidewall, only in the tread.:smile:

 

I got a nail in one of my runflats a over a year and 20,000 miles ago. I've got a plug kit I bought from Walmart a while back that I paid less than $7 bucks for! I plugged it myself at home and its been good to go. Some of these places are ridiculous. I get so angry when I hear about dealers saying that you have to replace the tire ! Thats ridiculous.

 

similar to maneeto, I went to a local advanced auto parts and got myself a tire repare kit. I got two nails in the sidewall, yet my the tires are still running fine after I fixed it. FYI: I think my dealer charge $10 to fix flats, but since mine was in the sidewall they told me to replace the tire. Cost too much so I took a cheaper alternative GL

 

Repairing tires on the sidewall is risky...but since they are reinforced runflats maybe that might be okay.... i wouldn't do it though.

 

If the nail is is the tire treads, buy a plug kit for $5 and plug it up. Very easy to do.
Dealer told us we needed a new runflat to and that it had to be ordered .
We ended finding a whole new set of tires and s-lites on ebay for around $500. good luck

 

This plug idea is a temporary fix, you need to get the tire in for it to be dimounted , patched, and remounted as soon as possible. Wax plugs do not keep moisture out,

moisture+steel belts = issues later.

Alex

 

never seen a wax plug, don't think i want to. have used rubber ones,
usually coated with rubber cement.

 

[QUOTE=cristo]never seen a wax plug, don't think i want to. QUOTE]

that's what I thought LMO

 

If you live on the west coast, take it to Les Schwab and they'll fix it for free.

If you have a tire with a patch in it already, it will reduce the speed rating to the next speed rating under it. If there are 2 or more patches/holes in the tire, you are only supposed to drive at posted speed limits and not higher. More than 2 holes, get a new tire.
But definitly don't settle for a plug, only a patch will correctly fix the problem.

 

i ran over an 8 inch nail on the street. ouch!!!!

 

I just played this tire/nail/run-flat game. Especially when the tire place destroys the bead when removing the tire. So then it truly was not repairable.

 

If the tire dealer is really aware of the fact that he is dealing with a runflat tire, he will more than likely not repair it. Reason.......there is no concrete way of knowing how long the tire has been "flat". Run-flats are limited in the amount of time/mileage they can be run "flat". The dealer may not want to take the liability of repairing a tire if he doesn't know the extent of the damage.

 

This has a bit of logic to it. I think you could probably look at the tire and tell if it's OK, but there could be hidden damage. Perhaps the runflat, once repaired, should become a non-runflat, i.e., change it when the low-pressure alarm comes on.:smile: In all probability though, the tire is likely fine to run-flat again.