I ended up having the tire plugged today, and then rotated to the back of the car. Got my fingers crossed. I really do not want to spend big bucks on a new runflat, and these tires will not be on the car very long. It just needs to stay together until I scrape up some coin for a set of fresh non RFs. If it does decide to explode into a million pieces at least it's on the back!

 

Had a screw in my tire about a week ago. Came home one night, no problems or lights on the way home, and hopped in the car the next morning to a big red tire light. I didn't even start the car! Checked the pressures on each tire and one was down to 10psi. Sure enough there was a screw in the center of the tire, right in the groove.

I called a few places but as soon as I said runflat no one would touch it. It being late Saturday only the chains were open though. Monday morning I called a local shop and they said no problem. The patched, plugged, remounted and balanced the tire. I haven't had any issues since and have checked the pressure several times, holding steady at 40psi so far.

I talked to the guy at the shop that did my repair and he said the biggest problem isn't with plugging the hole in the runflats but the degradation of the sidewall when people drive on them flat. Once the hole is plugged they can never get the bead to seal well. The problem is even worse on the lower profile tires.

I'm glad I've got 16" but I'm even happier that I have new wheels and tires on the way.

 

I saw the damn screw in a parking lot on my rear tire. It started leaking after I pulled it out when I got home. From reading all these posts, does that mean mine should probably be fixable since it was not driven without air? And the screw puncture in the middle of the contact patch, not on side wall?

I just can't bear to think of the cost of replacing a damn run flat, not to mention the white knuckle experience of using the flimsy MINI jack. I have to use my shop jack as fail safe under the strut.

 

Yes - with the hole in the middle of the contact patch and the fact that the tire was never run while flat, you can patch/plug the hole with no problems.

 

You should be ok having it plugged. I had a similar experience and the tire is doing fine. I would suggest taking the wheel off the car and having it plugged at a tire shop.

 

Thank you, WilsonJR. I took the wheel off this afternoon not wanting to put constant pressure on the "flat" run-flat, and that's how I found out the filmsy MINI jack as well. I am taking the wheel only to a shop tomorrow.