Gather ‘round, everyone, and let The Wee88 grease monkey spin you a tale of danger and youthful stupidity! Ages ago, the author would drive back and forth to high school every day. One spring, he saw that he’d picked up a nail in his tyre. Refusing to fix it, he “patched” the rubber, filled it with air, and kept driving. A day or so later, he was teetering on the precipice of a ditch after the tyre blew.
So what’s the lesson here, dear The Wee88 readers? Don’t drive on flat tyres or skimp on fixing such issues. Remember, a flat tyre means driving unsafely, contravening the Highway Code, and risking severe vehicle damage. To better understand what a flat tyre is and why you shouldn’t drive on one, we’ve compiled this short guide to help you learn from our mistakes.
You’re welcome.
What’s a Flat Tire?
A flat or punctured tyre is a tyre that’s lost its air due to a puncture, a leak, or the tyre detaching from your vehicle’s rim.
Why Shouldn’t You Drive On a Flat Tire?
It all comes down to safety. When perfectly inflated, your wheels form four contact patches with the road’s pavement. A tyre’s contact patches utilize the tyre’s construction, aired pounds per square inch (PSI), and chemical composition to keep you on the road and puttering right along.
When you get a flat tyre, those contact patches change, and not for the better. As such, the car can become unstable. You may find that you have a reduced ability to steer the vehicle, or, depending on what caused the flat tyre and how severe the puncture was, the flat tyre could cause the car to become immediately unstable. In this example, the flat tyre could produce an accident affecting yourself and those other drivers around you.
Driving with a damaged tyre compromises the structural integrity of the tyre, which could lead to fines, penalty points, and even a driving ban. It is crucial to address tyre damage promptly to avoid these risks.
You could also damage your rim and car if you continue to drive on a flat tyre.
What Do You Do When You Get a Flat Tire?
In the immortal words of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Don’t panic.
If you think one or more of your tyres have gone flat while driving, don’t brake, accelerate, or make sudden directional changes. Carefully and slowly make your way to the shoulder. There, you can apply more brake pressure and have the car come to a complete stop. You can then inspect the wheel and assess whether or not it can be fixed with a spare tyre or puncture products like Fix-a-Flat.
For temporary fixes, you can use a puncture repair kit to plug the hole or a tyre inflation kit to inflate the tyre and drive safely to the nearest garage for further inspection.
If you’re at home and come out to find a flat tyre in the morning, you can change it over to a spare until you can inspect it for a puncture.
Flat Tire Symptoms, Causes, Issues, Tyre Pressure
Here are just a few symptoms of a flat tire.
Sluggish Steering
If one of your front tyres becomes flat, it might reduce the effectiveness of your steering, making you feel like you’re driving through mud or wet snow.
Noise
You might hear the tire fail with a loud pop. Likewise, if your tyre goes flat while driving but does not produce a “pop,” you’ll likely hear a tyred droning noise that becomes apparent in your cabin. You’ll know it when you listen to it.
Instability
Tires can go flat in spectacular fashion. In those cases, the car could become immediately unstable.
Thumping
If a tyre completely goes flat, it can produce a thumping vibration throughout the car as the wheel becomes oblong instead of round.
Slow Puncture
A slow puncture can cause a gradual loss of air over time. It’s crucial to stop and change the tyre as soon as possible to prevent the risk of a blowout and ensure safety on the road.
Tyre Pressure
Maintaining correct tyre pressure is essential to avoid flat tyres. Inspect your tyres regularly, check the tyre pressure at least once a month, and monitor it using the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System to ensure it’s at the recommended level.
Car Bible’s Glossary for Flat Tire
Welcome to Bible School!
Bead
The wheel’s bead is where the tyre and rim form their seal, keeping the air inside the wheel.
Rim
Your rim is the metal circle that connects to the vehicle’s axle, and the tyre wraps itself around it.
Tyre
A tyre is a rubber compound that’s wrapped around the rim.
Wheel
A wheel is both the tire and the rim.
TPMS
TPMS stands for Tire Pressure Monitoring System. This electrical system monitors the tyre’s air pressure or PSI.
PSI
PSI stands for Pounds per Square Inch and refers to air pressure within a tyre.
Alloy
Alloy is another word for rim, but it is British. In America, it is a metal made of other metals, such as aluminium alloy.
Tyre Tread
Tyre tread refers to the patterned part of the tyre that makes contact with the road. If there is a hole larger than 4mm in the tyre tread, it may not be easily repairable by a tyre repair kit, and the damaged tyre may need to be replaced with a spare tyre.
Tyre Valve
A tyre valve is a small, cylindrical component that allows air to be added or released from the tyre. Problems with tyre pressure can occur due to a loose or leaking valve, damaged valve, or inability to maintain the correct pressure. A tyre inflation kit can be used to insert sealant into the valve and then inflate the tyre with a mobile compressor connected to the car’s 12-V socket.
Your Questions, Our Answers on Flat Tyres
Car Bibles answers all your burning questions!
Q: How Do I Fix a Flat Tire Permanently with a Puncture Repair Kit?
A: There’s only one way to permanently fix a flat tyre caused by a puncture: by having the tyre replaced. Once a tyre has a puncture, it will always be compromised, and you should replace it when possible.
Q: Can You Put Air in a Flat Tire?
A: You can, but depending on whether or not you have a puncture, it may or may not hold air for an extended period. If you have a puncture, you can use tyre foam as a temporary solution to keep the tire inflated for a short distance of approximately 50 to 100 miles. However, it is important to get the tire fixed or replaced properly as soon as possible after using tyre foam.
Q: How Much Does It Cost To Fix a Flat Tire?
A: You can reasonably cheaply fix a punctured flat tyre with a Fix-a-Flat-type product or an SS for less than $15. However, for a more thorough tyre repair, you might need to use a tyre repair kit, which involves steps like preparing the car, locating the puncture, connecting the repair kit, and inflating the tyre to the correct pressure. This can cost between $20 and $50. If the damage is severe, you’ll likely have to purchase a new tyre, which runs between $115 and $10,000.
Video on Flat Tire
Carepairibles’ editors understand that not everyone is a text-based learner. For those kinesthetic people, we have your back with a video showing exactly what a flat tyre is and how to repair it. We pulled it from one of our favourite and most trusted sources, and it’s a great additional resource.