Options after Flat Tyre Incident

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    Scrooge McDuck on 26/03/2017 - 22:47

    +1

    Really depends on your car and what you use it for and your financial situation.

    Indeed.

    For the rear tyre on a FWD econobox, if you're not a particularly spirited driver and you don't do a lot of high-speed freeway driving, cheap tyres are adequate.

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      shadowarrior on 26/03/2017 - 23:21

      -1

      You do realize that even on a FWD the rear tyres provide braking/stability? Do you know about oversteer? Adding less traction tyres to the rear of a FWD car makes the vehicle more prone to oversteer. For a drive that is already prone to oversteering.

      Seriously, please stop spreading wrong information. For any vehicle, it is always better to have the best grip on the rear axles, be it front or rear wheel drive cars. Your wrong information can actually harm someone.

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        Scrooge McDuck on 26/03/2017 - 23:37

        +6

        You do realize that even on a FWD the rear tyres provide braking/stability?

        Yes.

        Do you know about oversteer?

        Yes.

        Adding less

        lol wut?

        less traction tyres to the rear of a FWD car makes the vehicle more prone to oversteer.

        That would apply to any drivetrain. But the vast majority of drivers, drive well within the traction circle of all wheels, at all times. So unless you're a spirited driver, that's not an issue.

        Seriously, please stop spreading wrong information.

        Please stop spreading fear.

        For any vehicle, it is always better to have the best grip on the rear axles, be it front or rear wheel drive cars.

        What complete and utter horseshit!

        The front wheels provide steering and the majority of braking traction, they're far more important on a passenger car.

        Your wrong information..

        Talk about hypocritical!

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        H E B on 27/03/2017 - 00:59

        I use the brand name tyres on my car these days as that's what Costco Sells.

        I know loads of people at the major chain shops hate the no brand non mainstream tyres and go a bit nuts about it.

        To be honest some people should give it a try before they complain about how terrible chinese or even second hand tyres are. I've used a second hand tyre on my own car, it happened to match the other ones when I got a puncture another time in terms of year and the condition it was in. The tyres are $150 brand new for 1/4 of the price. What was I to do? Have one tyre 100% tread and others at 50%? I don't regret it.

        YES I worry about the safety of myself and those around me but they were in better condition than my other tyres and the tyre guys who checked it out guaranteed me they were good. YES I think tyres are important and if you can afford brand name ones you'd likely be safer YES i don't think you should go matching near illegal all different branded and patterned second hand tyres. BUT I think the risks once you weighed them up were worth it and most people would be fine with the decision I made at the end of the day.

        My brother buys chinese tyres on his yaris and swears by them in terms of value. Runs just as well he reckons than the Goodyears he used to get from Kmart but he doesn't drive like a maniac on the streets and gets 5+ years on tyres he drives averaging 15,000k a year. He used to justify saying well why pay for something you don't need.

        If costco wasn't up the road and didn't offer free repairs and rotations etc, I'd probably try the chinese tyres now. I see heaps of cars on the roads with them and honestly the only time you see a tyre accident are usually truck blowouts rather than everyday sedans.

        Maybe I should google news accident and cheap tyres and see what happens or even accident and bald tyres?

        Tyres are undoubtedly important but there'll always be people around that are scared all the time and super conservative with everything. If you can't afford it so be it I don't have anything against bomb cars on the road or people driving with bald tyres. Chances are they might be just as dangerous as those young hoons with hotted up expensive tyres.

        If they're so bad, the government would make it illegal and cheap tyre places wouldn't sell second hand tyres either for fear of getting in trouble.

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        Cliche Guevara on 27/03/2017 - 14:31

        +3

        @shadowarrior - FWD cars are prone to understeer, not oversteer…

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        macrocephalic on 27/03/2017 - 16:29

        @Scrooge McDuck: Not to mention that FWD cars almost exclusively suffer from understeer when pushed. Getting a FWD to oversteer takes either some crazy driving or creative braking.

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        Euphemistic on 29/03/2017 - 15:29

        @macrocephalic: or bald rear tyres :)

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  zeomega on 26/03/2017 - 23:20

  +2

  Ask a reputable tire shop for opinion before making a decision, few places i've used in Sydney.

  Chatswood tire and Autocenter > Good honest people and good prices. Does not have facility for low profile tires.
  Jax Spnning tires > Not the cheapest but good honest opinions and good tire alignment. They setup track cars frequently.
  Jax Bankstown > Decent prices, most staff are good, some staff a little "know it all".

  IMHO, change in a pair although most people prolly won't agree. My needs/beliefs are different to most tho - Tires are the only 4 parts on a car providing contact to the ground; they affect your braking distance and your turning grip in the dry and wet. How much is your life worth?

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    McFly on 27/03/2017 - 00:03

    -1

    Time for bed - I'm tyred…

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  coolsteps on 27/03/2017 - 00:15

  +1

  get good condition near new second hand tyres and don't forget the cost to get them balanced

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    OzFrugie on 27/03/2017 - 00:17

    OK, so I need to get the tyres balanced (and aligned?) after replacing the punctured one?
    Necessary or nice to have?

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      H E B on 27/03/2017 - 01:16

      Ask the tyre shop if you haven't aligned for say 6-12months might be a good idea to ask the tyre shop if it's worthwhile. I usually do it every 1-2 years and most time when I buy 2 or more tyres.

      Anytime you get a new tyre almost all shops should balance it for you, even with second hand ones.

      You can also consider forking out just a bit more for a brand new generic brand tyre from korea/china/south east asia. On my car for example, those tyres cost 1/4 of what I have now. As long as they are legally sold and approved here in Sydney which is what my brother tells me…

      You might get what you pay for but I'm not sure if it would really be so mind blowing crazy or a deathtrap as some people make it out to be!

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      [Deactivated] on 27/03/2017 - 08:21

      Not necessary after a typical tyre rotation/replacement.

      But you did run on a flat for 10 minutes. Goodness knows if you've buckled your wheels, threw off the toe-in, amongst a few things that may go wrong.

      If you suspect a flat, always get out and check.

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      msmhw on 27/03/2017 - 09:49

      Usually the second hand tyres around $30 each with balancing.
      I noticed you are in Sydney, if you are near punchbowl there is a shop there selling them at this price.

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      macrocephalic on 27/03/2017 - 16:31

      Rear tyres don't really have alignment (generally).

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  Bnjam3 on 27/03/2017 - 00:15

  +1

  Couple years ago one of my tyre kept deflating slowly. Went to Kmart service centre and they fixed the puncture for $20. Still running fine :). I'm not in the best mode to recall things atm, but i remember they told something like it might be illegal.

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    OzFrugie on 27/03/2017 - 00:16

    it's illegal to repair a punctured tyre?

    but they still did it anyway?!

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      Bnjam3 on 27/03/2017 - 00:21

      Maybe something like temporary vs permanently?

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      H E B on 27/03/2017 - 01:12

      I don't think it's illegal to repair a punctured tyre but if the tyres are unroadworthy it wouldn't be worth it.

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        smpantsonfire on 27/03/2017 - 11:12

        +1

        It is illegal to repair the sidewall. Otherwise all good.

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  coolsteps on 27/03/2017 - 01:42

  -2

  yes i think it's illegal to repair a tubeless punctured tyre more than twice and depending on the size of the damage in some states i remember once being told something like that by a tyre shop

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    [Deactivated] on 27/03/2017 - 10:52

    Shops will tell you anything to get you on the upsell.

    I can't see legislators mandating a maximum of 2 repairs, when there's so many factors to consider:
    - size and location of puncture
    - type of repair performed (external plug, internal mushroom plug, valve change, etc, etc, etc)

    You really have to use your own judgement when deciding on a repair vs replace. One of the factors to consider is time spent getting different quotes, instead of just going to the first shop.

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  msmhw on 27/03/2017 - 09:47

  Is your tyre tubeless? If yes. You can insert tube in them. Go to any tyre shop and they will do it for you. Only do this if your tyre in good condition.

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  j05h on 27/03/2017 - 10:58

  +4

  I will never forget the tyre guy's face when I asked if he could repair this :P

  https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/131396/47662/img_0102.…

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    Scrooge McDuck on 27/03/2017 - 11:53

    +1

    How did you miss that? Or… not miss that, rather.

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      j05h on 27/03/2017 - 13:04

      It was at night. And I was driving a bit too fast down a dirt road. I can tell you I knew when I hit it though! It made a grand noise. Surprisingly it was a back tyre that it hit.

      I am surprised at my abilities though, I've also punctured a side wall on a tyre when I swerved off the edge of a road to avoid an incoming car. I think it popped on the way back up onto the road though.

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        Scrooge McDuck on 27/03/2017 - 13:06

        Did the peg damage your bodywork?

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        j05h on 27/03/2017 - 13:39

        @Scrooge McDuck: Damaged a bit of the wheel well/arch (etched a nice scratch in the plastic), and a scraped along the edge of the paintwork. The paintwork wasn't really noticeable, I was lucky there. I just left the wheel arch. Not really noticeable with a tyre in there.

        Those bridgestone's were pretty ordinary anyway.

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        macrocephalic on 27/03/2017 - 16:34

        +1

        It's almost always the rear tyre that gets punctures. The front tyre flicks it up and the rear catches it.

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  OzzyOzbourne on 27/03/2017 - 12:57

  +3

  Take it to a tyre shop, ask if they can fix it, if not buy a new tyre. Simple. Don't need a forum for this matter.

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  weezlebub on 27/03/2017 - 14:01

  so, to consolidate and add my own opinion:

  • if punctured the side of the tyre, it's dead, replace it
  • if there's lots of little holes, replace it
  • if punctured between the tread repair it (it's cheap and pretty easy if you can get the tyre off)

  Repairs: I had a 4x4 & repaired the tyre, it worked fine for the life of the tyres
  Replacement: don't get new, or you'll have 3 old & 1 new tyre, find a 2nd hand tyre place and get them to fit it
  4x4: these tyres usually have higher side walls and can cop a little abuse (people often let their tyres down when going off road and forget to re-inflate them)

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  Mrgreenz on 27/03/2017 - 15:31

  How mich tread do the rest of your tyres have?

  If there close to wearing indicators just get a whole new set of 4 and save some time.

  If not just get a part worn to see you through to the next set.

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  ohhmygod on 27/03/2017 - 16:19

  Gosh are you really trying to save 150~ bux when your life is at risk ? wtf?

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  Hirolol on 27/03/2017 - 17:22

  Take it to the tyre shop, if the puncture is in the tread and not too close to the side then it can be repaired. They will need to assess the condition of the tyre anyway so make sure you tell them that you drove on it, who knows it may have been a slow puncture so it might be ok. ie: maybe the air wasn't out while you drove on it but when you checked the tyre it was mostly out?

  In Victoria, generally tyre shops won't change just 1 tyre but seeing as yours are fairly new you may be ok with getting away with it, its all upto the tyre shop so once they check the tread on the opposite tyre they will be the ones to decide.

  We have had punctures repaired and our tyre store guarantee it, do not do this yourself as others have tried to suggest, all places charge different price but I wouldn't pay anymore than $30.

  we have 5 vehicles, 4 that are frequently used for work and 1 is my personal car so we always ask the mechanic to check tyres and make sure the tread is being worn evenly so that's pretty much my source of information.
  But don't forget I am from Victoria so YMMV.

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  Sinful on 27/03/2017 - 20:23

  side wall can't be fixed….
  if it's on the tread at the bottom and not too big, get a tyre puncture repair kit and have a go :)

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  syousef on 28/03/2017 - 08:26

  Sorry but "I had a flat, what do I do?" is a new low even for OzB.

  Get a new damn tyre and the wheel replaced if you've stuffed your rims. It's called owning a car.

  If OP had asked where the best place is to get a bargain on a tyre I'd have respected that.

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  pandas on 28/03/2017 - 17:41

  At least they weren't Pirelli P-Zero Tyres. Purchased a set of 4 and punctured one too close to the side wall to repair at less than 5000kms. Do the right thing, just replace it and consider it done with.

  For my case, I had a local tyre shop pricematch Tyroola.com.au - they actually gave me a cheaper price for the sake of it. $200 or so down, gutted but at least I won't need to worry about it failing on me if it had been patched up.

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  justwaitingforamate on 28/03/2017 - 23:18

  OK looks like you have plenty of responses, sorry but havent read through all of them.
  If you use a plug as has been suggested, it is only for temporary use, they are not designed to hold up to normal highway speeds. i know there are plenty of people who do do this and have been doing it for years without incident, myself included up till a couple of years ago. The only way to fix a puncture properly is to take the tyre off the rim, inspect it and then apply an internal patch. if you have the tools its not that hard but it really is easy and good value to spend $25 to have it done at the shop. Many will disagree with this especially old hands…. but it is the truth.
  Cheers

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  UFO on 29/03/2017 - 15:31

  OP, DO NOT REPAIR.

  If you tell any reputable tyre shop what you've done (driven on the flat tyre for more than say 30 seconds to pull over), the first thing out of their mouth should be "NEW TYRE".

  Allow me to explain.
  If you drive on a flat tyre, it's not the hole that you need to worry about, it's the sidewall.
  Reason being, as the tyre rotates it compresses and bends the sidewall as it touches the ground, and then straightens as it goes around the top.
  This repeats over and over.

  Have you ever bent a thin piece of metal over and over? It generates heat, and it fatigues (snaps).
  This is exactly what has happened to your tyre wall. That's not just rubber… there's metal reinforcement inside.

  Unless you pull over straight away on a flat tyre, it should be replaced. It's dangerous not to.

  This is not bullshit Google crap I've come up with. This is real life knowledge and experience with tyres in used in racing competition.

  Don't repair this tyre mate. It may not look it, but that sidewall is now well and truly ka-put.

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  Euphemistic on 29/03/2017 - 15:39

  So mmuch argues and misinforms in this thread it hurts.

  We can't see the tyre, or tyre wear on other wheels.

  Go to a tyre shop and get it sorted. If you think it will cost too much at the first, go get a second opinion from another tyre dealer. If still too expensive, rinse, repeat. Eventually you will work out it is going to cost a lot, or it will have been sorted out and you'll be driving safely for some time to come.

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  bargaino on 30/03/2017 - 22:48

  Best case, tyre needs to come off the rim for inspection after being driven flat.
  So it will not be a $10 repair.

  Those DIY repairs can be OK. I found my car with a flat in the car-park, jacked it up, found the nail, plugged the hole - all without needing to change wheels. It lasted a couple of years before developing a slow leak, so I did the same again, and it lasted until the tyre tread was worn out.

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  OzFrugie on 03/04/2017 - 09:26

  Thank u all for responding. Didn't expect it to be such a long discussion.
  I ended up changing the tyre with the same brand and model and specs except it has a higher load and speed rating (not an issue the seller said).

  However, I just learned that it seemed the tyre was manufactured in 2011 based on label on the tyre. Is this ok?
  I researched online and some sites say regardless the condition of the tyre, it shouldnt be use if it is 5 years old. Some others say up to 10 years. No law on tyre age afaik.

  My average mileage is about 10k km per yr. Assuming tyres need to be changed after around 45k km, my other 3 tyres need to be replaced in 3.5 years time, which mean the tyre that i just replaced will be 9.5 years old from manufacturing date.

  Do you think this is ok? Or should i ask the seller to give me a newer tyre?

  P.S. The seller did not tell me how old the tyre is. I purchased the tyre at abount 70 - 80 bucks cheaper than other places I asked. And it was the last tyre of that particular model he had in stock (based on what he said anyway)

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    bargaino on 03/04/2017 - 10:15

    tyre was manufactured in 2011 based on label on the tyre. Is this ok?

    Unused but old stock? Or was somebody's spare tyre that never got rotated?
    I would not throw it away, but I certainly would not have bought it. How much did you pay? A new tyre is $99 fitted, less for a small car, more for exotics. If they sold it to you as a new tyre, you got ripped off.

    Rubber gets harder with age, so less grip in the wet. You may notice that the older tyre locks up before the other side, activating traction control if you have it. Better to have matching tyres both sides, with older ones on the rear.

    Test your emergency braking in the wet, and see if it is OK.

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      OzFrugie on 03/04/2017 - 14:36

      It looked new to me. paid $150 for it. It was high performance tyre as far as I know.

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  RevolverUpstairs on 30/06/2017 - 10:10

  Amazing that no one knows of this yet,

  but there are Mobile Tyre Shops! There are some in Melbourne and some in Sydney that actually come to you if you're on the side of the road and fix your tyre for you/replace it with a new one. They have the same equipment as a normal tyre store in a van

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