Can you put a "boot" in the tread of a Goodyear runflat ,Z rated tire ?

 

You can repair run flats depending on the problem. Many tire dealers will not make this repair because of feared legal problems. I have repaired them and then driven the car for more than 20,000 miles without problem. Everyone would have to make their own decision.

 

The tire shop I use will rarely repair run flats. They do lose structural integrity if driven more than a few miles at speed. The tire guy told me since they really don't know how far they were driven or how fast, they will not take a chance fixing them for liability reasons. Easier to sell new ones.

 

I have had two runflats repaired without any problems. And ran them for many miles after the repairs. There was no need to replace them.

 

That depends on how far they are driven without air.

 

If the ship will repair runflats, they should use a plug and patch method to do so. They should know what that is. I've had runflats repaired before and encountered no problems with them after many miles of driving.

JR-01 is right through - if the tires were driven with zero pressure/very low pressure for close to the rated limit, then they should be replaced.

 

Exactly why I will be going to non-runflats when I get new tires next year. I ran into this exact scenario while on vacation a few months ago. I had rented a Camaro SS convertible (bad-a**, btw) and it developed a leak (losing about a pound per hour). I was in Key West at the time and it was on a Sunday. The rental car company said they didn't have a branch in the Keys so I would have to go to Miami (which I was planning to do anyways in a day or so) or take it somewhere to get fixed and they would reimburse me for the repair. Took it to the local Sears auto center and they wouldn't touch it because they were runflats. Ended up filling it to max pressure then having to drive it back 100 miles to Miami the next day. That was no big deal but I would have been screwed if the tire had a serious leak with no spare tire.

JMHO, but the price difference for runflats simply isn't justified.

 

I had the local Discount Tire repair four GYRFs on my C5 in the first two sets I had - one of them had (2) punctures (lots of roofing nails out here after hail storms). Michelin RFs are a bit more restrictive as they only have a 50 mile limit vs the 200 mile limit on the Goodyears and they do not allow more than (1) patch per tire depending on location. I had one flat with my Michelins and they replaced it at no charge vs repairing it due to location of puncture.

Never had a problem with any of the repairs - all were plug and patch method.

 

You can drive 200 miles on a flat Goodyear? Are you sure about that? I though max was 50 miles at 50 mph.

 

I think the confusion with the GYRFs is that they state two ranges. My 2001 Corvette Owners Manual (Page 6-41) says that they can safely be driven up to 200 miles at 55mph, BUT if driven over 50 miles at 55 mph they MAY NOT BE REPAIRABLE.

The GYRF more rigid sidewalls allow them to go further, although it may trash them. Michelin, Bridgestone, etc. have more flexible sidewalls. Having driven at zero pressure on both types, without TPMS I would never have realized the GYRFs were flat! With the Michelin, it was immediately noticeable as that corner of the car sunk and people in other cars would point and honk.

Goodyear said they can handle (3) patches per tire if on different center grooves (different bands) and 90-degrees or more apart). I would probably not want to go to a track that way, but for normal driving I doubt there would ever be an issue if patched correctly. Worst case is the tire would go flat again and would just have to drive it to Discount Tire to get replaced. In a couple cases they had to order me new replacement tires and I just drove around on the flat for 2-3 days around town with no problems.