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If possible and the tire puncture allows it, re-inflate the tire ASAP so that when you drive it to a tire store, it won't be damaged due to low or no air pressure. Most punctures still will have the nail or screw in the tire to keep it to a rather slow leak. Driving Zero Pressure should be due to a no choice due to an inability to re-inflate the tire due to location or the nature of the puncture itself.
This is why carrying a small air compressor is such a good idea even with runflat tires. It's even more so if you don't have runflats. This non runflat Michelin all season tire picked up two screws simultaneously and with one refill from my air compressor was able to drive it 50 miles home with the screws in the tire. I pumped it up to 42 psi and it had only dropped to 36 psi by the time I got home.
This is part of a toggle bolt that punctured my left rear. It actually "popped" the tire when it went thru. The tire was previously patch/plugged by Les Schwab (no problem). I had about 2500 miles on the car/tires when the latest puncture happened.
Discount Tire was about 3 miles from my house. They actually happened to have ONE correct tire on the shelf (that's another story in itself).
The manager warned me they had previously been unable to air up a new tire on another GS like mine. After about 90 minutes they gave up. Patched and plugged remounted old tire and I drove to Suburban Chev about 20 miles away. Matt in the tire department had the new tire mounted and balanced in about 20 minutes and I was on my way.
Thanks Matt and Suburban! You will get all my future Corvette tire business!
This is why carrying a small air compressor is such a good idea even with runflat tires. It's even more so if you don't have runflats. This non runflat Michelin all season tire picked up two screws simultaneously and with one refill from my air compressor was able to drive it 50 miles home with the screws in the tire. I pumped it up to 42 psi and it had only dropped to 36 psi by the time I got home.
I do the same. Have a small compressor that fits in the rear compartment. It is typically in the wife's SUV that also has run flats as we mostly use it for long trips. But I put it in the Vette for a ~2 1/2 hour trip to the Charlotte zMAX Dragway along back roads were there is not a tire shop I would trust to fix them.
Just called Discount Tire to see what it would cost for tire insurance for the new SUV, for what I bought for the Grand Sport. The tires on the 2018 BMW X5 all wheel drive are not quite as expensive but almost as wide so will be nail magnets! It has Continentals, 275/40/20 fronts and 315/35/20 on the rear! Almost as wide as the Grand Sport tires! $180 for tire insurance, which I will get.
Just called Discount Tire to see what it would cost for tire insurance for the new SUV, for what I bought for the Grand Sport. The tires on the 2018 BMW X5 all wheel drive are not quite as expensive but almost as wide so will be nail magnets! It has Continentals, 275/40/20 fronts and 315/35/20 on the rear! Almost as wide as the Grand Sport tires! $180 for tire insurance, which I will get.
Just did the same for my Z51. $237 to insure all 4 tires.
If I may, the "50-mile" figure that still gets bandied about has very little to do with C7 tires.
That was the original figure that GM and GY came up with as a reasonable compromise between what the tire was capable of and how far GM dealers were apart. They determined that the tire could be safely fixed when driven at ZP for 50 miles at less than 50 mph and the available dealerships were at the most ~100 miles apart (nevermind that at the time, most dealerships were not equipped to deal with the tires) . This also did not really figure in GY dealers, who were even later in adopting machines that could deal with RFs.
Now, with the C7, Michelin has decided that the tire can have one fix (patch/plug from the inside) if not driven at ZP. The reasoning with this The tires are now, and always have been able to drive much further than the 50 miles at ZP to get you where you need to go safely, but no real way to determine how much structural damage has been done when driving at ZP.
The lawyers say there is no way to know, but the tires are capable of driving much further than 50 miles to safety, regardless.
The numbers go up and down. IIRC, we had two different years of C6, one manual said 25 miles flat was ok, the other said "as little as possible".
Our C5 was 50 miles.
Our 2017 C7 Owner Manual says 50 miles at 50 mph should be ok, but personally I'd be surprised if the tire was still repairable at that point.
We had one fellow who posted driving several hundred miles on a flat runflat which he knew was ruined (huge cut), because it was a weekend with no replacement available. He stopped only because he got home and the tire was still intact.
^^^
Reason I keep a small pump in the rear compartment when on long trips. You can watch the pressure drop so if you can’t find a location with a “real pump” to get it to ~40 psi, which should last some time with just a nail, can use the small pump. If the air leaks out fast, it’s less likely to be repairable anyway.
I have a nail in the tread area of a front tire. I've read many posts here that it can be patched/plugged from the inside. I've called Michelin and GM. Both said this is true. Called Discount tire today (two locations) and they tell me a run flat can not be repaired. (company Policy)
Can anyone clear this up for me? It's just a small screw. I don't track the car, it's a weekend driver. 2017 base Stingray.
Thanks
ive had a run flat repaired with a screw in the tread area. Sidewall they will not repair. Big O tire did the repair.
Last edited by Johncarter; Mar 3, 2018 at 02:18 PM.
Reason: Added info
I have a nail in the tread area of a front tire. I've read many posts here that it can be patched/plugged from the inside. I've called Michelin and GM. Both said this is true. Called Discount tire today (two locations) and they tell me a run flat can not be repaired. (company Policy)
Can anyone clear this up for me? It's just a small screw. I don't track the car, it's a weekend driver. 2017 base Stingray.
Thanks
Totally can be repaired. Even Michelin’s own info shows runflats can have repairs done. I had one done on my back-left tire and it’s been perfectly fine since. As long as you’re not trying to set land speed records you’ll be fine.
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