Flat tire repair on the road in the real world
 

I don't like runflats and change them out on all of my vehicles sooner rather than later and my VIAR compressor kit and Dynaplug system were put to the test today. I posted this on the Mini Forum as I tested the system on a nail puncture today with decent results. The vette might be more of an issue do to volume of air required and possibly more belting. I had the same tires on my C7 stingray also and carried the same kit in it.

I had a wake up call when my mini dealer informed me when I had them rotate the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires that I had installed at the 2016 MOTD (Minis on the Tail of the Dragon). The service advisor told me that the fronts were had 4/32 of an inch of tread left and the rears were 5/32. They were a little pessimistic figures when I measured them myself when I returned home, but they weren’t that far off. I was not really surprised by the numbers as I/we really drive the mini hard and we do a lot of twisties. When we went into town a couple of days ago I noticed that the right rear tire was low on pressure so we stopped by the local Tire Discounters store and they took a precursory look at the tire and did not see anything and topped it of with nitrogen for me at no charge. Today I noticed the tire was very low and decided to take a look myself while I had it in the garage and sure enough I spotted a shiny glint in the tire. I took a closer look and yes; it was something in the tire. I pulled out a small nail about an inch long. I thought OK, now is the time to put the VIAIR compressor and the Dynaplug kit to the test, as it was a great place to see how well it would work in a real world situation. I took it out of its carrying case along with some of the other essentials that I stuck in with it and used them to begin the process. Everything worked and the tiny little compressor really worked! It is very small and compact, but it performed flawlessly, albeit, painstakingly slow due to it micro size, but it did its job. The Dynaplug kit also worked, but it was a real chore to get the rasp through the belts in the tires and you have to ream it thoroughly prior to attempting to insert the Dynaplug itself. I did have to use a very small set of needle nose pliers to remove the nail that I had not put in the kit, but they are there now along with a 6” pair. I was somewhat worried about the power cables with the compressor, but they reached the battery connections in the front of the mini just fine. Overall I would give the system an A- rating or an 8 on a 1-10 scale. However, I am leaving my large can of Slime in the boot just the same!

Those of us who drive our cars will ultimately pick up a nail while on a tour. In our group we have picked up large and small nails. One tire we ended up sticking two plugs into the tire and used slime and it took care of the problem until they could get home to order the correct tire.

I carry a plug kit and slime on all tours. A plug kit may not be easy to use on a corvette because of limited access unless you take the tire off the car but it will save you if necessary.

Another example of why for the most part all you need is an air compressor to either complete your journey or get your car to a repair facility. 95% (my guess) of tire problems are slow leaks that can be dealt with by using air at a gas station or in remote locations with an on-board air compressor. And if you still have run flats the situation is even easier.

Are there models that fit in the hidden storage area in the rear.

I hate to repeat myself, and yes this topic has been covered more than a few time, however I will.
You'll never know the value of run flats until you are in a situation that slaps you upside the head, and demonstrates it to you.

Fixing a flat tire on this bridge at 1 AM on Saturday, in January, as a cold front is coming through. I'm dressed for dinner, and a show, not changing tires. The posted speed limit is 70, average vehicle speed is 80. Now just wait for the Semi's to come by, while your rear end is hanging out on the driver side of the car while you're attempting to fix a flat.
I understand The desire for a better ride, however fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. I could care less if runflats felt like Fred Flintstone tires, I will never be caught in such a predicament again. And the runflats we have on the C7 are pretty darn good.

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The one time I had a problem with run flats, they went completely flat on the interstate and there was no getting to a safe place. I plan on going non run flat after my stockers lose another couple 32nds. I did the same in my previous Mustang, bought a pump, scissor jack, and plug set on amazon and never looked back.

Yes, the VIAR kit that I have has a nice zippered pouch that came with it and there is adequate room for the Dynaplug kit and a few tools in it. The compressor comes with an accurate dial gauge on it. I carry a can of slime in the cargo net in the back as well. I drove with it in the C7 Stingray I had from November 2013 to November of 2016 including 2 trips on Route 66. I broke the route up into 2 sections and drove the entire length of it.

I carry a small compressor. Back years ago had a flat on a bridge at night in the winter in Pennsylvania. I drove off the (long) bridge on my not-runflat tire. Ruined the tire and rim but I didn't die.

That makes little sense. RFs don't go flat (unless it came completely off the rim, and that's really hard to do, BTW), and you can drive on them. That's the point of them.

Maybe I just don't understand what happened. How would you be better off getting to a safe place with non RFs? :confused2:

My Z51 Coupe (2017) has the Michelin run flats and then I got one of these, fits right in the mini cubby compartment in the rear. I hope to never get a flat (haven't had one in 23 years) in the car, but if it happens, that Slime kit could really save the day.


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I've used c5 run flats on my 1999 Camaro for 10 years total. The tire never went flat when air was lost. When the tire had zero pressure I still did not know while driving. I just noticed it sagged a little. One rear tire did lose the bead and I could here the mush sound while driving but the tire will never be flat. I was told since we have low profile tires it's not an issue of careening off the road if we get a blow out but I'm not chancing it. No blow outs with runflats.

look at the conti comfort kit, tire rack has it, a small compressor and has a canister of slime built in that you can select to use or bypass. fits great in the well in the back of the coupe with plenty of room to spare for a plug kit a small first aid kit and the rear hatch cargo cover in there

You certainly can buy a kit, but as the OP indicated he needed a few more tools. Fortunatly he was at home and had access to the tools. I have my own package I carry in a small heavy duty duffly bag. Scissors jack to a few tools for reaming a tire if needed. The plugs do not good if you cant get them in. My advice is to overstock your tool kit and not rely on some cutsie pre packaged kit. And practice with the kit at home. Make sure the jack works, the lug wrench works and I even had an old tire that I practiced plugging. Tires are tough to get a plug into.

Last resort is the slime but man it works so well.

Unless you can get the tire off to work on the hole, you have a problem. Slime is an option but in a suit & tie is not my idea of work clothes to fix a flat. Run Flats are my choice and they could be made of stone and I wouldn't care. If my wife is alone in the car and gets a nail in the tire, slime, fix-a-flat, jacking up the car, whatever WILL NOT APPLY. She will be stranded and that is NOT an option that I consider good.

Elmer

I am new to run flats and I don't understand this thread. Do run flats work or not? If yes, what's the problem with using them? If no, why not? I don't want to depend on them and find out they don't work!

Thanks...

They definitely work. Because the side walls are stiffer than non-runflats some people don't like them because the car rides a little harder. That difference is becoming less and less noticeable as tire technology improves.

I will gladly give up the benefits of a non run flat tire for the security of a run flat tire should I get a flat in an undesirable area.

Yes they work. I had a spike in one of my tires the size of the my index finger and drove 67 miles like there was nothing wrong. I held the speed down to 55 MPH. My son had one in his. He's real busy and didn't have it fixed for over 250 miles before he took it in.
And the run flats are not like the older ones that were a rougher ride. My son got non run flats after he changed out and said he really couldn't tell the difference ride wise, or noise wise. I couldn't either.

Oh, they work just fine.

I've had more flats than I can even count at this point. From small nail punctures, which resulted in slow leaks, to big punctures, which resulted in fast leaks leading to zero air pressure, all the way to two sidewall blowouts, both of which I drove considerable distances (30+ miles and 50+ miles) at zero pressure. On one of those blowouts, the tire was even missing 2" of bead, and still drove over 30 miles. Obviously, at reduced speed, but it worked like a champ!

As you can see, even at zero pressure, they don't go "flat."

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It's a matter of safety and convenience vs perceived handling and ride comfort. For me, I travel a lot, often solo, never track it, so it's RFs for me. I can't even imagine getting a jack under the car with a truly flat tire, let alone on a soft shoulder in the rain and at night.

I run MSS non-runflats on my C7 and have had two flats on my commute over the past year on the Ortega Hwy which is not flat-friendly. Prior to that I got multiple flats on my daily drive Mini Cooper on the same stretch of road but have never been stranded. Both times in the C7 have been extreme in terms of tire trauma but I made it to work or home without losing pressure to where I couldn't drive.

I carry a Slime kit in each car but have only had to use the pump to keep air in the tires so far. To be honest, I will probably switch back to runflats on the next tire changeover. The C7 is my dd so I do want the security of runflats. Not looking forward to the cost though.

Razor in C7 MSS
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3/8" bolt in C7 MSS
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Adding a little insurance pressure with the above razor in the tire
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Small jack I carry for the C7
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