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I carry a motorcycle plug kit around and a hand pump...it worked on the bike so it should work on the car. If you have never seen what I am talking about check it out.
Define "eventually". I say it is much longer than most people think. What does it take for a sidewall to collapse?
Certainly longer than the OP's scenario.
There are a lot of people who assume a lot of things, but have never run into a situation where their RFs have saved their bacon, not once, not twice, but several times.
People can do whatever they want to to feel vindicated or safe ( and I don't have a problem with their choice), but most have not the experience to say for sure.
So it's is true a picture is worth a thousand words.
Yours was a well written, well documented after-action report. Kudos on that. I learned a lot from your post and the entire thread. Sorry for your mishap.
I'm not sure any portable air inflator would have survived that much action. I know mine would not have. Bought a "HDX" brand and it's rated 250 PSI Max. Don't count on it. Mine just failed from normal use just trying to get 5 PSI into the tires. If someone can recommend a reliable brand to me I'm all ears.
How big does the screw need to be in order for the dealership not to patch it
Originally Posted by obxchartercaptain
When you buy the car the Finance Mgr will offer all kinds of after market insurance. One of them is "Tire & Wheel". I thought for $600 I could go without it since in the over 50 yrs of car ownership I've had just ONE flat. BUT, I did buy it. After one year I came out of work started my Vette and found I had 0 pressure in my front passenger tire....got out and looked at it...of course it looked inflated. Drove 8 miles to my house.....jacked up the car and found a Screw in my tire. Took the tire off...went to the dealership with it the next day....2 days later (they had to order the tire) I got a NEW tire on the rim. NOW, I'm looking for another screw for the other front tire.....
How Big Does The Screw Need To Be In Order To Get A New Tire?
See folks talking bout carrying a plug kit but still wonder how anyone could plug one of the rear tires while stuck on the side of the road without a jack.
See folks talking bout carrying a plug kit but still wonder how anyone could plug one of the rear tires while stuck on the side of the road without a jack.
You may not be able to plug a tire while it's on the car, but that's what the "Slime" is for. My winter tires are not runflats, so I carry plugs, compressor, tire valve core removal tool, and Slime. In order to get out of harm's way quickly without a jack, remove the valve core, insert Slime, re-install valve core, inflate, and be on your way.
Slime is the last resort, if you can't plug it while on the car. But, most of the time, my flats have been in my driveway or garage.
I purchased this kit in the link below. It has everything you need, and is in a nice case with velcro that stays put without sliding around the trunk.
I always carried a slime kit with plugs and good compressor with me just in case. OP did what he thought was right under the circumstances so he shouldn't be faulted. A big mistake a lot of people make is that they see a bolt/nail or whatever stuck in their tire and they remove it. Just leave it in there and slime the darn thing up. Your tire is dead anyway. Maybe you can get it plugged enough to lose air slowly.
Forget about finding a tire right away especially a wider Corvette tire.
I find this whole thread baffling. Why not just drive on the "flat" tire? That's the whole point of a Run Flat. Thicker, stiffer sidewalls to keep the wheel elevated from the ground to prevent wheel damage, even with zero pressure. Sure the tire may be unrepairable when you finally get back home, but that's the whole point of a Run Flat, to get you back home.
The problem is, for as long as "runflats" have been around, very few drivers know what they are, how they work or IF they work. To me, that's both a dealer and driver education issue.
For that reason, I'm posting the C7 Bob's post below:
Originally Posted by C7 BOB
Apparently, you don't understand how a run-flat tire works. When the tire loses all the pressure, it does not collapse like a normal tire. When the run-flat was first introduced they had a Corvette sitting there with a 4" hole in the top sidewall. Yet, the bottom of the tire looked normal - it was not collapsed. If the tire can't be repaired, then drive home! You're getting a new tire anyway. What will ruin the tire is high speed and heat. You need to stop every 50 miles or so to let it cool a bit. The wheel will not be damaged.
I saw a test[I thought GM ] of a corvette on run-flats and they took the valves out of all 4 tires and drove the car for 400-500 miles on flat tires,,just to prove it could be done,this was 8-10+ years ago
You guys that carry the plug kits are very smart. I've ridden motorcycles my whole life and I've had holes so big I've twisted several plugs together to slow the leak down before I used the compressor. When you have no spare you get creative.
See folks talking bout carrying a plug kit but still wonder how anyone could plug one of the rear tires while stuck on the side of the road without a jack.
You don't need to haul around a huge heavy floor jack. This is what I carry in my Corvette. It's aluminum, weighs just 3 pounds and lifts from 2.75" to around 14". It's a Mercedes jack that has been used in hundreds of thousands of their cars/SUV's since the late 90's. I purchased mine direct from a Mercedes employee, direct from Germany around 2000 for $50 including shipping. They show up on eBay ever so often.
If you are afraid that the nylon head might slip where it's contacting the frame, then drill a 3/8" diameter hole in the nylon pad and insert a 3/8" diameter dowel(or roll pin) extending about 3/16" to 1/4" so that the dowel pin will fit into the slot in the frame rail. With the Mercedes jack, there is no need to use a jacking puck between the head of the jack and the car's frame rail.
I also carry(in a 18" long duffel bag secured in the back by a couple of elastic cords) a Gorilla lug wrench, a 1/2" torque wrench, a 19mm deep socket, short extension, a 4X6 plastic tarp, a metric socket set, some misc screwdrivers, hand soap, old towel, etc.
I've been driving a Corvette without a spare tire since 1997 and have not had a cause to use the jack yet...but I'm ready just in case.
Just remember, that if you have non run flats, you have less room to slide a jack under the rocker panel, as the tire's sidewall will collapse unlike the run flat's sidewall that will be self supporting.
"...Just remember, that if you have non run flats, you have less room to slide a jack under the rocker panel, as the tire's sidewall will collapse unlike the run flat's sidewall that will be self supporting."
"...Just remember, that if you have non run flats, you have less room to slide a jack under the rocker panel, as the tire's sidewall will collapse unlike the run flat's sidewall that will be self supporting."
Good point.
99% of the post made by those with non run flat tires just say they will just call AAA on their cell.
Just remember that when you have a flat on the front with non run flats, and the tire's sidewall collapses, the front splitter will be very close to the pavement, making it very hard to drag onto a rollback with out being damaged. On a narrow two lane road, just trying to get it off the pavement, out of traffic, can be hard on the splitter, if there is no shoulder.
Just FYI, in case anyone is looking for a portable, emergency jack to carry if you're running around on non-runflats. I carry an BMW E46 portable jack, rated at 2000 lbs. I've had it for years and used it on 5-6 different cars. I have used it on my C7 to ensure it's suitability, and it works well.
I would recommend using it w/ the plastic jacking pucks so the lifting head has something to bite into. I'd worry about it sliding off the aluminum pucks.
