Repair runflats

[holycow]

Hi everyone new to the forum.just bought my wife a 2009 125i.we both love it. We took out tyre and rim cover but can the run flats be repaired if there is a screw in the middle of the tread? I spoke to bob Jane tmart and they say for $35 it can be done.I thought it couldn't be.

[Blacky]

As I understand it, providing the sidewall is not damaged they can be repaired like every other tyre.

If the sideway is damaged it is a write off.

[Yogijet]

Originally Posted by holycow

Hi everyone new to the forum.just bought my wife a 2009 125i.we both love it. We took out tyre and rim cover but can the run flats be repaired if there is a screw in the middle of the tread? I spoke to bob Jane tmart and they say for $35 it can be done.I thought it couldn't be.

They've been the bane of my ownership of the car because I live in the boonies, roadwise and mine have picked up serious nail and I've had them plugged. Since I've bought the car (March 10), I've already bought and gone through two complete sets of Bridgestones OE and the Michelins I currently have on the car. I've done quite a bit of research on the issue of repairing the run flats which leans on the side of not repairing them since you really have to determine whether or not there is any structural damage to the internal 'frame' of the tyre and that's not the easiest thing to do. That said, I've plugged nail holes but basically once the TPMS comes on, have just not driven the car until repaired or replaced, so that there is no undue pressure on the tire internals. In those circumstances, I've plugged and re-used the damage tyre bearing in mind that in my case, there are no highways or other roads to be running constant 70s, 80s etc generating the kind of heat and load that would generally result in tyre failure. I am sure there are many more here who could provide expert advice but I've related my experience.

[holycow]

Thanks for the info.it's our city car so we won't be doing high speeds.tomorrow I'm going to get it patched up and keep the new tyre as a spare at home.it's a shame to waste all that unused tread.

[MikeVictor]

Ah, this old chestnut. Welcome to the forums, holycow.

:

[Yogijet]

Originally Posted by Blacky

As I understand it, providing the sidewall is not damaged they can be repaired like every other tyre.

If the sideway is damaged it is a write off.

True, yes. I did forget to mention that.

[andrew@southernBM]

The tyre shop that does it though, would be liable as the side wall says they are not to be repaired. In this legal eagle world we live in, i don't think anyone will take the risk anymore.

[MrBlonde]

You can repair them. I've repaired run flats more than once.

[nvanorten]

Holycow, where did you buy the car?

[AussieAlf]

Originally Posted by andrew@southernBM

The tyre shop that does it though, would be liable as the side wall says they are not to be repaired. In this legal eagle world we live in, i don't think anyone will take the risk anymore.

Actually, Holycow didn't mention the brand / model of runflat. Only some of them have this warning on the side. Mine - Goodyear NCTs with a billion warnings (might be an exaggeration) do not have this one, so my local Bridgestone outlet had no problem repairing a nail puncture in the middle of the tread.

Beware, though, that the rfts are harder to get on and off and that some tyre change equipment and / or monkeys are not up to the task.

Cheers,
Alf

[GSK130i]

I have been going through the same thing. Got a crew in my tyre a couple of weeks ago and i have the NCT's I had a tyre place say they would repair them, that is if there was any tread left on them So i filled the tyre with some of the Slime stuff in the interim and pulled the crew out while i decide whether to get a pair of new runflats or replace all 4 with normal tyres. Just having prblms find 205/45/18 for the fronts though. Any recommendations for the size i have the 208 M Double spoke rims.

[oldman]

I have repaired my own rear RFT with a plug from a kit I bought from Repco. I have used it on all sorts of tires from a ride-on lawn mower to various other cars.

The RFT had a 3 inch nail all the way in below the tread line, so I pulled it out, and plugged it. I have had no issues to date.

My car is not tracked, so 120-130kph is pretty well its limit, so I am fully confident on that the tire is 100%.

In reality, I fail to see how a plugging a nail hole in the center of a RFT tire on a normal road car is going to affect its integrity.

Given that I carry the kit in the boot with a compressor, I would rather plug such a nail whole and re-inflate the tire on the side of the road than continue to drive and rely on the RFT holding up over some distance because I’m sure it would be destroyed by the time I got to my destination.

Now a nail through the side wall. That’s something I would not even contemplate fixing.