Puncture repair / Run flat tyres / Tyre sealent and spare tyres

Puncture Repair

A Tyre Puncture, or as most people call it a flat tyre, is cause if the integrity of the tyre has been compromised (i.e. you have a nail in it), the rim has started to corrode, the tyre valve has failed or maybe the pressures have not been checked regularly. If you drive on a flat/under inflated tyre you risk damaging the side walls of the tyre by the edge of the wheel rim rubbing against the tyre. This could easily cause permanent tyre damage meaning that the tyre will have to be replaced.

Run Flat Tyres

Run Flat Tyres are special kind of tyres which are specifically created to stay functional for a limited period of time without any air pressure in the tyre. In other words, after a puncture, run flat tyres will allow a vehicle to reach the nearby garage or get you home.

Thanks to reinforced sidewall, run flat tyres are able to continue the journey with no air pressure. With ordinary tyres, the weight of the vehicle compresses the tyre so that it is flat, if you drive on the tyre in the condition you will damage the tyre and it will have to be replaced. Run Flat Tyre's strong reinforced sidewalls support the car by keeping its shape on a temporary basis, and give motorists time to extend their drive for around 50 miles (but best to get the tyre replaced as soon as possible).

The reason that manufactures like run flat tyres is because they do not have to supply either a spare tyre or an inflation kit with the car, this allows them to use the space saved to improve the boot space in the cars and reduce the weight by not supplying the inflation kit or spare tyre.

One of the problems with run flats is that you do not know how long the tyre has been run without air (thus putting all the force through the side wall) so you do not know the condition of the inside of the tyre, for this reason we DO NOT repair run flat tyres. They can also lead to a very firm ride which is not to every bodies taste.

Tyre Sealant

One of the alternatives to run flat tyres is some sort of Tyre Sealant, this normally comes in a bottle that you pour into the tyre once you have had a puncture and then re inflate the tyre hoping that the sealant plugs the puncture. The sealant normally only works on very small punctures and will not work on damage to the side wall. You can also pre fill your tyres with sealant, they say that this will help your tyres run cooler and plug a puncture as it happens, the main problem with these is that they could mask a problem that has occurred when you get the puncture leading to a greater and possible more dangerous problem latter on.

• Pre-Puncture Sealants: Aim to avert air loss when the tyre is punctured

• Post-Puncture Sealants: If the puncture is spotted before tyre damage this may work (as a get you home).

No matter what type of sealant you use, it cannot be recognized as a repair which is permanent, they are a temporary fix until you can get the tyre fixed or replaced.

Spare Tyre

The gold standard of getting around a puncture, some manufactures are now recognising that they can differentiate themselves in the market by offering a spare tyre, this might only be a space saver tyre (thinner tyre than standard) but as long as they have air in them you can use them to get home. They are restricted normally to 50 MPH but at least they work, or you could be lucky and have a full sized spare.

If you have a flat tyre call Hometyre on 0800 783 93 10 or 0333 444 5454 and we will bring the tyre bay to you