Smittybilt
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2005
- Messages
- 42
- Location
- Maryland
- Corvette
- 2005 C6 Coupe Z51 Daytona Sunset Orange Metallic
Got into my car this afternoon ready for my usual enjoyable drive home. I started the car up and immediately the obd computer told me that I had a right rear flat tire and that I was not to drive more than 55 mph and that the car's handling would be diminished. I didn't believe it so I got out and lo and behold the tire was indeed flat. I've never had run flat tires before so this was a novel experience for me.
I immediately called my usual tire guy and he said that he didn't deal with run flats much less 19inch wheels. He told me to call a Goodyear dealership which I did. The dealer nearest to me was about 25 miles away but said they could fix the tire. (By the way, I called NTB and the guy told me that once these run flats went flat they had to be replaced and couldn't be fixed. I immediately hung up on him).
I could see a 1/4 inch diameter screw protruding from the tire right smack in the middle. I was about to drive the 25 miles to the dealer when it occured to me I could probably put air in the tire at a nearby gas station and drive it with air to Goodyear. That I did. The whole drive to the gas station I kept thinking my tire was going to shred and that the wheels would get destroyed after every bump. Neither happened.
Got to Goodyear and they couldn't find a jack low enough to jack my car up. Finally I told them I would drive the car home, take the tire off the car and bring it to them ( I was beginning to think they've never done this before but the guy assured me that they had). Went home took the tire off and brought it back. The EMT expert did a great job plugging the tire from the inside, rebalancing the tires, and NOT scratching the wheel. So a good end to a potentially bad story.
Remounted the tire and my car told me I had 23 psi in the tire and that it was low. I pumped it up but it kept saying 23. Checked it with a pressure guage and it measured 45psi (holy *#". Brought out the manual and it said the tire guages have to driven to 15mph to register, but they were registering right then. I decided to drive the car, went for a short ride, and eventually all tires read 31 psi (i measured each tire and adjust them to about 30). So I am happy again, everything in my new C6 works but I keep thinking about how brittle those tire pressure sensors looked and what you have to do to replace them if one goes bad. Hope that never happens.
So in the end run flats seem to work, at least as long as you can find someone that can work on them. Smitty
I immediately called my usual tire guy and he said that he didn't deal with run flats much less 19inch wheels. He told me to call a Goodyear dealership which I did. The dealer nearest to me was about 25 miles away but said they could fix the tire. (By the way, I called NTB and the guy told me that once these run flats went flat they had to be replaced and couldn't be fixed. I immediately hung up on him).
I could see a 1/4 inch diameter screw protruding from the tire right smack in the middle. I was about to drive the 25 miles to the dealer when it occured to me I could probably put air in the tire at a nearby gas station and drive it with air to Goodyear. That I did. The whole drive to the gas station I kept thinking my tire was going to shred and that the wheels would get destroyed after every bump. Neither happened.
Got to Goodyear and they couldn't find a jack low enough to jack my car up. Finally I told them I would drive the car home, take the tire off the car and bring it to them ( I was beginning to think they've never done this before but the guy assured me that they had). Went home took the tire off and brought it back. The EMT expert did a great job plugging the tire from the inside, rebalancing the tires, and NOT scratching the wheel. So a good end to a potentially bad story.
Remounted the tire and my car told me I had 23 psi in the tire and that it was low. I pumped it up but it kept saying 23. Checked it with a pressure guage and it measured 45psi (holy *#". Brought out the manual and it said the tire guages have to driven to 15mph to register, but they were registering right then. I decided to drive the car, went for a short ride, and eventually all tires read 31 psi (i measured each tire and adjust them to about 30). So I am happy again, everything in my new C6 works but I keep thinking about how brittle those tire pressure sensors looked and what you have to do to replace them if one goes bad. Hope that never happens.
So in the end run flats seem to work, at least as long as you can find someone that can work on them. Smitty