How To Repair Runflat Tires

Fast facts: When a tire is beyond repair

The tread depth is lower than the 1.6 mm legal limit.
The condom is cracked, worn, or deteriorated.
If the size of the puncture is more than or equal to vi mm in diameter.
If the punture is located outside the tread surface area and in the sidewall.
The structural integrity of the tire has been compromised or there is run flat damage.
Due to safety reasons Continental would never recommend to repair a tire but exchange it.

Okay, so yous've got yourself a puncture in one or more of your tires. It can happen. Tire repair is an option to explore rather than buying a brand-new tire, but drivers should know the total extent of what is legally permissible to have fixed.

The police force in almost countries has a strict definition as to the classification of repair materials, and the number of repairs permitted on a single tire. Regulations like these are necessary to ensure safety for all road users.

In summary, tire repair work is not permissible when:

The tread depth is lower than the one.6 mm legal limit;
The structural integrity of the tire has been compromised or there is run flat damage;
The prophylactic is cracked, worn, or deteriorated;
At that place's damage caused past an external object;
The cords are exposed;
At that place'due south whatever sign of faulty repairs made in the past.

The precise location of the puncture is also a deciding cistron. The rules stipulate that tire repairs must stay inside the central three-quarters of the tread, known as the "minor repair area."

Moreover, if the size of the puncture is more than or equal to half dozen mm in diameter, a repair isn't permitted at all. Drivers have no other alternative than to invest in a brand-new tire.

Are punctures in the sidewall repairable?

In a word, no. More specifically, a puncture that falls outside the minor repair area is not eligible for fixing because of its proximity to the sidewall.

The sidewall is off limits for a straightforward reason. When the tire is in daily operation, this section undergoes a pregnant amount of stress. Whatever attempts at making repairs in this area will potentially weaken the structural integrity of the tire.

Some other factor is that the sidewall experiences the nigh flex in the tire. Information technology's unlikely that a repair patch applied here will stay in place for very long, and the tire will neglect once again.

One more than matter apropos the sidewall is that you should avoid driving whatsoever further on a flat tire if yous hope to save it. Inflation pressure maintains the shape of the tire while driving; when that pressure is lost, the tire sidewall is going to be pinched betwixt the wheel rim and the road, and so standing to drive will extend the damage beyond the minor repair area.

In other words, do not drive on a deflated tire while the puncture is within the minor repair area (and is therefore repairable). The tire sidewall could sustain additional damage that renders it beyond repair. The better course of action is to have the vehicle towed or swap the punctured tire out for the spare tire until yous reach the nearest garage.