Flat tire trouble
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Running on flat tires can be very dangerous. (Photo Credits)
Flat tires can catch any vehicle owner by surprise. He may be the most careful driver, and he may have been maintaining his car well, but small accidents can happen like a sharp nail or stone that can suddenly puncture a car tire.
Some new drivers may not notice a flat, but some may know but still choose to run a flat until they reach a service station. What is the safer thing to do? What are the dangers of running a flat tire?
LiveScience.com advises its readers to risk running a flat until he reaches a safer side of the road to stop, than to make a total stop and get in the way of other cars prompting an accident.
“Fortunately, it’s possible to ‘drive several hundred yards before you irreparably destroy the tire,’ according to Car Talk. It might therefore be smarter to drive slowly (not more than 20 mph, or 32 km/h) to a safe stopping point, rather than to stop on a busy highway.”
Read the rest of the material here.
Just in the shoulder
Autoguide.com however emphasizes that going to the curb is very much different than trying to reach a service center on a flat tire. Quoting one of the most prominent names in tire manufacturing, Goodyear, the website mentioned that there is too much risk on running on a flat tire.
“This is not the right response to a flat tire. As Goodyear states: ‘Maintaining proper air pressure is an important factor in tire safety and performance. If a driver experiences a flat tire or loss of air pressure, they should slow the vehicle gradually and carefully pull off to the side of the road as soon as possible. Driving on a flat tire can cause internal structural damage to the tire, may lead to wheel and vehicle damage and may result in poor vehicle handling and control — which could lead to an accident, injury or death.’”
The rest of the article can be found here.
Related Mobile Windshield Repair and Replacement Services:
Even run-flat tires have limits on how far it can be driven running flat. The website Tire Business came up with a feature on this.
“But when a run-flat tire is driven beyond its recommended zero-pressure mileage limit, the stiffened sidewall—which makes it possible to drive at all on the tire in that condition—begins to break down from heat and fatigue, Mr. Willard said. Then the tire may have to be removed from service. Before any of its ZP tires can be fixed, Michelin requires its dealers take a test to become ZP certified, and has instituted a repair-procedure checklist for them.”
The rest of the article can be found here.
Running on flat tires should indeed only be done until a car reaches a safer place to stop.