Service
Run-flat tyres, replaced where the car is.
A run-flat lets you keep driving for a short distance after a puncture, but it still has to be replaced. We come to the car and fit the new run-flat where it is parked, so you do not have to nurse a deflated tyre to a garage.
How to tell if you have run-flats
Look on the side of the tyre for one of the makers' run-flat markings:
- RSC, used on BMW and Mini
- RFT, on Bridgestone and Firestone
- ROF or EMT, on Goodyear and Dunlop
- SSR, on Continental
- ZP, on Michelin
- MOE, on Mercedes
How far you can drive on a punctured run-flat
Most makers allow around 50 miles at no more than 50 miles an hour once the tyre has lost pressure. The exact figure is in your handbook and depends on how heavily the car is loaded.
That allowance is for getting somewhere safe, not for carrying on with your week. The further and faster you drive on it, the less likely the tyre can be saved.
Repair or replace
A run-flat that has been driven on while deflated has usually been damaged inside, where it cannot be seen. For that reason most tyre makers advise against repairing one, and the usual answer is a new tyre.
Why like-for-like matters
Cars supplied on run-flats usually have no spare wheel and have suspension set up for the stiffer tyre. Mixing run-flat and ordinary tyres on the same car affects how it handles, so replace a run-flat with a run-flat unless you are changing all four.
Ready when you are
Two minutes on the phone gets you a price and an arrival time, before you agree to anything.
Call now, answered 24 hours a day07861 958044Read next