My situation is this... I have 2 flats (same side) and 1 spare (which is also flat). The discount tire I need to get to is 3.9 miles. Towing (since I'll need a flatbed) is seeming to be in the $75-100 range. What are the chances I sour my rim if I drive on my flat that long? And really the cost of a new rim is about $50 (because the other wheel has the spare on it, which I will have to replace anyay), which is sitll less than towing, would that make the most logical sense? Are there any tips or things I should keep in mind when driving on a flat?
Can you just take the tires & wheels and not the car? Or air up the spare? I carry two cans of non-explosive tire inflator stuff for emergencies. Besides destroying the wheels, pieces of tire will fly off and hurt people.
Not a good idea for many reasons. Rim damage, Brake line damage, tie rod or strut damage from a tire that pulls off the rim. Two flats from what damage? The rims may already be bad unless it was because someone cut the tires when it was parked. Even at low speed it will probably damage the rims because the tire will tend to slip to one side or the other instead of staying under the bead areas.
I would get a buddy to run me down to the shop with one set of rims. Then bring them home and install them and then drive down and get the other two replaced. Take one of the tires that is still up to use as a spare unless they are mismatched (like you have 4 aluminum rims and the spare is steel.
This is not an emergency in the way you present the situation. You are sitting at home posting. Why not think a bit before acting?
Have a friend drive you to the store with the tires. You could take a cab to the store and back with the tires-still much cheaper than towing. You might borrow a pump from somebody. Order a pizza and give the kid a tip to drop you off. You might walk/bike/bus/jog to the store and buy some fix-a-flat to temporarily inflate the tires.
If you don't have any friends and you are isolated, you should be more prepared for survival in the future. Have a pump and tire repair supplies.
The flaps of rubber that start peeling off can also easily take out your brake lines or wrap around a shock and stop the tire from rotating or beat the crap out of your fenders.
Mike
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Why not tell him to take the entire wheel. The rim is only the outer part of the wheel welded (sometimes bolted) assembly. A tire mounts on the RIM, and the wheel assembly bolts to the axle/spindle. I kinda doubt he can take only the rims with him. :-)
I wouldn't drive more than a block or two on a flat. It's just asking for trouble, as others have already pointed out.
At this point I'd invest in some jackstands, put the car up in the air, and run the wheels and tires to the shop in another vehicle. It's really the only way to do it. If you can't borrow a car renting a pickup or van is probably cheaper than the tow bill. Don't forget to take the car back in for an alignment check after you're done.
Since your spare is flat, I'd recommend if it is a full sized spare whose wheel matches your other ones, to take that in and have a new tire mounted on it, and keep the better of your non-flat tires as a spare, as it's likely newer than your current spare and also is known to hold air.
Even if you have a "donut" spare, if you live in an area where flats are common (I used to live in Dearborn, MI - never had so many flats in my life anywhere else, the roads there are awful) it may be worth it to get a matching full sized wheel from a junkyard and have one of your new tires mounted on that, and then you can keep an old wheel/tire in your garage/closet/whatever for situations just like this. I did this for my GF's Sentra when we lived in Dearborn and IIRC it cost me about $25 or so, although the junkyard was a good 20 miles away. Fortunately all of our other cars were Volkswagens which used the same bolt pattern so one tire covered all of them. In fact, ISTR using the spare from my VW on her Sentra for a couple blocks when she hit a pothole while she'd already had a flat, although that's not a particularly good practice (lug seat style mismatch)
Maybe, maybe not. If the tire shreds, you could end up damaging the body too. If the damage is caused by a screw/nail or similar, get a tire plug kit at your local discount store and fix it yourself.
Flat tires are very easy to fix. Go to automotive store or gas station and get flat fixing kit, and not that can stuff. You just find the hole, rought it up a bit with this ribbed pole, then jab in a piece of rubber covered with rubber cement. Then snip off the excess. I keep one of these kits in my car at all times.
I wouldnt drive on flat tires. Can you make it to gas station and fill them?
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