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Original poster

Driving on Flat Tyre

62 replies

nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:17

Please don't shout at me.

The tyre pressure warning light has come on and my passenger side rear tyre looks very slightly softer than the others, as in, I've checked a few times and it's not obvious. The garage I have an appointment with tomorrow is, according to Google maps, 2.2 miles away.

I'm crazy to drive there, aren't I?

OP posts:
Sheldoncoopersspot · 31/01/2023 15:19

Cant you go to a petrol station that has an air line and put some air in?

HellcatSpangledShalalala · 31/01/2023 15:19

Do you not have a petrol station any closer?

BillyMack · 31/01/2023 15:19

Do you have a spare/space saver in the boot ?

Interested in this thread?

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Driving & parking General health
Particularprick · 31/01/2023 15:21

Go and put some air in it? Do you go to the garage for a tyre pressure warning? Do you mean it has a puncture?

EveryoneLovesSausageAndChips · 31/01/2023 15:21

You can damage the rubber or the rim. It might not look like it’s doing damage but it can shred inside.
www.halfords.com/tyres/advice/is-it-safe-to-drive-with-a-flat-or-punctured-tyre.html

Original poster
nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:21

The garage is nearer than any petrol station, and realistically I wouldn't know how to inflate it.

There is a spare in the back, but we don't have a jack.

OP posts:
ArcticSkewer · 31/01/2023 15:22

Why are you going to the garage? Is something else wrong with the car as well? Does it have a visible nail? Have you actually tried just inflating the tyres yet?

DinDjarin · 31/01/2023 15:22

Not necessarily. You'll need to see how it is tomorrow. If it's completely flat you have your answer.

in case it's not flat, ask around your neighbours and see if anyone has a pump you can use tomorrow morning (people with a scooter might well have one) and pump it to the right pressure before you leave and it should get you there.

Original poster
nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:23

Particularprick · 31/01/2023 15:21

Go and put some air in it? Do you go to the garage for a tyre pressure warning? Do you mean it has a puncture?

My tyre pressure warning is a bit of an odd duck. I had a low leak going on for months which took three garages to find. It's also incredibly sensitive. In the past there have been problems with misaligned tyres causing steering problems. I go to a garage just in case

OP posts:
PuttingDownRoots · 31/01/2023 15:25

Check for any visible damage and listen for a hissing noise. Both times we had punctures the damage has been obvious.

(Does your car give the exact pressures or is it just a warning its low?)

Babdoc · 31/01/2023 15:26

You can buy a cheap portable air compressor pump, that plugs into your car’s cigar lighter and will pump up the tyres to whatever pressure you preset.
You can use it every couple of weeks to just measure the tyre pressures and top them up if needed. Properly inflated tyres reduce your petrol consumption, as a bonus.

Original poster
nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:26

I shouldn't have posted. I'm sorry.

There is no-one I can ask. I don't know how to inflate tyres. I've tried watching YouTube videos but couldn't physically reach the right parts of the tyres. I am not very good at things like bending.

The garage is nearer than a petrol station. In the past there have been issues with wheels being misaligned, weird slow punctures etc and so now I feel better going to a garage.

OP posts:
HellcatSpangledShalalala · 31/01/2023 15:27

If you need to go to the garage then I think a couple of miles is fine, I drove home from the next town (5 miles) with a flat tyre and it was fine, just go a bit slower and be prepared for the steering to pull.

Daftasabroom · 31/01/2023 15:28

@nomdegrrr1 There is a spare in the back, but we don't have a jack

The jack will be under the spare wheel. @DinDjarin is right, someone is bound to have tyre pump nearby.

But do not drive on a flat tyre, and drive about the speed recommended by a space saver if you have one. And a gentle reminder to read the manual.

Original poster
nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:28

PuttingDownRoots · 31/01/2023 15:25

Check for any visible damage and listen for a hissing noise. Both times we had punctures the damage has been obvious.

(Does your car give the exact pressures or is it just a warning its low?)

I had a slow puncture once that took three garages to find. There isn't any obvious damage, but it just looks a little softer. It's not a large difference which is why I even considered it.

I just get 'tyre pressure off please reset' warning. It doesn't even say which tyre.

OP posts:
Daftasabroom · 31/01/2023 15:28

Above not about

Original poster
nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:28

Daftasabroom · 31/01/2023 15:28

@nomdegrrr1 There is a spare in the back, but we don't have a jack

The jack will be under the spare wheel. @DinDjarin is right, someone is bound to have tyre pump nearby.

But do not drive on a flat tyre, and drive about the speed recommended by a space saver if you have one. And a gentle reminder to read the manual.

It isn't safe to ask my neighbours.

OP posts:
ArcticSkewer · 31/01/2023 15:29

Short answer then, from what you've described, I personally would drive to the garage if it still didn't look visibly flat.

Simply buy a tyre inflator and keep it in the car. If you can fill a car with petrol you can also inflate tyres. You should actually be checking them weekly for safety.

Original poster
nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:29

Babdoc · 31/01/2023 15:26

You can buy a cheap portable air compressor pump, that plugs into your car’s cigar lighter and will pump up the tyres to whatever pressure you preset.
You can use it every couple of weeks to just measure the tyre pressures and top them up if needed. Properly inflated tyres reduce your petrol consumption, as a bonus.

I've never been able to find a way of telling what the pressure should be for tyres/car

OP posts:
ArcticSkewer · 31/01/2023 15:30

It's a bizarre topic for a wind-up thread, I have to admit!

ZombiePara · 31/01/2023 15:33

If it is only the light that has come on, and the tyre is as you described "slightly softer looking", it will be fine to drive to the garage. Just take it carefully, avoid potholes and no crazy speeds/racetrack driving!

The garage can advise you what your tyre pressures should be when you go - make a note and keep it somewhere safe like in the glove box. Front and rear tyres may well have different values - this is normal.

I wouldn't stress too much about it, it isn't as though you're driving 20 miles to go somewhere!
Of course, if it looks like a toilet seat lid tomorrow (completely flat on the bottom and tyre like around the rest), dont drive it

L1ttledrummergirl · 31/01/2023 15:34

What car do you have? Dds mini has special tyres you can drive on when flat so that you can get to a garage.

The pressures are usually on the inside of the car. If you open the drivers door and look at where it closes you should see a metal plate with information on it. That's where the tyre pressures are.

PragmaticWench · 31/01/2023 15:35

nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:29

I've never been able to find a way of telling what the pressure should be for tyres/car

Show quote history

You can look it up online or ask at the garage when you get your tyres fitted/checked.

You need to learn how to inflate a tyre, it isn't physically difficult and is part of owning a vehicle like putting in fuel. If you are physically disabled you need to get someone else to do it.

Reugny · 31/01/2023 15:35

nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:28

It isn't safe to ask my neighbours.

Show quote history

I'm someones neighbour and in my boot I have a pump you put into your cigarette lighter to inflate car, small van, scooter or motorbike tyres.

I know some of my other neighbours have them as well but it wouldn't bother me to lend mine to them if theirs were broken. Simply as I rather do that then them have an accident.

Original poster
nomdegrrr1 · 31/01/2023 15:36

ArcticSkewer · 31/01/2023 15:30

It's a bizarre topic for a wind-up thread, I have to admit!

Thanks, I wish it was a wind up. I have no-one I can ask about car stuff, so I thought I should ask here.

I'm probably best getting a mobile tyre person out. It's not a big sag, but I'm not sure about it. It's only two miles, but the traffic on there is a bit loopy.

OP posts: