I have to drive (literally) 200 metres to the tyre place…

[ShadesOfPemberley]

… can I do it with a flat tyre or do I need to beg/borrow/steal a neighbour’s tyre inflater?

Surely if I suddenly had a flat tyre while driving it might take me over 200 metres to be able to safely pull over?? So I reckon it’s fine…?? I’m parked outside my flat and it’s an absolutely maximum of 200 metres to the tyre place but I don’t want do any damage to the wheel so I’ll try to inflate it if I have to!

So how would it wreck the wheel?

If the tyre comes adrift you may end up running on the wheel rim.

It's not one of these high powered things at a service station.
If I get up and walk to my kitchen, I might break my leg.

I did this once and it was fine, but it wasn't completely flat. Many modern cars don't have spare wheels, once we used the thing of foam then when we got to the tyre place the man said we could have had it repaired if we hadn't done that (it had a nail through it) but once you've used the foam they can't repair them. So I'd only use it now if the tyre was obviously beyond repair.

I used to be a dab hand at changing wheels years ago when they were narrow and light and not locked on by a hydraulic torque wrench, I don't rate my chances now. DH gets punctures quite regularly and manages but he's much stronger than me.

Those of you saying to take the wheel off, have you ever tried loosening wheel nuts that have been tightened with a pneumatic thingy?

Yes - with an extension bar which you can then stand on. Never found a wheel nut I couldn't free yet.

I remember my brother shearing the wheel nut off doing that.

I think you've misread the posts. Driving on the flat tyre is what ruins the wheel, not using a compressor.

Many cars don't come with a spare nowadays. Mine doesn't and it doesn't bother me as I know I lack the physical strength to change a wheel now. I know exactly how to do it, I just can't. I have an emergency "goo" thing, a compressor and RAC cover instead.

To confirm - I responded to this as the risk of driving on a flat.
I don't think there's too much risk of using a compressor either 😁.

You misunderstand what a torque wrench is, it’s to limit the amount that you tighten a fastener. It’s the bollocking up with an air/electric impact wrench which causes the issue with over tightening. If the wheel bolts are nipped up then torqued to the correct spec using a torque wrench then they should be fairly easy to undo.

A lot of cars not don't have a spare. I have a Zafira and it has a can of goo.

I totally get the situation, and you're right it can sometimes take a while to safely pull over if you get a flat while driving. As for inflating it, it’s always best to be cautious, especially if the tire is really low on air. Driving even a short distance on a flat tire could risk damaging the sidewall or the rim, which could be more costly to fix than just inflating it.

I did this as I’m a carer and I hit a kerb and my tyre went on my way home and I can’t be without my car. I drove in 1st gear with hazards on and pulled into the side to let others go if traffic had built behind me ( at the lights got example) .