Flat tyre help please

[Purplepixiedust]

My car got a flat tyre last night on the way home. I hadn't realised what it was but the car had been making a funny noise (seemed a bit exhausty) for about 3 miles! The tyre (rear drivers side) was really hot and stank of burning rubber when I stopped about half way between work and home (about 5 miles away)

I have no spare wheel just one of those inflation kits and tbh wouldn't know where to start but was also concerned about the burning...

Rang my husband to get our son from school and then get me but we then rushed back as we had parents eve. I left the car overnight.

Husband had indicated he would sort it today but this morning he is being less than helpful. He might do it later... We are sort of separated but living together so things are tense.

So my question is how do I sort this myself.

I was going to ring the AA, meet them at the car and get them to recover me to a tyre place. However husband says they won't cone out to a flat tyre unless you have a spare... Is this true?

My second option is to phone a mobile tyre fitter. I have the numbers/size from the tyre :-) But can I change just one tyre or do I need to do both back ones? If I can just get one can I get a different make? They are Michelin ones one it so probably cost a lot. Do they give you a time? Am I likely to get someone out today?

Feeling a bit lost with it all though probably because husband has upset me. He is all nice and helpful one minute and then seems to like to pull the rug out from under me the next. I know he doesn't have to help but then he shouldn't offer.

Thanks for any help on the tyre. Will do a bit if internet searching and try to calm down.

Your DH is right there's no point calling the AA, better to call a mobile tyre fitter. They'll be a bit more expensive than if you could physically get the car to a tyre fitter garage but not hugely more.

You don't have to change tyres in pairs - it's fine to just replace the one that is gone - but if the one on the other side is towards the end of its life and will need to be done soon anyway then you might as well have both done - having tyres of different ages can have a slight effect on car handling but not really enough to notice.

You should be able to get someone out today. Ask for an approximate time. That shouldn't be an issue.

Michelin tyres aren't necessarily expensive, but it does depend on the model. My tyres are Bridgestone, and it costs £130 for a replacement. The "cheaper" non-branded version is only £80, so the saving isn't huge, but the speed rating etc is a lot lower. You'll probably find the same.

Get the mobile fitter to review both back tyres. If the other side is towards the end of its life, you'll probably need them both done, but it is possible to just change one. They recommend changing both because a new tyre has a different width to a used one, so it can pull the tracking out, which causes the tyres to wear faster and affects handling.

Poor you You were lucky
I would ring the tyre company and replace one now and then later replace the second and buy a full size spare ( check scrap yards for a wheel and a jack etc they are easy to get from crashed cars) and keep it in the boot. It is a PITA but at least you have a tyre to put on and are not reliant in trying to get lifts or a new tyre at a weekend or at night . Those cans are useless if you get a blow out or a rip, also the use of the can means the tyre must be scrapped even if it is possible to repair the tyre.

Thanks for your help. I will just get 1 for now then as I think the others are pretty good.

Been struggling to get a mobile fitter locally and national ones seem to do half day timeslots which is far from ideal as the car is neither at home or work.

In the meantime grumpy is feeling less so and has come home and now gone off to take the wheel off. I just have to source a new tyre while he is gone.

worth seeing if it is just punctured and can be repaired rather than replacing it too. Depends on the damage and where it is.

Your DH is right there's no point calling the AA, better to call a mobile tyre fitter.

Not true, they will come out for a flat tyre, I've had the RAC come out and repair a tyre for me. If they can't recover a vehicle to a tyre fitter, they could take the wheel to get a new tyre put on.

You don't have to change tyres in pairs - it's fine to just replace the one that is gone - but if the one on the other side is towards the end of its life and will need to be done soon anyway then you might as well have both done - having tyres of different ages can have a slight effect on car handling but not really enough to notice.

Highly questionable - significantly different tyres should not be mixed on the same axle (and if the difference is radial or crossply construction then it is illegal to mix, highly unlikley with modern vehicles though). It's not the age of the tyre so much as the types and constructions - different manufacturers may have different stiffness of sidewalls, different tread patterns which may be asymmetric or directional, different rubber compounds with different grip characteristics.

worth seeing if it is just punctured and can be repaired rather than replacing it too. Depends on the damage and where it is.

Driving on a flat tyre for 3 miles will have most likely mullered it, indicated by the smell of hot rubber.