Driving on a flat tire

[95limited]

Today, my wife drove my Explorer about 6 blocks on a flat tire. She had just left the house when she called and said that she noticed something wrong but thought it was the dirt road we live on. That was the first two blocks. She said she really knew something was wrong when she got to the pavement, but it still took her 4 blocks to decide to pull over. When I got there, the tire was totally flat and the side wall was twisted under where it contacted the road. I was able to use a 12v pump so the bead had not broken between the tire and rim.

I put 35psi in the tire and drove home. I noticed a popping sound under the car when I pulled in my driveway. My Explorer was in 4 wheel drive high. The tire that went flat was the right rear. Can I trust this tire??? Should I be concerned about other damage to other components from driving with a flat tire? Her max speed was maybe 30mph or less.

thanks for any help,
al

 

[Heavymentill]

I would take the tire off and inspect it, as it can look okay from the outside but the inside sidewall will be all tore up from driving on it while it was flat.

 

['97 V8]

the popping is normal when in fourwheel drive and on a traction surface, dont worry about it.

Check the bead of the tire and have it fixed, you should be fine.

 

[IAmTodd]

Fill the tire up with air, cover it in soap and see where its leaking. Mark it, take it to a tire shop and see if it can be patched.

Don't drive with 4 high on on dry pavement.

 

[mwking]

I agree with Heavymentill on this one. Have the tire taken off the rim and inspected inside and out. I have seen a tire that looked ok on the outside but when it was taken off the rim there was handfulls of shredded rubber inside.

 

[Ranger379]

what about the rim? wouldnt driving it that far on a flat ruin or atleast bend the rim?

 

[dynamite196]

probably not since it was low speed and the tire was between the rim and the road

 

[Ranger379]

o ok just a thought, didnt think about that.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I think you should have the tire examined by a garage. How did it hold air after going completely flat without putting a plug in it? Maybe the air fill valve is leaking if there was no sign of nail holes in the tire. The rim might need to be balanced.

 

[daffy]

I would take it in, and some shops, after taking the tire off will spin the wheel sans tire to see if it's out of whack. Happened to the wife's Focus, damned 50 series tires don't absorb any bumps, just bend the damned rims

 

[95limited]

Thanks for all the info. I checked the tire after 20 hours and it lost 14 psi. It had not been driven for two days before this. I assume I picked up a nail or something last time I drove. I've been needing to have the tires rotated and I can have the tire checked, the flat fixed, and balanced all at the same time. I've driven it a short distance at 55 mph and didn't notice any strange sounds or vibrations. I have to drive about 40 miles to get to the tire store. I will have my wife follow me just in case there is a problem.

 

[gluvsave35]

40 miles to get to a tire store???...damn thats a hike!

 

[BrooklynBay]

I always travel with a tire repair kit to put a plug in the tire. It came in handy a few times. You should get one if you live so far away from a repair shop.

 

[reserved50]

um thats dangerous, only way to tell if the internal structure isnt compromised is by removing the tire and checking for internal cracks and shredded rubber at the very least, the tire shop should check for leaks before they remove the tire. If everything looks good they should run the rim on the balancer to see if its bent, even a small pot hole can bend a rim if the tires flat, if everythings good they will mount it up and balance it and the tire should not wobble if the belts are ok. I would drive very slow if you want to chance 40 miles(spin the tire on the axle to see if it still spins true), but I would use a spare