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View Full Version : How often have you had a flat tyre ?



KiwiTT
10-11-2004, 09:47 AM
I heard the average time for flat tyres is once every ten years. If this is true it explains why we have these stupid space-saver ones now.

BraindG
10-11-2004, 09:52 AM
i know ive jinxed myself now - but in the 12 years i have been driving, i have never had a flat tyre. I have however had nails pinned into the tyre, and a slow puncture, but never a flat tyre, or a blow-out

Big Ian
10-11-2004, 10:06 AM
talk about "temt'n-fait".......the last time i had a flat was the next day after buying my car,over 2 year's ago........

Darren
10-11-2004, 01:06 PM
2 in as many weeks :furious3:

enigma
10-11-2004, 01:25 PM
Never had a flat as such, had plenty of debris in my tyres though leading to costly repair/replacement.

The space saver is a waste of time - not sure I would want to run it on a 4WD with all that power and fancy electronics. They recommend changing all tyres at the same time to avoid problems but then only give you 1 space saver!!!! :D

wirdy
10-11-2004, 05:31 PM
Never had a flat on the road either ;)

Keeping an eye on your tyres, pressures etc probably avoids 50% of failures, the other 50% is just luck & not driving your car over unchartered debris- filled areas.

(at least two flat tyres per banger meeting though!! :D - normally due to bashed rims!).

Roadrunner
10-11-2004, 06:07 PM
Had a couple in the past five years - both big nails/screws right through the tread. First one was not repairable, but the tyre was pretty near replacement anyway, so I just replaced all four around two weeks earlier than I had planned. Last puncture annoyed me so much because it happened on a brand new tyre, that I removed the nail, stuffed the nozzle of a superglue tube into the hole and filled it with glue, then reinflated the tyre and my repair lasted the entire life of the tyre :rolleyes5 :)

I agree the spacesaver is a waste of space :rolleyes: - it's even worse with Brembos on :lipsrseal . If I get a front wheel puncture, I'd need to take a back wheel off and put that on the front, then put the spacesaver on the rear because it won't clear the front calipers. Same on Evos :rolleyes:

Spirit
10-11-2004, 06:53 PM
Voted for 10yrs but it was longer than that since my last one - thats the one and only in 17yrs of driving !

/touches a piece of wood :lipsrseal

The Vee
10-11-2004, 07:17 PM
Not often but my worst was a blow-out on the M4 near Swindon. Had just bought my first car - Ford Corsair V4 :$ (always liked a Vee) :-D and the front tyre blew at speed. Anyway got onto hard shoulder safely to fit spare. Looked in boot - no jack. Hung my thumb out and a Morris Marina pulled in to help !
Used his scissor jack and got my spare out. Then find it's a five stud and Corsairs were four stud!! Man in marina then drives me into Swindon with flat which tyre is then replaced. He then drives back to previous junction on M4 to return me to my car. Helps me fit it and away I go !! Oh the joys of being 17 and buying a used and old car. I have never forgotten the Guy with the Marina as he even helped with the cost of the tyre which I then sent him by return when I got home. Wonder if this would happen in 2004 (30 years later) I hope so...................................

Kenneth
10-11-2004, 07:33 PM
I probably average 1.5 a year.

My first was on a motorbike, braking from 190km/h (a very long straight as I was on a 250). Banked into a 25km/h corner pretty hard and almost didnt come out the other side.

I tend to find things like screws and nails in my tyres... had a screw stuck in my tyre once that kept making an audible tapping sound as the wheel went round. I should have got it fixed sooner, but I didnt and one day the tapping stopped.

Im getting pretty quick at changing rims!

Big Ian
10-11-2004, 07:33 PM
nowaday's youd get back and your car would have been impounded for being illeagly parked.......... :laugh: :laugh:

enigma
10-11-2004, 07:48 PM
Just remembered, I have had a proper flat........well sort of!

I used to own a 1.6 Capri and it was loaded with 4 of my mates. I lived down a dead end and had perfected the handbrake turn to reverse in to the car park in my previous car (A fiat 126!) so I thought I know I will try it in the capri! Ripped one of the rear tyres clean off the rim! Absolutely peed my pants! :D

The Vee
10-11-2004, 08:49 PM
nowaday's youd get back and your car would have been impounded for being illeagly parked.......... :laugh: :laugh:

Yeah, You may be right, or even nicked, 'course that's assuming anyone would even stop in the first place. Trouble is, it does work both ways now. If you stop you may even find it's a set up, or am I being too cynical?

Nick Mann
10-11-2004, 09:35 PM
Andy, I think you are being over-cautious there. We are talking about a motorway hard-shoulder!! Not the place of choice for a set-up, I would have thought.

My last puncture was a couple of months ago. The tyres were still at 38 psi after trax, so maybe a little hard when my back wheel caught a large stone on a country lane. Slow speed, though, so no sudden slew as the sidewall committed suicide.

When I bought a rover SD1, it came with four re-treads. Each one blew out over the next few months, the worst being a rear at 50mph on a tightish corner. Not sure how I managed to keep that on the road! I have never entertained the idea of excessively cheap tyres since then.

I have had fourish slow punctures which I have had fixed and I have written off 7 tyres due to punctures. I am abviously picking up everyone elses bad luck!! :p

KiwiTT
10-11-2004, 09:52 PM
It sounds as if lot of punctures occur soon after purchasing a car. They must put on crappy tyres when they sell cars.

NOTE to self: Next Car ... New Tyres. I waited over a year. I think I was lucky.

The Vee
10-11-2004, 09:58 PM
Nick, to be fair I think you're right. May be a little truth in my comment, but it was meant to be a little "tongue in cheek" :$ :lipsrseal

Kenneth
10-11-2004, 10:32 PM
It sounds as if lot of punctures occur soon after purchasing a car. They must put on crappy tyres when they sell cars.

NOTE to self: Next Car ... New Tyres. I waited over a year. I think I was lucky.

Yes, I think they make a point of putting on the crappiest ( cheapest ) tyres that up to the manufacturers specifications.

I had yokohoma super slipperies on my galant. wore out the fronts by not getting the alignment done when loweing the car. put on some toyo proxies on the front (had directionals on the front, non-directionals on the back... bad idea) and the difference in grip was huge.

hehe, i couldnt turn for s**t in the wet though, just ended up facing the other way if i tried to turn a bit quick :|

The VR4 has some -barely- directional tyres on, but i dont think they stick too well.

I reckon the AYC lights are a good indicator of tyre grip.
Maybe AYC is what the car asks the tyres, and the meter is the respons:
Are You Crap?
3 lights = Exteemly crap
2 lights = crap
1 Light = Ok
0 Lights = sticks like s**t to a blanket

Obviously the test results depend on speed and how tight the corner is.
When you get 1 light turning around a 90 degree corner at 20km/h thats probably a sign that your tyres suck. like mine.

KiwiTT
10-11-2004, 10:50 PM
I like your point on AYC. My new Goodyear F-1's means it is hard to see 2 lights let alone 3 lights. Need to drive harder.

Spirit
11-11-2004, 12:22 AM
Just been out with a Skyline owner and showed him what the 3 AYC light experience is like........his response was too rude for this forum :laugh: :laugh:

The objective was to get a second opinion on the new suspension and he commented he thought it was the smoothest ride he had been in for a long time :-b

rikward
20-11-2004, 06:02 PM
I just got a blow out on the front and rear nearside. With only one spare what can you do?

The ironic thing was that I was following my wife down to get new tyres fitted to her car :rolleyes5

Chessington tyres are doing 4 for 3 in Michlins at the mo, so I am having some decent tyres fitted all round.