We offer some tips on how to behave in situations if you have a flat tire on your car.
If you get a flat tire in the yard
When approaching the car, you find that someone has punctured a tire, but before you climb into the trunk for a jack and spare tire, you should inspect the tire for a large cut, and if one is not found, try simply inflating the flat tire using a pump or, better yet, a compressor, to get to the nearest tire repair shop without any problems. Recently, almost all car wheels have a tubeless design, so the object that caused the tire puncture can serve as a short-term salvation and keep air inside the tire for a while. If the tire was punctured with a knife or some other large and sharp object, then in this case you will have to replace the wheel on the spot using a jack and go to a tire repair shop, installing a spare tire.
Punctured tire on the road
One of my friends always has several metal screws in the trunk of his car, with the help of which they fasten wooden or metal structures. So, more than once he told stories when these self-tapping screws often helped him out when he punctured a tire on the road. Everything is very simple, visually look for the puncture site and use a screwdriver to screw the self-tapping screw into the hole. But five, it all depends on the diameter of the hole, if it is huge, then, as in the first case, we put on a spare tire and go straight to the tire shop.
I also recommend purchasing a special repair kit that will help you out on the road if you have a flat tire. The kit consists of a special metal awl with a handle, similar to a file, and a tourniquet, which will actually fill the hole.
There is also a special sealant, everything is quite simple here, you punched the wheel, unscrewed the nipple, screwed on the plastic tube from the can and let a small amount of sealant into the inside of the tire. The sealant will use air to fill the hole.
What to do if a tire gets punctured on the road.
Broken tire? In this case, everything is simple: we take out the spare tire, put it in place of the “wounded” one, and move on.
STOP!!! (yes, this also happens: in some car models/modifications it is not provided at all), or it is faulty, what should I do then? You can, of course, or drive to the nearest car market for a new tire. But we are not looking for easy ways (and we also don’t want to spend extra money). But there is a way out of this situation. And even a few... Let's figure it out.
IMPORTANT. Using any of the “in the field” repair methods discussed below does not exempt you from the obligation to visit a tire shop at the first opportunity. Also, the proposed options require a significant reduction in the “cruising” speed and extreme care from the driver.
Repairing tire punctures using improvised means from the store in order to get to the tire shop
Let's look at 2 ways to “treat” tire punctures using products that can be bought in the store. The important thing is that, with some skill, they can be used without removing the damaged wheel from the car. BUT BEFORE THIS, a little “life hack”. To repair a puncture, it still needs to be detected. For this, a regular soap solution is suitable, which can be poured, for example, into a container of some household chemicals with a spray bottle (such a container will not take up much space in the trunk, so it can “travel” with you all the time). It’s simple: we spray the surface of the wheel and look for the puncture site based on the appearance of characteristic air bubbles. SO THAT THE SOLUTION DOES NOT, you can simply mix it with “anti-freeze”, as many experienced motorists do.
The first method is tire repair sealant.
It is a special composition “blown out” in . Today you can buy such a product in almost any auto store and at many gas stations. How does he work? It's quite simple: you attach the cylinder to the wheel valve (directly or using an adapter), press the sprayer, and voila: the “magic” happens. The vast majority of such sealants offered for sale, in addition to sealing a puncture (the composition is distributed over the inner surface of the tire), also increase pressure. The MAIN THING is to read the instructions (no matter how clunky it may seem), and do everything according to it. And you will be happy: you can slowly drive to the tire shop (manufacturers of such “miracle compounds”, as a rule, recommend driving at a speed of no more than 70 km/h). By the way, such sealants are also produced in containers in which they are not placed under pressure (an example is a standard repair kit that was equipped with VAZ cars of the end of the last century). But this type is gradually being replaced by aerosol sealants, which are more convenient to use, because... They allow you to “eat a fish and sit on a bone”: repair the damage and pump up the tire. 
When using such compositions, it is important to pay attention to a number of points:
- Select the correct container for the repair aerosol. If you have a car with wheels up to “15 in diameter,” 300 ml should be enough. Owners of crossovers and SUVs are recommended to choose a larger capacity.
- Pay attention to the temperature range of use of the composition. Many imported aerosols (and most of those sold are imported) are not adapted to the low temperatures that occur in our “realities”.
- If it says on the can. The fact that the wheel should not be inflated after applying the compound means that this REALLY SHOULD NOT be done. The fact is that some of the compounds are flammable, and neglecting the manufacturer’s recommendations can lead to not entirely pleasant consequences.
- When visiting a tire shop to repair a tire “reanimated” in this way, be sure to warn the specialist about the use of sealant. In most cases, before starting to repair the damage, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the surface of this composition.
- Most of these compounds are designed for use in tubeless tires. But there are also options that can be used for tube tires.
By the way, in addition to repair sealants for tires, preventive ones are also available for sale. They are also “blown” through the wheel valve, and, evenly distributed over the inner surface of the tire, seal microcracks, which are potential weak points.
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The second method is to repair punctures using flagella
Repair kits are available for sale, which include the following items:
- Flagella.
- A device (also called a file) for expanding/processing a hole.
- A mandrel with which the flagellum is installed.
- Special adhesive composition (it may not be present if the flagella are already impregnated with glue).
- Scissors for cutting off excess cord.
The process of repairing a puncture using this kit is also quite simple. To do this, use a file to develop (expand) a hole. Then a flagellum is inserted into the mandrel, which is driven into the “hole” of the mandrel (if necessary, the adhesive composition from the kit is added). With a sharp movement, the mandrel is removed, and the excess flagellum is cut off (leaving the ends approximately 3-5 mm long). In principle, that's it, you can go. Again, you should be careful and move at low speed. A significant advantage of such a kit is its “reusability”. Having bought a file, a mandrel and scissors once, in the future you will only need to spend money on flagella and adhesive, which are inexpensive.
Side cuts and “buns”: what to do in this case
If on the road you are “lucky” to receive “don’t be upset. Yes, it is unpleasant, but you can drive with such damage, but only very carefully and slowly. And the wheel with the “bunch” should be moved to the rear axle. Having reached the nearest tire repair shop, you can use the services for repairing such damage. If a hernia has formed on the wheel, it is repaired by installing a cord thermoplaster or a cold vulcanized cord plaster on the inner surface. This will slightly strengthen the area of damage. But at the first opportunity you should replace the tire, because... the appearance of a “hernia” may indicate that the internal structure of the tire (cord thread) is damaged. At the same time, its rigidity parameters change and the balancing is disrupted. And when a car wheel with a diameter of 14 inches is unbalanced by only 20 g, when driving at a speed of 100 km/h, there is a colossal impact on it, comparable to cyclic blows with a sledgehammer weighing 3 kg with a frequency of 800 times/min.
If there is a cut on the sidewall of the tire, it can also be repaired. But again, everything is done at your own peril and risk, because in this case, damage to the cord threads also occurs. Repairing a cut in the field is practically impossible. What to do in this case? Go to a tire shop. How? See the "extreme" methods discussed below. The side cut can be repaired (BUT REMEMBER THAT THIS IS A TEMPORARY MEASURE) at any normal tire shop. In this case, patches are placed in its place (the structure of which should be as similar as possible to the structure of the tire at the site of damage). Again, with such repairs the balance is disrupted with all the consequences...
It should be remembered that there are limits to “repairability” for cuts. Specialists will not undertake the repair of a longitudinal cut longer than 35 mm or a transverse cut longer than 25 mm. If a repairman claims that he can repair a 50mm cut without any problems, you should probably think about the quality of such repairs and your safety. Maybe it’s better to buy a used car at a tire shop? IMPORTANT. If you decide to use one of these methods to repair a hernia or cut, be sure to carefully monitor your tire pressure. After all, patches are the “weak link”. They are the ones who will be “chewed” first when the pressure drops below normal. And it is in this place that a rupture is most likely to occur on an overinflated wheel.
“Extreme” (and not really) ways to get to the point of repair
“If I knew the purchase, I would live in Sochi” - this means that not every motorist has an aerosol repair compound or a kit with flagella in the trunk. Even if an unpleasant “situation” happened to you somewhere on a forest path, far from civilization, you should not despair: all is not lost (you can, of course, wait until a group of young bears kindly agrees to take the car out of the forest to
their powerful paws. But how long will we have to wait for this?). 
In general, let's look at ways that will help you get to the point of repair (or at least get closer to it); some of them may even seem quite exotic.
Self-tapping screw in your tire
The practice of some drivers shows that if a tire is punctured, a regular self-tapping screw will help correct the situation. You can find it in the trunk of almost any commercial motorist. You should take a self-tapping screw, the thickness of which will be slightly larger than the hole at the puncture site, and screw it in. This, of course, will not completely prevent air from escaping from the tire through a puncture, but it will help to significantly reduce the rate of air loss. By periodically pumping up the tire, you can travel some distance. And if there is rubber glue in the car, which can be used to treat the self-tapping screw before screwing it in, a “song” will be created.
Without water “neither here nor here”
Water will briefly revive a punctured tire WITH A CAMERA. Hang it up, unscrew the nipple and pour about 1 liter of water into the chamber. After this, you should inflate the wheel (the hole must be at the bottom). After you start moving, the resulting centrifugal force will evenly distribute water over the entire inner surface of the chamber and create an obstacle to air escaping through the resulting hole. To achieve this effect, it will be necessary to maintain a uniform movement at a speed of around 20 km/h.
If a cut has formed, but you still want to keep the tire and feel sorry for the wheel
For temporary repairs of tubeless (and tubed) tires in a “critical” situation, rags, all kinds of rags and other “trash” are suitable (some even recommend fresh grass and leaves). You need to disassemble the wheel (but problems may arise with this, since few people now carry specialized tools with them), fill it as tightly as possible with all this “goodness,” and move on, being careful. With this approach, you can hope for the safety of the tire (or, if you don’t mind it, the wheel rim). If a large hole has formed in the tire and it is guaranteed to be written off, you can try another method. Fill it with sand and plug the hole with a wooden “chop”. Maybe it will help. Here is an example of such an “extreme solution” (beware of profanity), in which the guys claim that they repaired the wheel using sand and a “chopik”. If only I could see how THIS drives...
Instead of output
It can be seen that there are many ways to eliminate tire damage on the road. But not all of them can be used by every motorist. Before resorting to the drastic measures discussed, weigh all the pros and cons. Or maybe, in some cases, it makes sense to catch a ride and take the wheel to the nearest tire shop, or call a tow truck. And sometimes you can even slowly “hobble” on flat tires to the repair site, after which you can throw them away by buying second-hand tires at a tire shop (any workshop has them). In general, the choice is yours. If there is an opportunity (and desire) to make repairs on the road, then why not take advantage of it? Good luck on (and off) the roads, and I hope you don't have to put these methods into practice.
Of course, there is nothing worse for a driver than discovering a flat tire when his family is about to go out of town for a vacation. But we should consider ourselves lucky compared to what people had to face in the 50s. Since then, tire technology has advanced so quickly that even the very first entry-level tires guaranteed some level of resistance, not to mention tubeless tires or runflats.
In this article you can learn about:
- Different types of punctures: debris or incorrect pressure.
- What to do in case of a puncture?
- How to use injection spray or spare tire?
- GoGo pitfalls when it comes to changing tires.
- How to replace a flat tire?
Various types of punctures.
Foreign body: penetration of debris into the tread, leading to a loss of pressure and a change in speed. Incorrect Inflation: Contrary to popular belief about tires, underinflation is riskier than overinflation. Therefore, driving with pneumatic tires can cause serious damage to the tire, its internal structure and lead to increased rolling resistance. The risks associated with the piercing then increase and become more difficult to diagnose.
What to do if you puncture a tire?
This article is not about changing a tire; instead, we will try to give you the most useful information about the steps you should take.
As soon as you feel the first vibrations in the steering wheel, or when the steering becomes difficult to control, you should immediately pull over to the side of the road.
Please, be careful: driving on a flat tire will destroy the wheel in no time.
Using puncture spray or spare tire. Tire repair
Puncture spray. See detailed description. You can retread your tires.
If you are riding a tubeless tire, using puncture spray will cause the least amount of damage to the wheel. This operation is limited. The spray contains foam that will fill the gaps left by debris or punctures. Before further operations, you will need to determine the exact location of the puncture and remove debris from the tread before injecting the aerosol through the valve.
Maintain a moderate speed after such repairs until the nearest tire repair shop.
Spare wheel. How to replace a flat tire
In case previous attempts have failed, you can resort to a spare tire. If you do have to turn to the spare tire, please make sure that you check the pressure in it.
It should not exceed the norm. In order to change a tire, the first step is to put the car on the handbrake to prevent the car from moving while changing the tire. To do this, you need to remove the bolts, jack up the car and finish by loosening the bolts to remove the wheel. Take the spare tire and start tightening the bolts.
Once the car is on the ground, you should apply torque to the bolts to ensure that the wheel is securely fastened. The spare tire should not be treated like a regular tire and therefore keep your speed to 50 mph or less.
Attention! Never use the spare tire permanently.
How can you make sure your tire is properly repaired?
If you don't have a tubeless tire repair kit even though you actually know how to use one, a visit to a tire repair shop will be your best option.
Wheels are one of the most vulnerable parts of a car and a real magnet for hooligans. A punctured tire can ruin your mood for the whole day, cause you to be late for work or problems on the road (if you don’t have a spare tire). Of course, the cost of repairing a punctured tire will not bankrupt the car owner, but it will take a lot of time to repair the damage.
Punctured tire
If you go out to the parking lot one morning and notice that your car's tire is flat, you should carefully inspect it for cuts or punctures. If there is obvious damage, the tire puncture will need to be repaired on site or a trip to a tire shop.
Are there any visible punctures or cuts? Then there are 2 reasons for a flat tire:
- The air leaves from under the nipple (or through the spool). In this case, we recommend inflating the wheel and checking whether air is leaking from the valve. It is quite possible that the tire was deliberately flattened by hooligans or a “good” neighbor whose place you took in the parking lot.
- The tire does not fit tightly to the rim. The reason for this may be deformation or corrosion of the disc.
If there is a side cut or puncture on the tire, and you are absolutely sure that this is the work of ill-wishers, you can follow the principle and write a statement to the police. The punishment for a punctured tire is a fine, and in some cases – criminal liability and probation. But to do this, you need not only to find the attacker, but also to prove his guilt.
Only an extremely principled car enthusiast would want to spend time on statements, identifying criminals and courts. The majority will direct all their efforts to repair a punctured tire as quickly as possible.
The fastest way to repair a puncture wheel yourself
What to do if you puncture a tire on your car? The main thing is to find the damage, assess its nature and extent. It happens that the tire deflates, but very slowly, for 30 minutes, an hour or more.
If you encounter a similar situation, use a jack to support the wheel and look for damage on the tread. The cause of a puncture can be an ordinary construction screw that ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. If there is indeed a fastener sticking out of the wheel, carefully screw it in all the way and go to a tire shop.
Wheel puncture. How to check a tire for a puncture without visible damage? The easiest way is to coat the tire with soapy water and look for a puncture using small air bubbles.
If the damage is minor, a special aerosol tire sealant will be the quickest solution. Injected through the wheel valve, it fills the tire from the inside, creating a barrier to air escape. In this case, you don’t even have to hang the wheel. All you have to do is wait a few minutes, and you can go to a tire shop for a more thorough repair of the puncture.
Repairing a wheel puncture using a harness
Quick repair of a wheel puncture with a harness Don't know what to do if you get a flat tire in the yard? Every motorist needs to carry a quick tire repair kit in his trunk. According to the standard, it includes:
- Spiral awl.
- Fork awl.
- Directly harness (cord or with a special adhesive sheath).
- Glue (for pre-treatment of the adhesive sheath of the bundle).
Procedure when a puncture is detected:
- We clean the surface of the damage with a spiral awl and temporarily leave it in the puncture to block the remaining air.
- We take a fork awl, put a tourniquet on it, and spread it with glue.
- We pull out the spiral awl from the damage site and quickly insert the awl with a tourniquet to a depth of 3-4 cm.
- After pulling out the awl, the harness remains inside the wheel. Cut off the excess. If necessary, inflate the tire.
Quick tire repair kit. Procedure for detecting a puncture. Such tire puncture repair will allow the tire to be used for no more than 1.5-2 months. Over time, air will begin to escape from the damage site, and the tire will have to be replaced.
What should you do if your tire keeps getting flat, but there are no punctures?
First of all, check to see if the disc is bent. If there are no visible integrity problems, pay attention to the nipple. Move the valve from side to side and listen to see if air is leaking from there.
The disc is intact, the nipple does not leak and there is no visible puncture of the wheel - what to do in this case?
Tire sealant. The most reliable way is to use an aerosol sealant and go to a tire shop. Our specialists will quickly solve your problem and help you save not only time, but also money.
You will find out how much it costs to repair a wheel after a puncture in our next articles.
The road is full of surprises. You never know what awaits you around the next corner. However, there are quite a large number of motorists who have never found themselves in extreme situations. However, this does not mean that this will continue in the future. Sooner or later, trouble can overtake everyone, so at such a moment it is extremely important not to get confused and be ready to cope with unexpected difficulties.
The most common problem that can annoy a motorist is a punctured tire. Alas, the roads of our fatherland are far from perfect, and our fellow citizens are not always ready to keep them clean. You can often see shards of glass on the roadway, shining in the sun, which can damage the tire. But it is much more difficult to notice sharp screws and nails lying on the road. They are the ones that most often cause punctures and cause a lot of trouble for drivers.
It is not always possible to identify a malfunction immediately. Air will gradually escape from the hole formed as a result of damage. In a few hours the wheel will sag and riding on it will become dangerous. Driving a car will require greater concentration and caution, and if you ignore the problem for a long time, the wheel disc may bend or the tire itself will wear out its service life prematurely. What should be done in this situation?
Wheel puncture repair
Of course, a quick inspection of the car before starting a trip should become the norm. If you notice that a tire is flat, you need to take immediate action. Don’t rush to immediately go to the nearest gas station where there is a compressor. Instead, use your own pump and try to inflate the tire. Of course, it is necessary to inspect the tire for visible damage. It happens that a nail or screw is left sticking out in some place. So, there is no need to pull it out, because... After removing it, the air will come out of the resulting hole instantly. Just restore the pressure and go to the nearest tire shop.
However, it is not always possible to get home safely with a punctured tire. It happens that trouble happens on the highway, and without urgent intervention it is impossible to continue driving. At such moments, a spare tire will come to the rescue. Changing a wheel takes a few minutes, but after installing the spare tire, you should remember that you now need to adhere to certain safety rules. The standard spare tire in modern cars is slightly smaller than others. Because of this, the speed of movement must be limited.
The most advanced motorists can easily fix a punctured tire on their own. True, for this it is necessary to purchase in advance a special set of fatty laces, with the help of which holes in tires are patched. The patch is installed directly into the damaged area and fills it with itself. But this measure should be regarded only as temporary. Complete wheel repairs can only be carried out with the appropriate equipment and experience.
Finally, it is worth recalling that if a puncture has forced you to stop somewhere on the highway, you need to let other road users know about your plight. Not with the expectation that one of them will come to the rescue, but solely for safety reasons. To prevent anyone from ramming an already damaged car, it is imperative to turn on the hazard warning lights and install a warning triangle. Well, as a piece of advice, we can recommend checking the condition of the spare tire from time to time, so that in case of an emergency you don’t find yourself in a hopeless situation when you can’t do without it.
