Flat tire on non run flats in the desert

Bmw doubles · 06-19-2017, 06:18 PM

Coming back from Tahoe to LA and half way through realized I had a nail in the tire almost near the sidewall. Knowing that I'm always running a risk on a road trip with non run flats I came prepared.

- tire plug kit / razor to cut excess
- air compressor
- tire gauge
- fix a flat
- grease marker

Moving at high speeds (undisclosed) while keeping my "vehicle status" screen up that contains tire temp and PSI, I heard a clunk in the fender well followed by the infamous BMW bong warning sound. The nail had flown out and PSI dropped dramatically to 10 PSI.

Pulled over to a safe area, turned on hazards and wished I had a triangle hazard. Located the hole, marked it with a grease pencil rolled the tire so the mark/hole was exposed out and accessible. Put cement glue and probed the hole 3 times, pushed in the plug 3/4 of the way, trimmed down to 1/8", compressor up to 25psi and filled the rest with fix a flat. Did that in about 15minutes and was back and running.

Some take aways:
Don't use fix a flat if you don't have to. I did because it was near the sidewall and the tire is done at that point. Also it causes crazy vibration from the liquid until it dries.

The compressor I got was shitty and I could of been done in less then 5 minutes had it filled faster.

Run flats would of only taking me 50 miles and the nearest tire shop was over a 100 away.

Get the BMW hazard triangle

The plug and fix a flat took me 300 miles without issue.

TZ · 06-19-2017, 09:35 PM

Got me confident on running non-RFT on my next set of tires.

Trian · 06-20-2017, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmw doubles

Run flats would of only taking me 50 miles and the nearest tire shop was over a 100 away.

Not quite, they are rated to go 50 miles but may go a lot further.

lleser · 06-20-2017, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmw doubles

Coming back from Tahoe to LA and half way through realized I had a nail in the tire almost near the sidewall. Knowing that I'm always running a risk on a road trip with non run flats I came prepared.

- tire plug kit / razor to cut excess
- air compressor
- tire gauge
- fix a flat
- grease marker

Moving at high speeds (undisclosed) while keeping my "vehicle status" screen up that contains tire temp and PSI, I heard a clunk in the fender well followed by the infamous BMW bong warning sound. The nail had flown out and PSI dropped dramatically to 10 PSI.

Pulled over to a safe area, turned on hazards and wished I had a triangle hazard. Located the hole, marked it with a grease pencil rolled the tire so the mark/hole was exposed out and accessible. Put cement glue and probed the hole 3 times, pushed in the plug 3/4 of the way, trimmed down to 1/8", compressor up to 25psi and filled the rest with fix a flat. Did that in about 15minutes and was back and running.

Some take aways:
Don't use fix a flat if you don't have to. I did because it was a near sidewalk hole and the tire is done. Also it causes crazy vibration from the liquid until it dries.

The compressor I got was shitty and I could of been done in less then 5 minutes had it filled faster.

Run flats would of only taking me 50 miles and the nearest tire shop was over a 100 away.

Get the BMW hazard triangle

The plug and fix a flat took me 300 miles without issue.

The compressor I got was shitty and I could of been done in less then 5 minutes had it filled faster.

What compressor do you have? Would like to avoid it!

lleser · 06-20-2017, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmw doubles

Coming back from Tahoe to LA and half way through realized I had a nail in the tire almost near the sidewall. Knowing that I'm always running a risk on a road trip with non run flats I came prepared.

- tire plug kit / razor to cut excess
- air compressor
- tire gauge
- fix a flat
- grease marker

Moving at high speeds (undisclosed) while keeping my "vehicle status" screen up that contains tire temp and PSI, I heard a clunk in the fender well followed by the infamous BMW bong warning sound. The nail had flown out and PSI dropped dramatically to 10 PSI.

Pulled over to a safe area, turned on hazards and wished I had a triangle hazard. Located the hole, marked it with a grease pencil rolled the tire so the mark/hole was exposed out and accessible. Put cement glue and probed the hole 3 times, pushed in the plug 3/4 of the way, trimmed down to 1/8", compressor up to 25psi and filled the rest with fix a flat. Did that in about 15minutes and was back and running.

Some take aways:
Don't use fix a flat if you don't have to. I did because it was a near sidewalk hole and the tire is done. Also it causes crazy vibration from the liquid until it dries.

The compressor I got was shitty and I could of been done in less then 5 minutes had it filled faster.

Run flats would of only taking me 50 miles and the nearest tire shop was over a 100 away.

Get the BMW hazard triangle

The plug and fix a flat took me 300 miles without issue.

The compressor I got was shitty and I could of been done in less then 5 minutes had it filled faster.

What compressor do you have? Would like to avoid it!

EL Jeffe 5 · 06-20-2017, 09:29 AM

Happy ending
Good idea I will have to get some tire plugs and small compressor

Bbb34 · 06-20-2017, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trian

Not quite, they are rated to go 50 miles but may go a lot further.

I don't know about "a lot" further, but yes you could go past 50 miles.
While I still had runFlats I've gone a bit more than that, had car parked for two days until my TireRack order arrived then took it to the dealer (all at fairly low speeds and not busy streets), and had no issues.

You are risking major damage to the rim of course, but I took a chance since dealer isn't that far and just didn't want to have the car towed at the time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmw doubles

Coming back from Tahoe to LA and half way through realized I had a nail in the tire almost near the sidewall. Knowing that I'm always running a risk on a road trip with non run flats I came prepared.
.......
The plug and fix a flat took me 300 miles without issue.

Glad it all worked out OK, I especially enjoyed "undisclosed speeds" part of the story.

snj1013 · 06-20-2017, 11:41 AM

I have a similar "kit" in my trunk as well. I don't have the grease pencil, but might help. I can always reference a spot on the tire sidewall as a reference I guess.

ndinh · 06-20-2017, 12:59 PM

Damn, good info. Shopping list asap is plug kit, triangle and grease pencil.

Bmw doubles · 06-20-2017, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lleser

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmw doubles

Coming back from Tahoe to LA and half way through realized I had a nail in the tire almost near the sidewall. Knowing that I'm always running a risk on a road trip with non run flats I came prepared.

- tire plug kit / razor to cut excess
- air compressor
- tire gauge
- fix a flat
- grease marker

Moving at high speeds (undisclosed) while keeping my "vehicle status" screen up that contains tire temp and PSI, I heard a clunk in the fender well followed by the infamous BMW bong warning sound. The nail had flown out and PSI dropped dramatically to 10 PSI.

Pulled over to a safe area, turned on hazards and wished I had a triangle hazard. Located the hole, marked it with a grease pencil rolled the tire so the mark/hole was exposed out and accessible. Put cement glue and probed the hole 3 times, pushed in the plug 3/4 of the way, trimmed down to 1/8", compressor up to 25psi and filled the rest with fix a flat. Did that in about 15minutes and was back and running.

Some take aways:
Don't use fix a flat if you don't have to. I did because it was a near sidewalk hole and the tire is done. Also it causes crazy vibration from the liquid until it dries.

The compressor I got was shitty and I could of been done in less then 5 minutes had it filled faster.

Run flats would of only taking me 50 miles and the nearest tire shop was over a 100 away.

Get the BMW hazard triangle

The plug and fix a flat took me 300 miles without issue.

The compressor I got was shitty and I could of been done in less then 5 minutes had it filled faster.

What compressor do you have? Would like to avoid it!

Some crappy one from Napa auto parts. I'll take a pic of it later.

S1ammin · 06-20-2017, 06:26 PM

I'm happy with this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And it is extremely accurate.

corys530 · 06-24-2017, 09:46 AM

I opted to get this, plus a BMW jack off Ebay for 35$

http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Perfor...T-F10-KIT.html

Smaller than the reg tire so its easy to pull in-n-out when needing the space

Bmw doubles · 06-24-2017, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corys530

I opted to get this, plus a BMW jack off Ebay for 35$

http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Perfor...T-F10-KIT.html

Smaller than the reg tire so its easy to pull in-n-out when needing the space

Quote:

Originally Posted by corys530

I opted to get this, plus a BMW jack off Ebay for 35$

http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Perfor...T-F10-KIT.html

Smaller than the reg tire so its easy to pull in-n-out when needing the space

Nice!

06-19-2017, 06:18 PM	#1
Bmw doubles Dream crusher 984 Rep 2,421 Posts Drives: Fast Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: westside iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 535 [0.00]	Coming back from Tahoe to LA and half way through realized I had a nail in the tire almost near the sidewall. Knowing that I'm always running a risk on a road trip with non run flats I came prepared. - tire plug kit / razor to cut excess - air compressor - tire gauge - fix a flat - grease marker Moving at high speeds (undisclosed) while keeping my "vehicle status" screen up that contains tire temp and PSI, I heard a clunk in the fender well followed by the infamous BMW bong warning sound. The nail had flown out and PSI dropped dramatically to 10 PSI. Pulled over to a safe area, turned on hazards and wished I had a triangle hazard. Located the hole, marked it with a grease pencil rolled the tire so the mark/hole was exposed out and accessible. Put cement glue and probed the hole 3 times, pushed in the plug 3/4 of the way, trimmed down to 1/8", compressor up to 25psi and filled the rest with fix a flat. Did that in about 15minutes and was back and running. Some take aways: Don't use fix a flat if you don't have to. I did because it was near the sidewall and the tire is done at that point. Also it causes crazy vibration from the liquid until it dries. The compressor I got was shitty and I could of been done in less then 5 minutes had it filled faster. Run flats would of only taking me 50 miles and the nearest tire shop was over a 100 away. Get the BMW hazard triangle The plug and fix a flat took me 300 miles without issue. __________________ 535i MIssion Performance, PS2, Helix HPFP Kit, Wagner FMIC, Spec 3 clutch, Steel SMF, Wolf Racing CP, UUC SSK, GFB dv, SprintBooster, Custom Dynomax Exhaust, M5 Sways, Eibach OE Springs, Koni Sports Adjustable, Custom Short Ram CAI IG: @bmwdoubles
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06-19-2017, 09:35 PM	#2
TZ Second Lieutenant 51 Rep 228 Posts Drives: 2011 535i xDrive, 2014 435i CO Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	Got me confident on running non-RFT on my next set of tires. __________________ 2011 535i xDrive Black/Black, Michelin PS AS 4 2014 435i RWD Convertible Service Manual: www.newtis.info Part: http://www.realoem.com
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06-20-2017, 09:29 AM	#6
EL Jeffe 5 Major 612 Rep 1,254 Posts Drives: CBR1000RR Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Iowa iTrader: (0)	Happy ending Good idea I will have to get some tire plugs and small compressor __________________
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06-20-2017, 11:41 AM	#8
snj1013 Captain 87 Rep 937 Posts Drives: 2011 528i Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (1)	I have a similar "kit" in my trunk as well. I don't have the grease pencil, but might help. I can always reference a spot on the tire sidewall as a reference I guess.
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06-20-2017, 12:59 PM	#9
ndinh Lieutenant 161 Rep 554 Posts Drives: 640i GC, X5 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (2)	Damn, good info. Shopping list asap is plug kit, triangle and grease pencil.
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06-20-2017, 06:26 PM	#11
S1ammin Private First Class 44 Rep 194 Posts Drives: 2013 BMW 535i MSport Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: St. Louis, Mo. iTrader: (0)	I'm happy with this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And it is extremely accurate.
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06-24-2017, 09:46 AM	#12
corys530 Private 20 Rep 80 Posts Drives: 2012 535i Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: so cal iTrader: (0)	I opted to get this, plus a BMW jack off Ebay for 35$ http://www.bimmerzone.com/BMW_Perfor...T-F10-KIT.html Smaller than the reg tire so its easy to pull in-n-out when needing the space __________________ 2001 530i 2004 330i 2006 X5 4.4 the beast 2014 328i 2012 535i
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