Flat Tire

Asked myself the same question this week on the New York Thruway on Labor day weekend. Mid-morning after 3 hours of interstate driving, my TMPS alarmed at 90 PSI (down from 109), 85, 80,75 etc rapidly and 60 by the time I got stopped. Inside dual on Passenger side. Pulled over on shoulder and as I approached the tires I could hear the air leaking out. Felt around the tire and found air leaking from the valve stem extension hose. These are new tires, installed 3 months ago. Should I drive 20 miles to next Service center or wait for roadside service? I carry a compressor but didn't think I could remove the hose.

Decided that the probability of damaging one or both $500 tires and possible very expensive damage to underside of coach wasn't worth it. Coachnet connected me to a mobile tire service that removed the defective hose and air'd up my tire and we were back on the road in a couple of hours. My TPMS paid for itself after 10 years of convenience.

I drove hundreds of miles on a flat inside rear dual, and didn't even know it. In the RV park I noticed that the outside dual looked under inflated when it was actually overloaded. I was lucky, I changed it out, but the tire manufacturer's say to also replace an overloaded tire due to the possibility of unseen stress/heat damage. I remember the Michelin ad. " The most important safety feature on the road is the one that touches the road "

I had a flat tire once on the rear. Drove the vehicle about a mile before I could find a spot to pull over. The tire store told me to be on the safe side, I should change both tires on that side, since the good tire was over stressed due to carrying the load of both tires. They also said, just to be on the safe side, that I should replace all rear tires because the other set of dually's were actually carry a little more load to and could be stressed. I replaced the blown tire only. Never had any problems,
To answer your question, NO, don't drive andy further the absolutely necessary because the good tire is carrying all the load and is being stressed. Just what everyone else told you.

X2

I used to do it all the time. Just slow down. It is always safer to get to a better spot for you and the tire repair guy!

dhuse wrote:
Serious question! Traveling with friends last year. He had a blow out outside right rear. We sat on the freeway in September in Riverside for five hours until a tire was found and the repair made. We were 1/10 mile from an off ramp.

for that distance
i probably would have driven the shoulder at the slowest speed possible like 3-mph to the off ramp and a safer parking spot

you can't move fast or far, because the blown out tire will cause damage to the wheel well, the body and suspension

ive seen blow outs take out shocks, and holding tanks etc. depending on the design and placement of these items

Blow out Sunova26P ~ Outer right rear. Narrow 2 lane rd~ East side FlatheadLk,Mt. Drove carefully to 1st avail pullout (fruit stand) 4~5 Mi. Waited AAA ~ Luckily had full spare on board. Owner of fruit stand was gonna run us off 'til saw tire ~ looked like someone took a broadaxe full across the treads. ~ changed his mind to ".... anything else I can do for you ladies..."

JM2¢ ~~ YMMV

dhuse wrote:
Is it safe to drive a class A with a flat rear inside or outside tire?

Short answer: NO.
Long answer: Have done it

But I DO NOT ADVISE IT. Get ye to a secure location (First rest stop) and call mobile tire guy. Before you call photo shoot the size marking on one of the good tires... My mobile tire guy said "They don't make 'em that way.. Sent him a multi-media text and he said "I guess they do" and promptly ordered one.

dhuse wrote:
Serious question! Traveling with friends last year. He had a blow out outside right rear. We sat on the freeway in September in Riverside for five hours until a tire was found and the repair made. We were 1/10 mile from an off ramp.

This would have been a great paragraph to include in your original post.:). Now that we see where you're coming from, it makes your question easier to answer. Yes and no. If you need to move the vehicle to a safe location then the answer is yes, definitely. And it really doesn't matter how far. Safety trumps all else. That said, doing what you have to do might cause you some wallet pain. As said above, the remaining tire will be overloaded which may damage it. I say may because there are many other factors involved. Age of tire, condition of tire etc. At the very least, the remaining tire should be removed from the rim and checked carefully. Also, a flat tire can mean many things. If the tire blew and peeled, strips of the casing could cause more damage to the vehicle...i.e. hydraulic lines, fiberglass etc. Every incident is different so the only real answer is yes, if it's for your safety, otherwise conditions will prevail..given your example, I would have driven the 1/10 mile to a better location.....Dennis

I've driven over 10 miles (not on the Interstate) at 35 MPH on only the outside dual but I aired it up to max sidewall pressure first plus 10 psi because the tire was warm (130). Replaced just the inside tire and never had a problem with the outside tire as it never got above 130 degrees. Excessive heat is what damages a tire.

Cement trucks air down all the time for better traction, overloading the tires for the weight...granted they do not go very far that way.

No way would I sit on the side of the road when driving several miles would put me in a better position. If only a mile I would not even air the tire up to max pressure.