A TYRE expert from Kwik-Fit has revealed how far and fast you can drive if you get a flat.
Nick Gilbert urged drivers to take a cautious approach and shared a quick trick to see how much time you have before disaster.
GettyKwik Fit’s Nick Gilbert revealed how far and how fast you can go on a flat tyre[/caption]
Nick told The Sun Online: “If a tyre goes completely flat when driving, you should stop driving on it straight away, or at least as soon as it’s safe to pull over.
“Continuing to drive on a flat tyre will damage its internal structure and mean it should be replaced.”
Drivers shouldn’t go past 20mph on a flat tyre and should only head several hundreds yards until it’s safe to pull over.
If you find your tyre is flat, he advised making a quick and easy check to assess how bad the problem is.
Simply pump your tyre back up to its recommended pressure, found in the owner’s manual, and see how long it hold the air.
A rapid deflation means that your tyre has a significant puncture or tear and, therefore, should not be used.
The best thing to do in that case is to replace it yourself with a spare if your motor has one.
Unfortunately, earlier this year a study found that fewer than 3% of new cars now come with a spare tyre so owners of more modern vehicles may have to call a breakdown recovery service or your local garage to have it picked up.
On the other hand, if the pressure does not escape rapidly, it means you have a slow puncture and can still just about drive on it.
Pump back up to the recommended range and you may be able to drive to a garage to have the puncture repaired.
This can save you a fair bit of cash as Kwik Fit offer puncture repair for just £27.50 per tyre, while changing a tyre can cost more than double that.
Just be aware that driving on a slow punctured tyre does increase the risk of a blowout, so drive a cautiously and slowly as possible and stay off busy A-road and motorways.
Not only that, you can also be slapped with a £100 fine on the spot if you are spotted driving with a flat tyre as it is rightly considered dangerous.
However, Nick warned that attempting to drive on a flat tyre can be dangerous and could end up costing you hundreds.
He added: “It could also damage the wheel itself, which will be even more costly to repair.”
According to Check A Trade, alloy wheels can cost upwards of £115 each to replace, so it’s really worth playing it safe on this front.