Tip #13: Driving on a flat ruins the tire and the wheel within a short distance
Once a tire is flat, the wheel rim is riding on folded rubber, and a short drive can destroy the tire, bend or crack the wheel and damage suspension parts. Move slowly only as far as needed to reach a safe spot, then stop.
Tip #13 in one line
Once a tire is flat, the wheel rim is riding on folded rubber, and a short drive can destroy the tire, bend or crack the wheel and damage suspension parts. Move slowly only as far as needed to reach a safe spot, then stop.
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Call nowWhat happens when you keep going
A tire is built to carry weight on air. When the air is gone, the sidewall folds under the rim and grinds against itself. That heat and friction shred the inner structure, and a tire that might have been patched becomes scrap.
Keep driving and the rim starts hitting the road. Alloy wheels crack and bend, and the steering, brakes and suspension take a beating. The car also pulls, steers poorly and brakes unevenly, which is the real danger on a busy road.
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Call nowGet safe, then stop
When you feel the thump or the pull, grip the wheel, ease off the gas, and do not brake hard. Signal and move to the right shoulder, an exit or a parking lot.
If you are in a travel lane or on a narrow shoulder, it is reasonable to roll slowly a short distance to somewhere wider and safer. A damaged wheel is cheaper than a crash. What you want to avoid is driving miles to a gas station on a flat.
A tire that went flat slowly often gives a warning first: the steering pulls, the car feels heavier on one corner, or the tire pressure light comes on. If you notice those signs, take the next exit or turn into the next lot right away instead of finishing the trip. Catching a slow leak early is the difference between a patch and a new tire, and sometimes a new wheel as well.
Turn on the hazard lights. If you are on a highway shoulder, stay buckled in the car unless it is unsafe to stay. New Jersey's Move Over law requires drivers to slow down and move over for stopped emergency and service vehicles, but not every driver does.
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Call nowThen call
A flat tire change puts your spare on with the truck shielding the scene, and if there is no usable spare the dispatcher quotes a tow to your tire shop on the same call to (908) 444-0129.
On the Turnpike or Garden State Parkway, the shoulder is served by the Turnpike Authority's authorized garages. Book with us anyway, and we take the car from the exit or the garage's lot. The flat tire change guide covers the rest.
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Call nowMore on tires
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- Flat tire on a New Jersey highway: what to do
- Tip #2: Cold weather lowers your tire pressure overnight
- Tip #14: Find your spare, jack and wheel-lock key before you need them
- Tip #17: Run-flat tires buy you limited miles at limited speed, not a free pass
- Tip #22: The tire pressure light is a warning to check, not proof of a flat
- Tip #86: Rotate your tires on the schedule in your owner's manual
- Tip #92: Check the spare tire's pressure, because a flat spare is no spare
- What to do when your car breaks down in New Jersey
- All posts
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