Originally Posted By: twouvakind
Run "run on flat tires" get a flat and buy a new tire. NOT! Is it true they are not repairable??
Here's the complete scoop.
When you run a tire flat, the sidewall gets damaged. In a regular tire, you can see the damage and assess whether the damage is enough to warrant scrapping the tire.
When you run a RunFlat tire flat (Boy, was that a fun phrase to say!!), the damage done to the sidewall is covered by the thick insert in the sidewall and you can NOT properly assess the damage that has been done.
Some tire manufacturers say that makes a RunFlat tire unrepairable - since you can't tell if it is severely damaged, but it could be - and others say that the risk of the tire being damaged to the point where it should be removed from service is low enough to allow repairs. The risk I see to the second position is that every so often there will be a catastrophic failure and someone will be hurt (or worse!).
So depending on which tire shop you go to, they will say: a) RunFlat tires are not repairable, b) Only certain brands of RunFlat tires are repairable, or c) ALL RunFlat tires are repairable - all depending on how they interpret what the tire manufacturers are saying.
Simple question - complex answer.