Understanding which Punctures can be Repaired and which are Best Left Alone

The AA received more than 180,000 calls last year from people stuck with a flat tyre. This number is a few notches above the previous year, which may seem counter-intuitive at first. After all, aren’t tyres becoming safer and more resistant to punctures with every passing year?

While that’s one part of the narrative, the other is that an increasing number of car manufacturers are ditching the spare to save space and reduce the overall weight of their cars. So, while punctures were prevalent in previous years as well, most cars had a replacement which could fix the problem. That’s not an option anymore, as one-third of all vehicles rolled out last year were bereft of a spare tyre.

As a motorist, it can be frustrating to be stuck with flat tyres, potentially for hours. Furthermore, not all leaks are repairable; you’ll need to replace your tyre in such circumstances. You must understand the different types of punctures that are repairable and others which are not.

• Location of the puncture

Whether a leak is repairable or not depends on where it is located. The British Standard BSAU159 dictates that any leak outside the central 3/4^th area of a tyre should be left alone.

The reason behind this rule is that the outer 1/4^th area of a tyre is generally its sidewalls. If there’s a leakage in that area, its structural integrity may have been compromised. It is not safe to drive with such tyres considering that it’s the sidewalls which bear most of the load. They also flex more, which essentially means that patches are not likely to stay put even if you repaired a leak in that area.

• The diameter of the leak

The size of the damaged area also determines whether a tyre can be repaired or not. It is acceptable to fix a hole that is within 6mm in diameter. Any damage larger than that is not repairable as per the BSAU159.

• Run-flat damage

Run-flat tyres present a lot of advantages over standard car tyresin Merthyr Tydfil. They allow you to drive a considerable distance even with a leak. However, there’s a cost to that. You cannot repair a run-flat tyre. You’ll have to replace the unit.

When a run-flat tyre gets damaged, it’s hard to tell whether the internal structure is intact or not. It is highly likely that the tyre has been driven quite a few miles post puncture. The additional strength of run-flats may mask the damage, but it’s risky to repair it.

• The condition of the tyre

The functional state of the punctured tyre should be carefully evaluated before attempting any repairs. If the tread depth is below 3mm, you should not repair it. It might be a significant safety threat. Adequate tread depth is crucial for a tyre to maintain its road grip. Although the legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm, experts recommend replacing a tyre when its tread depth falls below 3mm.

If a puncture does not fall in any of the categories mentioned above, it can be safely repaired at Tyreman. They have the most effective and quick procedure for tyre repair in Merthyr Tydfil.