A car with a rear nearside flat tyre passed me this morning.
It was an otherwise tidy looking 03 Corsa, keeping up with the traffic at about 30/40mph on an urban dual carriageway.
The driver seemed unaware of the puncture.
Is that possible?
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My missus once drove for several hundred yards in the snow with a flat, it was only when she braked and tried to turn that she noticed soimething amiss... was it totally flat or just low?
Edited by b308 on 11/02/2009 at 10:17
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Edited by Old Navy on 11/02/2009 at 10:18
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YES!
I was a passenger in mate's Disco 5 doing 75 up M5 when a new mini pulled up on our outside and pointed to rear wheel - as soon as mate backed off throttle "bang" tyre went to shreds and Disco started to weave about - almost brown underpants job -- we never heard or felt anything before that - we were both surprised to say least.
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I suspect if driving in a straight line with lowish profile modern tyres that it is possible to not notice it. Especially if you have been recently driving in ice and snow and have felt the odd wobble.
Front wheel drive, front wheel steering - just pulling the rears along. From what others post about FWD and low rear tyre wear, that shws how much work they do.
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I recently drove with a space saver on the rear, I could feel th difference, even at low speed. I didnt try fast!
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I drove a newish MkI Mondeo for at least a mile around Manchester city before someone told me a rear tyre was flat. A couple of people had flashed me for a mile prior to that, that's how I know. There was no indication, but it wasn't my car, so maybe I would have noticed in a car I was familiar with.
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It makes you wonder why cars need rubber tyres, when apparently a metal rim works as well for most people.
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Why don't we have concrete tyres and rubber roads?
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I very regularly see cars with flat (or badly underinflated) tyres being driven in my area.
I am now a fairly low mileage motorist and am in an urban area so the problem must be very common ( white goods syndrome?).
Frequently I see them on the A3 near Kingston blissfully tooling along at 60+mph.
I too try to draw the driver or passengers attention ( without panicing them) if it is safe to do it ( not at 60+ mph) .
Response varies. I try a circular wave of the hand to suggest winding down the window so we can converse but that often is met with a chav blank stare.
A recent response " Yeh I no but the air fing at the station aint working ! "
How should I treat other road users ....As $%^&%$£
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I've actually had this with a small HGV. Front offside tyre ran flat on a 7.5 tonne Mercedes, on the M1 many years ago. Was only a car driver sounding horn and pointing it out to me that alerted me, and I hadn't noticed anything untoward.
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drove for many miles with flat through mixed miles in an old MG Metro with old TD wheels and tyres, knew nothing about it until a quiet bit in the music I was listening to when the extra noise gave it away, so those tyres and wheels were good!
have other punctures, inc loosing a front tyre on a motorway in a late escort, was obvious but controllable
stopped a few cars driving on flats that had not spotted it, including a doctors car with its green light flashing!
so i guess it depends on wheel/tyre combination, whether its front or rear wheel etc
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I believe with some modern FWD hatchbacks it's very possible to miss a rear tyre flat for a short amount of time, as under normal straight driving it won't make much difference to the drive.
Not sure what the reason for this section of cars being singled out is though. Doubtless a combination of things.
Weight bias?
Brake bias?
Low profile tyres?
Stiffer suspension?
The person I saw a few months back driving along blissfully unaware as sparks flew up from her front right wheel was really taking inattention to whole new levels though.
Edited by BazzaBear {P} on 11/02/2009 at 12:34
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