I have a slow leak on one tire of my AWD. Is it possible to only Fix the flat? without replacing all four tires?
Fix-a-Flat is temporary repair so you’re able to get to a shop so the tire can be properly repaired or replaced.
Tester
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Often punctured tires can be patched, post a picture of the damage and the age of the tire.
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What is your leak due too?
Nail? Rim?
You are not supposed to repair a nail hole in a rft tire.
I think OP meant if he could repair the flat instead of replacing the tires.
To answer OP, yes you can have it repaired as long as the hole is not near the end of the tire near the sidewall or on the sidewall.
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A tire shop can answer this but they will not repair it if there is a chance of failure after the repair.
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Can I Repair or Patch My Run-Flat Tire?
Every manufacturer has different policies when it comes to repairing or patching your run-flat tires. Below is a list of recommendations on repair policy based on the tire manufacturer.
| Manufacturer | Repair policy | Additional recommendations |
|---|---|---|
| Michelin | Allowed | One repair only |
| Pirelli | Repairs not allowed | Mfg. Road Hazard Program |
| BFGoodrich | Allowed | One repair only |
| Continental | Not recommended | Mfg. Road Hazard Program |
| Bridgestone | Allowed | If 15 psi is maintained |
| Dunlop | Allowed | One repair only |
| Goodyear | Allowed | One repair only |
| Firestone | Allowed | If 15 psi is maintained |
| Hankook | Allowed | / |
| Yokohama | Repairs not allowed | / |
| Kumho | Allowed | / |
As you can see, certain manufacturers allow repairs on their run-flat tires, although it’s mostly one repair-only policy. It’s always best to check your tire manufacturer’s guidelines to determine your next step if the tire is punctured.
Ah, seems question is about awd rig, not rft.
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I guess I missed the part where the op said it was a run flat tire, just awd.
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The manufacturer’s concern is that you might have driven on the tire while it was very low, in which case it could be dangerous to keep using it. However, if you keep the pressure up while figuring out where the leak is, there’s no real reason you can’t fix the tire like any other tire. In that case, it helps to have a good relationship with a tire dealer where they’ll take you at your word on that.
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You can fix a flat on a run-flat tire. It’s usually not recommended to do more than one though per tire. I take it this vehicle doesn’t have a spare?
I know a couple Corvette owners who HAD run-flats. When they had to replace the tires they opted for no run-flats. They like the better ride on non-run-flats.
OP never asked about run flat tires.
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Above is the original post. The car has AWD (All Wheel Drive.). No further description of the car is given. The OP does not mention run-flat tires.
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If the puncture is within the standards of a repairable tire and able per the tire manufacture (differs from manufacture to manufacture) then it is able to be repaired, and AWD has nothing to do with repairing a tire…
Now using fix-a-flat can keep a tire form being able to be repaired as a patch may not hole…
Remember that fix-a-flat is designed to do one thing, stop small holes, TPMS has a very small hole in it to know hw much air pressure is in the tire, so a lot of times it will stop up the very small hole in the TPMS sensor and cause you to become non functional…
RFT, (EDIT: Run Flat Tire) you basically have to read the very very small print on the side of the tire as some will state do not repair and other you can… The Bridgestone Potenza RE050A was a non repairable tire, but the Bridgestone Driveguard can be repaired as long as it was not driving on below 15 MPH…
Speed rated tires will loose one speed rating if repaired…
BTW, I have read the side of some Pirelli P7 or Pirelli Cinturato p7 (don’t remember the exact one now) to not repair or add air to tire… lol
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Even if the OP ( Original Poster ) returns do you really think they might know what RFT means .
I really hope they went to a good tire shop and got a real answer about this tire leak .
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Tester
Suppose the real answer is “We don’t patch run-flat tires”, wouldn’t they benefit from knowing that it is possible to patch a RFT?
I am not the 1st person that stated RFT in there post so why you calling ME out on it…
And thank you very much I can give a REAL ANSWER to this question cause I am NOT a
YouTube & Google mechanic… The last 17 years I handled at times 15-30 flats a day, CAN YOU say you have that much experience with tires??? And I was at times the guy that had to make the decision if a tire
Tester, I guess you have never tried to balance a tire with Fix-a-Flat in it??? The balance changes EVERYTIME… It is almost impossible to balance a tire with liquid in it, and can cause vibration issues… And I have seen many TPMS sensors ruined including customers complaining about the dealer saying they had to replace them after using fix-a-flat…
And as much as I like the Truck U and those type of shows they are sponsored products and are scripted as to what to say for the most part… Let fix-a-flat set up for a while in a tire and it becomes very slick and bonds to the rubber, that is how it stops the leak and a patch will not adhere to it… Glass and rubber are as different as night and day… And yes you can sometimes save a tpms sensor by blowing it out, but more so then not it is bad…
… especially since the OP NEVER made mention of RFTs.
And yet, that type of tire keeps turning up in many responses.
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I don’t balance tires with Fix-A-Flat in them.
I rinse the Fix-A-Flat out of the tire, repair the puncture, fill the tire with air, and THEN check the balance,
Tester
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