# Flat tire

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/flat-tire/66396>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [July 19, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flat-tire/66396 "2011-07-19T21:15:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sjana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@sjana](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sjana)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flat-tire/66396/1 "2011-07-19T21:15:45Z")

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will letting the car stay on the flat (really flat, all the way gone) ruin the rim? I have a 2001 Avalon

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**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flat-tire/66396/2 "2011-07-19T21:35:25Z")

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Stay ?  
Parked in the driveway ? no problem.  
Driving on it ? maybe. Aluminum rims can’t take as much punishment as steel. Super slow is better for the wheel than faster.

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**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flat-tire/66396/3 "2011-07-19T21:43:37Z")

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The rubber will cushion it likely. It will ruin the tire if its repairable.

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**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flat-tire/66396/4 "2011-07-19T22:15:39Z")

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No, it will not ruin the rim. Assume the tire is no longer usable.

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**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flat-tire/66396/5 "2011-07-19T23:48:58Z")

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It’s OK to sit, but driving on it could bend the rim and keep you from seating a new tire properly.

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**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flat-tire/66396/6 "2011-07-20T00:26:07Z")

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I saw a guy drive on a flat tire until he was all the way down to the rotor. Just sitting should not hurt the rim.