When you experience a flat tyre, one of the first questions that comes to mind is, “Can I repair this punctured car tyre?”. At Car Repair Online, our policy, aligned with the British Standard BSAU159, dictates the conditions under which a tyre puncture can be safely repaired. This standard is crucial for ensuring the safety and longevity of tyre repairs, specifically concerning the puncture’s location relative to the tyre sidewall.
According to these guidelines, we can only perform minor tyre repairs within the central ¾ of the tyre tread area, known as the minor repair area. If a puncture occurs outside this zone, closer to the tyre sidewall, we cannot guarantee a safe and durable repair, even for slow punctures. This is because repairs in this area are considered too risky and could compromise tyre integrity.
But why is the tyre sidewall off-limits for repairs? The sidewall of a tyre plays a critical role, bearing the brunt of the load and stress when your vehicle is in motion. When a minor puncture repair is conducted, the damaged area is prepared using a specialized air drill. While this process is perfectly safe and effective within the minor repair area, using it on the sidewall could potentially weaken the tyre’s structural integrity. Furthermore, the sidewall experiences significant flexing during driving. A repair patch applied to the sidewall is much more likely to detach due to this constant movement, ultimately leading to tyre failure, which can be extremely dangerous.
Given that the sidewall is not designated as a minor repair zone, it’s crucial to avoid driving on a flat tyre, unless you are using run-flat tyres. Driving on a deflated tyre can drastically reduce the chances of a successful repair. Without proper air pressure, the tyre sidewall becomes trapped between the wheel rim and the road surface, causing severe damage. Consequently, even if your puncture is initially located within the minor repairable area, driving on it while flat might inflict additional, irreparable damage to the tyre sidewall, rendering the tyre unrepairable.
