Is it a good idea to cycle or drive on a flat tyre?

Question

What are the consequences?

Answer 1

no not at all. youwill spoil the tube also

Answer 2

only for a short distance because if you go to far you take the chance of messing up the rim which will cost you more also you don't have as much control on a flat you could crash so go slow

Answer 3

some tyres are designed to be able to be driven on when they are flat, but most brands will end up with a groove all around the wall, the wall will become thin and be in danger of blowing out,

Answer 4

No. You could cause some serious damage to your wheel.

If you are driving it is also illegal to drive with under inflated tyres which could lead to fixed penalty notices.

Answer 5

it's not safe and really bad for the rim, and will totally distroy the tire

Answer 6

Tyres and tubes can be repaired. But driving on them flat will mean that they become damaged and may need replacing.

it would also be bad for the rim too. If the rim is too badly damaged or bent the tyre might not fit on it, so a new rim would need to be purchased.

Answer 7

NO! but i have tried it

Answer 8

You can ride for a short distance and very slowly. I did this on a bicycle with a puncture. If the road surface is smooth, cycle slowly, avoiding bumps and cobbled areas. The tyre can get a bit squashed about, and the inner tube tangled. Also, the tube at the valve could tear if you cycle for too long. If the object that has penetrated the tyre is kept in, this could make the puncture worse because it gets driven further into the tube. But generally, there should be no problem for short distances.

Most bicycles have heavier wheels nowadays, so they should be able to handle short distances when riding with a flat tyre.

When home, repair the tube as normal, and check inside the tyre for glass, thorns etc that may have caused the puncture. Most bicyle inner tubes are around £3.50 each so it's worth having a couple spare for really bad punctures, or for long distance cycling.

Answer 9

Car tires tend to come apart .  Not only does handling suffer but other parts of the car can  be damaged from vibration.

Motorcycle tires have stronger side walls and rarely come apart.  Handling suffers, though.

Answer 10

What a great question, this goes along with.   Is it safe to swim alone at night?

No its not a good idea.

Answer 11

The consequences are simple and clear, not only are you going to severely damage the tire that could've been fixed if done on time but, if you keep cycling (as in a bicycle) or driving you will do damage to the lip of the rim itself, if that happens...you're screwed because even if a new tire is installed on that rim, it will constantly leak air, will be useless.  Best thing for you or anyone to do when they get a flat tire is to just make sure they got a good "inflated" spare first of all and always have a "Fix-a-flat" can handy just in case!

Answer 12

Wow, we get some dumb questions on here don't we?

Answer 13

You can destroy the actual wheel....you put unusual stress on the suspension and axles.....and if the flat tire is located on a drive wheel (front wheel drive\rear wheel drive) it can damage you differential and transmission (trans in fwd cars).

Answer 14

Oh dear. Nobody seems to be bothered about who you micht kill if you do?? Just get new tyres LOL

Answer 15

Never.

Hey Not Emma Jean, Whats wrong with swimming alone at night? LOL!

Answer 16

no by the way you spelt tire wrong

Answer 17

In a car:  It is an extremely bad idea to drive on a flat tire.  You should only drive far enough to park safely on a level surface where you can safely jack the car up to change it.  

The consequences are:  

If the tire is not destroyed already, it will be within maybe 1/4 mile or so.  

You could destroy your rim as well as your tire.  Even cheap rims cost as much as most tires, and most decent alloy wheels are 2-4 times as much.  

You could mess up your suspension (one corner of the car is suddenly much lower with much less dampening than the rest) This is hundreds of dollars  (err...or 1/2 as many pounds)

You could destroy your differential, if it's on a drive wheel.  The flat tire effectively has a smaller radius, messing with the torque transfer.  If it's an AWD car, you could destroy MULTIPLE differentials.  That could cost thousands of dollars to fix.

If it's on your front wheels, you might not be able to steer well enough to be safe.  

On a bicycle, it is never a GOOD idea, but it isn't as dangerous as a car.  

Consequences:  

Since you're not going to be able to go very fast unless you're going down a hill, controllability isn't as big a deal as with a car, even if it is a front wheel that's flat.  Also you won't do as much mechanical damage.  

However, you can still destroy a perfectly good tire, possibly even a perfectly good tube (usually it's the tube that causes the flat, but sometimes the valve is just jammed).  And you can still destroy your wheel.

It is also a ***** and a half to ride a bicycle with a flat tire...on the plus side, do this a lot and you'll build legs like tree trunks.

Answer 18

Plain and simple...............No.

Answer 19

no-  it will ruin the tire, and the rim

costing you a lot more than just a patch.. also it is a bumpy ride

Answer 20

For one, you could injure your entire wheel base.

1) It's tough on your car- proper air pressure is important

2) Depending on the speed, you could potentially lose control

Answer 21

Question(s):  "Is it a good idea to cycle or drive on a flat tyre?

What are the consequences?"

Answer(s):  No.

The wheel (and vehicle parts located near the wheel) could suffer damage and the vehicle will be more difficult to control.

Answer 22

if are talking of a steel rim then a very short distance to get to safety as long as your speed is kept to no more than 5mph,if your talking of alloy rims then no ,change your wheel or if in dangerous situation inform the police.remember can you afford to replace tyre and rim,alloys cost around £100 each plus your tyre

Answer 23

no you could bend the tyre rim

Answer 24

In a car - you'll damage your rims and will need to spend more money replacing them than you would replacing the tyre! Get a foot operated pump or one that you plug into the cigarette lighter so that you can put enough air into the tyre to get it to the menders. You'll also muck up the tracking - too costly really to drive on a flat. Incidentally, have you got a good spare? If you have, put that on then get your flat repaired at your leisure!!! Best of luck.

Answer 25

No because you can't get to high speeds, you cant stop as fast, and you are wearing out the tire.You are also endagenring others lives because it can be bad to drive slow. And lastly it also makes it harder to control.

Answer 26

bad idea you will ruin the rim

Answer 27

Riding is pretty hard on the rubber and the rims. Its better to push.

Answer 28

i got a flat tyre and had to drive about half a mile to the next village. i even went thru a ford haha. obviously i went really slow. when i stopped after the ford, the water was steaming off the flat tyre, so the rubber must have gained a lot of heat from being used like that.

so the main danger is probably to do with the rubber melting or something. and take care to not damage the metal part of the wheel itself, or you'll have to replace the lot instead of jsut the rubber part.

Answer 29

no its not a good idea. You will end up ruining what may have been a fixable tire plus now you will need to buy a new rim. I'm talking about driving the flat for miles

Answer 30

Cycling = more difficult, harder to ride.

Driving = More Fuel used so cost more and affects braking and steering.