burble Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 On the way home from work this evening I went around a blind corner to find some **** in the middle of the road so I had to swerve to avoid him. Upshot is that the nearside rear tyre (and I think the rim) need to be replaced. I knew instantly that the tyre had gone because the back end of the car was as loose as hell yet the flat tyre indicator didn't light up. Luckily there was a side road that I could turn into about 100m up the road so I went in there and put the spare on and carried on home. Is that normal? Are the flat tyre indicators really that useless that they don't tell you when the tyre is all but completely flat? To complicate things further I'm off to Paris in the morning so am going to have to drive over to my parents tonight, get a lift to BHX with my Dad in the morning (got to be there for 5am - he'll love that!) and then he'll see if he can get the wheel sorted for me. Bugger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEdge Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 Well it must be useless my front drivers side tyre was on 20psi I have all mine set on 36psi but the car failed to tell me anything !! Hope you get it sorted out is the alloy damaged much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burble Posted February 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 Having had a look in decent light the alloy doesn't need to be replaced but I will have it refurbished as there is some damage. That can wait until I go to South Africa in a couple of months. The tyre is definately dead, there is a cut in the sidewall. My Dad is going to get a new tyre fitted while I am in Paris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean_H Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 Burble - how come you had a spare?? I thought all the .:Rs just came with that stupid 'goo & go' instead of any spare wheel or tyre?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burble Posted February 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 Mine came with one of those stupid space saver spares so I had the pleasure of driving home on some gorgeous country roads at a maximum of 50mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbletop Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 The mk5 R32 has a spare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petsy Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 yes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burble Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 [ QUOTE ] The mk5 R32 has a spare? [/ QUOTE ] Bloody well hope so! If it doesn't I wonder what the hell it was I shoved on the nearside rear and then drove home on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zharca Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 To answer the original question, the flat tyre indicator works by looking at the rotation speed of the wheels - tyre going down, smaller rolling radius. To work this out it needs the car to run a mile or so and it can detect about 3lb difference. If you get a complete blowout, it won't react immediately. I've had two slow punctures and it caught them before the tyre was really low, which probably saved the tyres. One had lost a few pounds overnight and the warning light came on after driving about a mile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burble Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 It strikes me as strange that it doesn't detect a total deflation quickly though - there will be a drastic change in rotation radius in a very short space of time. Admittedly you'd be hard pressed not to notice a total deflation but I don't think that's the point. Plus, TheEdge said that one of his tyres was at 20psi and the indicator didn't do anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavHughes Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 On a blast through North Wales, I hit a piece of metal (probably fallen off my mates 911). I didn't notice anything until the warning light came on. Have to say, it work well. Rear tyre BTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean_H Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 [ QUOTE ] The mk5 R32 has a spare? [/ QUOTE ] Yes sorry - was thinking back to my Mk4 days - doh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidicks Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I hit a piece of metal (probably fallen off my mates 911). [/ QUOTE ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 I know, Sidicks - I was shocked to even read that someone could say anything could fall of a Porka. As if anything like that could ever happen Bloody Golf drivers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavHughes Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I know, Sidicks - I was shocked to even read that someone could say anything could fall of a Porka. As if anything like that could ever happen Bloody Golf drivers... [/ QUOTE ] Probably cost him an arm and a leg to fix his 996! Cost me £180 for a new tyre - and he didn't even pay for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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