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[330ibmwbeast]

If you run a oe runflat tire on low pressure or flat for long enough to break apart a very small part of the sealant on the inside of the tire, does it make the tire ununable? Tire still holds great pressure and has 40% tread remaining. Low pressure was caused by crack in wheel.

[330ibmwbeast]

the reason i ask this question is bc:

I cracked a wheel and after ordering a replacement wheel i carried it to a local tire store to be swapped. When they made an effort to remove the tire from the bad wheel the blew out my sidewall with their machine. Appears to me that the pressure was not placed in the middle of the steel belt but right between the belt and the tread. Then when (20 min later) they finally removed the whole tire, not only was it blown out on the side wall but they also chewed huge chunks out of my lip and depressed the tire so hard that it split the sealant on the inside of the tire all the way around. I argued that they demolished my tire but they state bc it was run low pressure that the tire was allready bad. Who is to blame?

[mr_milo]

The run-flats internally self destruct when you run them flat (without air). On the outside the tire might look fine but on the inside the tire starts to break apart.

I highly doubt they did anything wrong. Run-flats especially 18" 35 series are a bitch to mount and un-mount. Took two guys at the tire shop to replace mine. They were bending the heck out of it trying to get in off and then on... nothing wrong with the tire, but it was NEVER run flat either.

[Glim]

Exactly, the tire sacrifices itself if the pressure is low, read this article:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=156