Flat!

[Baashar]

I got my first flat tire last night. The night before my birthday too =(

I drove about half a mile on it im assuming, part of that was before I even noticed I had a flat ( I have low profile tires which makes it a little more difficult ) and the rest of that half mile was me driving slowly to the nearest gas station. The rim doesnt look too bad. Doesnt look bent, however the inner lip got scuffed up. The tire on the other hand is shredded with 4 or 5 deep lacerations running a few inches long each.

The jack that comes with the E39 SUCKS. Its a dinky , unsafe little thing, but It did the job...barely. So now Ive got one stock wheel and it looks pretty ridiculous. My dad thinks the problem was unbalanced tires because all the other tires have unusual wear and tear on them. So theres a possibility I can get a whole new set for free since theyre only about a yr old.

[superdeadman]

maybe, maybe not
the problem with low profile tires, and TRUST me on this one, is that you can not see the pressure in the tire by looking at them. They have very short and sturdy sidewall, so if you are at 20psi or 40 psi, the tire will look pretty much the same. With that said, if you drive for a long period of time on highly under inflated tires, they will shred and explode (which sounds something like what you got)
I know this because i remember reading about it from one of the members of this forum. His tires were pretty much new too, it's just the pressure was too low. Make sure your other tires are fine. If you see that the other 3 tires are underinflated (make sure you use the pressure gauge, not just your eye) -then you know why it shredded

[LOS]

I agree, the jack is not the greatest. It happened to me once and those lug nuts were way too tight. I ended up towing the car to the tire shop. I'm not surprised you tired was trashed afterwards. Anytime you get a flat with low profile tires you have to assumed that you'll need a new tire. I have 18"s on mine.

LOS

[Scyrusurcys]

And with low-profile tires, you not only have to worry about the tire, but the wheel. Driving with a flat for an extended amount of time will eventually warp your wheel.