Itinerant Air-Cooled

So I am cruising on the highway doing about 60, and all of a sudden I feel something isn't right - and it gets worse really fast - so I pull over on the shoulder and quickly stop. Turns out my drivers rear tire went flat (later I find out that the base of the valve stem has a leak - must have hit a bump and it finally gave way). Changed it as fast as a Nascar pit crew. Anyhow, easy fix, but would you all feel OK about driving on a tire that was running flat (or near close to it) for perhaps 3-500 feet? These are Continental Vanco 8 (load D) that I got 6-7 years ago so the sidewalls are very stiff by nature. Sidewalls do not have any obvious wear, however I do admit that they all run flat several times a year for 10-15 feet so I can get it in/out of my garage (whole other problem). So what say you - fix the stem and roll with it?

Side note - the crappy spare I have is a standard 14" passenger car tire - and I noticed how much shorter the sidewall is as compared to the load D's....do I dare go back to the dark side just to be able to get in/out of my garage w/o running them flat???

If the sidewall looks good, I would roll it.

The dark side is to be avoided! (imho)

Let's see...

You always return the side-walls to their nominal pressure, so it's stored at the right pressure.
You also pulled over very quickly and didn't run with it flat.
You likely didn't run with it under pressure for very long.

Overall, I'd say that it's still safe to use.

Aaaand do not return to the dark side... Seriously, it's an overall safety issue, we use LR-C/LR-D tires for a damn good reason.

Mr Blotto wrote: Sidewalls do not have any obvious wear, however I do admit that they all run flat several times a year for 10-15 feet so I can get it in/out of my garage (whole other problem). So what say you - fix the stem and roll with it?

After repairing the stem and re-inflating to correct running pressure, I'd carefully inspect the tires for bulges in the sidewalls (which would indicate internal damage to the cords). If none found, run with the tire for a couple of days then re-inspect for bulging, inboard and outboard. Maybe have a tire professional (one who has no vested interest in selling you a new tire, if that's possible) take a look and give you an honest opinion.

Take a look at the inside of the tire when you have the valve stem replaced. Sometimes there is damage to the inside, but the outside looks fine. If the tire is full tiny balls of rubber, or the outside sidewall is scuffed to the point of losing strength, don't use it.

Thanks for the replies - I am sticking with my load range D's, and will check on the interior condition of the sidewalls.