Nail in tire

[Ronzi]

I have had nails stuck in tires that did not go through the inner liner, thus no loss of air. Maybe you'll be lucky, too.

[drburton]

Just pulled a big screw out of my tire last week, but it was right in the tread block so it didn't go all the way through, no air loss.

Start praying the nail is short.

Otherwise, one of the big issues for me in my first DE was to trust the car at high speeds. I think that trust would fly out the window with a repaired tire. If you did puncture the tire I would get it replaced before the DE.

[rock88hard]

i was just gonna start a thread for this and Bang! whatdaya know anyway i'm due for new tires in about 5,000 miles, but got a nail in the rear and won't be taking any DE. i will sadly, no longer cruise at 120mph until a get a new one, but i was wondering if it will sustain being plugged that long under normal driving conditions (under 80mph.. maybe). i'm guessing that i will need to replace by fall anyway. i don't know anything about tires at all so i'm at your mercy... i'm pretty sure i know what the dealership would say

[steve00s]

Under normal driving conditions the repair should hold up just fine. Over the years I have had many nails and screws removed from tires and have never had a problem. The issue (as drburton states below) really is trust and piece of mind, especially when you are going 140mph down a long straightaway. I'll probably replace both rear tires as they are at about half of their useful life and use the old ones for autocross.

Funny I just got a screw in mine the other week. The PO had a few flats too. I'm wondering if the wider tires have more propensity for picking up nails/screws since... well, they are wider. Never heard of a car with so many flats before.


Anyways I got a patch and a plug for mine. I doubt I'd lose any air at high speed, but I don't trust em as much as an unmolested tire. I haven't done a top speed run since. Guess I'll have to rip em up at low speed

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

As mentioned the Tire is definitely compromised. It should not be run past 70MPH for safety's sake (I wouldn't run it at all personally, that's part of the Price you pay).

A Passenger car Tire is different in that Heat Management is not so much an issue - Less Grip = Less Heat Generated. The NHTSA states that the only way to properly repair a punctured Tire is with a Plug and a Patch - http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/Tires/images/brochure.pdf . Yet many Tire Repair Shops will use a Plug only.

The problem for this in a Performance Tire is that you increase the Mass in a specific area (the Plug and Patch) which consequently absorbs more Heat (and releases Heat more slowly). This can lead to a Temp related Blow-out.

It's a B*tch having to replace a Tire before it's due, but that's part of the game. The cost of a new Tire pales in comparison to the costs of bent Sheet Metal, and bent People...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[steve00s]

I decided to e-mail the tire manfacturer (Falken) and to their credit and my total shock I had a response back in less than one hour. Here is what they said:

"If all of the following below was completed by a competent tire professional, then the repair should be fine for the life of the tread.

The tire was thoroughly inspected prior to the repair, with the tire showing no signs of run low or run flat.
The puncture was ¼” diameter or smaller and in or near the center area of the tread.
The tire was properly repaired using a plug patch combination

Please note that the Tire should now be de-rated by one speed rating. So if you have a “W” (168 mph) speed rated tire- it should now be considered a “V” (149 mph). This maximum would be for the vehicle, even if the other three tires had the W rating or higher."

Falken Tire Corporation
Tim Widener - Product Engineer
Technical & Warranty assistance
email: TWidener@falkentire.com

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

The cost of a new Tire pales in comparison to the costs of bent Sheet Metal, and bent People...

Bendy people! Do you mean like this guy?