A Nail in my Tire
I found a nail in my right front tire after commuting to work this morning, but the tire (Kelly, on a 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee) is still inflated. Can I just pull this sucker out, or will the tire promptly deflate if I do? Can I drive this to a repair shop or will I be at risk to have a blowout and roll over? Appreciate any advice... thanks
-EC
-EC
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Comments
If it is through the tread they could patch it from the inside. The plugs aren't a real good idea with radials. If it is through the sidewall it's time for a new tire.
NTB plugged a tire on my Intrepid when I got a flat in my grandmother's yard (nail). That sucker went flat in about 5 minutes. I think it was about $10.00. Replaced those tires at 30K, because they were worn out.
I picked up another nail while vacationing in Houston last January. I took it to a local shop that plugged it.
Is there a reason they don't do patches any more? About 4 years ago, I bought a beater Newport from the junkyard, and one of its tires went flat. I took it to get it fixed, and the shop said it had 3 or 4 patches already, and that one of them had come loose. I had it fixed, but the next time it lost air I just gave up and bought new tires (I was close to bankruptcy back then, so I'd often take drastic measures to save money) So is a patch still better than a plug, though? Most of the repair places I've dealt with left me the impression that it wasn't.
I won't let them plug my tires.
aldehyde...
Drive your Jeep to a competant tire repair shop.
It won't blow out and your Jeep won't roll over.
I would probably avoid the freeway though.
-EC
I recently got a large screw in my front tire and its head was so big, I could HEAR it ticking as soon as I got it. Looking at my tire in a parking lot, I couldn't find it the first day but I did find it on the second (a total of about 100 miles). I unscrewed it to remove it and my tire immediately went flat. While plugging the tire, I noticed a second foreign object, the remains of an old nail in the tire only a couple inches from the new screw. I rasped both holes and plugged them. Both have been holding air since.
The tires are nearly to their wear bars and this summer will be their last season so I'm not too worried about their longevity.
Also, has anyone else used the Slime or Monkey Grip sealants (non-aerosol) that you squeeze into your valve which is supposed to seal minor punctures? I used to be a big believer in this stuff (it DOES work!) but it also throws your tire out of balance so I won't be using it unless I'm SURE my tire is losing air.
--- Bror Jace
Anyway, with regards to the patch/plug. I think its just general knowledge that patching is better and when you think about it-it makes sense. I carry a plug kit around just for emergencies though. Needless to say you can't plug the sidewall-need to patch. So that says something there.
Later
You can argue a plug damages the belts, but doesn't corrosion do the same thing if you allow water (especially salty water inside)into the exposed belts? Perhaps we should look at it from another perspective. If either was unsafe, the tire manufacturers or the gov't would step in and perhaps make it illegal. . The best tire is one with no holes, why worry how it's patched....I only care if it doesn't leak. Once a tire has a hole, it is uncertain how much damage has been really done. It becomes a game of how long you can prolong it's life.
As for the truth, I guess that, just like how many licks it really takes to get to the chewy center of a Tootsie pop, the world may never know!
Harry
I'm not aware of any tire manufacturer that says a plug alone is ok in their warranty information.
The combo plug and patch is the way to go. I have used all methods and fortunately have nevery had a problem to date.
Radial tubes are not a hazzard.
Maybe for old Triumphs you had no choice but to use tubes, but I certainly wouldn't do it on a modern vehicle.
Harry