At around 1,300 miles on my brand new Coopers, somewhere in my short travels, I picked up a roofing nail of unknown length. I've been running on it for a month now as its lodged right at the treads edge, parallel to the side wall. Its in the unrepairable zone. I have a very good quality plug kit but am just not sure it can be plugged to last. They are 80,000 mile tires too dang it. Between the Flea Market, which is strewn with screws and nails and, all the Contractor trucks and scrap metal haulers on the Dixie Highway, its no wonder more vehicles dont get flat tires. Kinda affraid at this time to try and plug it as it may not work. Good thing I got a bonus for a truck sale here at the Market for U Haul. The fun just never ends.

Why didn"t you purchase the road hazard insurance ? ................................................... drill sgt.

Forgot to mention that. Sams Club garage was not mounting tires. Closed due to the virus. No road hazard on tires they dont mount. Its been holding pressure just fine. When tire rotation comes due, I wouldn't trust it as a steer tire. I will need to replace it.

Discount Tire is nearly everywhere-and they offer road hazard warranty. See if there’s one nearby.

I once caught the corner of a storm drain parking along a curb. Tore the sidewall out of the tire. It was a day and a half old.

David, I can feel your pain. I remember following the clean-up efforts after Hurricane Andrew here in 92', everybody carried and dragged all the construction debris from the damages done to their homes, windows, roofing materials and sections, all manner of storm destroyed remains out to the front swales. It was later picked up and swept away by bulldozers and pushed to the end of the blocks in piles to be removed by other trucks and haulers.

I can remember getting 4 flats on my Mustang GT within one week from all those roofing nails left behind after the bulldozers swept the debris down the blocks. Tire hazards were everywhere in my area. I eventually opted for a whole new set of tires after things stabilized, but everybody it seemed got "nailed" pun intended

So you trust a roofing nail more than a repair?

Houston,Texas morning rush hour traffic a flat bed lumber supply truck dropped a KEG of roofing nails in the roadway causing several dozen flattened tires. Several vehicles had multiple flats as a local radio stations were telling motorist to avoid that section of the freeway. Last heard the truck driver did not stop and the popo was looking for the truck and driver. ........... drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
So you trust a roofing nail more than a repair?

No. The nail is in the no repair zone of the tires edge tread. It look like this is a location which cannot be plugged. Thinking if I just cut the head off and let it be, it will hold air just fine. If I pull it, I may not be able to plug it.

quote:

Originally posted by just1tym:
David, I can feel your pain. I remember following the clean-up efforts after Hurricane Andrew here in 92', everybody carried and dragged all the construction debris from the damages done to their homes, windows, roofing materials and sections, all manner of storm destroyed remains out to the front swales. It was later picked up and swept away by bulldozers and pushed to the end of the blocks in piles to be removed by other trucks and haulers.

I can remember getting 4 flats on my Mustang GT within one week from all those roofing nails left behind after the bulldozers swept the debris down the blocks. Tire hazards were everywhere in my area. I eventually opted for a whole new set of tires after things stabilized, but everybody it seemed got "nailed" pun intended

That would be very disheartening. I cant imagine having to go through tires like this.

I recall tire repair kits that involved a heated patch on the inside of the tire. Are these no longer available anywhere? Seems like those would work.

Patch or plug, he's saying it's in a no-go repair area, there are places where tire stores are not going to touch it, mostly liability reasons.

Look for a used tire place that might pull and patch it, cash talks, I had them do one of mine while we were getting the front suspension redone since it wouldn't hold an alignment. Didn't want a new tire on it as it would eat them up in a short distance.

All they can say is no...

If it's not losing air I'd leave it be, you pop off the head and it might cause it to flex and leak.. or not.

So you’ve been running on a month with the nail serving as a plug? If so, a plug can only improve the odds. You mentioned you had a good quality plug kit.

Just over a month ago I took a rivet on the shoulder of a one year old Michelin Defender tire. This is right we’re the tread turns for the sidewall, it’s generally an ‘unrepairable’ zone.

I consulted with a relative that owns a construction company, trucks, heavy equipment, all the rest. He said he has plugged many tires in questionable areas, most have held.

I plugged this rivet hole, have been watching it like a hawk. It has not lost even one psi due to this hole & plug.

I would start with a careful plug job, then watch it very closely.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
So you’ve been running on a month with the nail serving as a plug? If so, a plug can only improve the odds. You mentioned you had a good quality plug kit.

Just over a month ago I took a rivet on the shoulder of a one year old Michelin Defender tire. This is right we’re the tread turns for the sidewall, it’s generally an ‘unrepairable’ zone.

I consulted with a relative that owns a construction company, trucks, heavy equipment, all the rest. He said he has plugged many tires in questionable areas, most have held.

I plugged this rivet hole, have been watching it like a hawk. It has not lost even one psi due to this hole & plug.

I would start with a careful plug job, then watch it very closely.

I am considering plugging it. Sinse the tires are fairly new, the nail is seated just as your rivot so the tire has some heavy tread there. Funny thing is, the tool in my Tech Outdoors plug kit will make the hole larger than the roofing nail. I havn't completely decided to plug or leave the nail yet. Either way, I may go ahead at rotation time and buy another tire.

Roofing nails are fairly short, might not have gone completely through if it's in one of the tread blocks, although you need to be prepared to fix it when you pull it.

Wife ran over a sprinkler head and punctured the sidewall right smack in the middle of a rear tire on the JD lawn tractor at two weeks after we bought it. Took a plug kit and fixed it.

Held up now for two years, then again, I"m not running 70 MPH on I-75 either, top speed is about 8 mph.... So not much risk with it going flat at full throttle.

my left front on the civic had a slow leak,

maybe very 3-5 days just a few pounds down,

driving home a few weeks ago, and the time monitor comes on, odd I say, since I just put air in the front left a day before,

get home, tire looks good, go in the house,
get in the car the next day, tire looks good, figure I would pull up to the house and pump it up,

car feels funny,
get out and look and a rear is flat,

damn nail, thru the tread,
no worries , pull it, plug it, and as I am inflating it, feel air around my knuckles,

damn nail not only hit the tread, but curved and punctured the sidewal,

44K on the set, so I just had a new set of 4 put on,


so,

few days later, I take some stuff to the shop to unload in a small storage shed we have in the woods,

ran over something, no idea what, but my left front goes flat on the truck,

and not in the sidewall, not in the tread, but in between,

so I pull it, and put on the spare, (thinking I'll just go buy one tire, since they are in like new condition,


spare is just a bit low, so I twist off the cap, and the entire valve stem internals shoot out,

not the schrader valve, the part the valve screws into,,,



so now, I'll plug the one I have a hole in that should get me to my tire guy, and get 2 new for the front, so I can replace the spare,



Sept has sucked for tires

For what it’s worth I have plugged/ repaired at least 20 tires in my lifetime in the “no repair” zone and the tires always held air for the life of the tire. Lawyers tell us not to do a lot of things but it will likely be fine.

I wouldn't use a plug. I've had them fail at highway speeds. Take the tire off and patch it.

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
For what it’s worth I have plugged/ repaired at least 20 tires in my lifetime in the “no repair” zone and the tires always held air for the life of the tire. Lawyers tell us not to do a lot of things but it will likely be fine.

I am leaning towards patch and try,

slow leaker, relatively,

Take it to a top line tire shop and see what they think. Don't plug it yourself, let them decide if a plug/patch will work.