It's common for drivers to run over nails without even noticing it. If the nail is huge and the tire is losing air quickly, it's best to take it to a tire shop rather than try to fix it yourself.
The best possible solution is to bring your vehicle to an expert for patching service. A professional can quickly find the puncture, remove the nail/screw, patch your tire, and refill your tire with air.
Problem 1: Nail, Screw, or Puncture Wound
How do nails end up in tires? This is a surprisingly common problem for drivers. Nails can get tossed aside during construction or fall out of open-ended pickup trucks. Because they are usually left lying flat on the ground, it might seem unlikely that they can pierce tires.
Yes, you can drive with a nail in your tire as long as the tire isn't flat. Stine advises that it's fine to continue driving on a tire with a nail stuck in it.
If your tire is losing very little air as a result of the nail puncture, you may be able to drive for a hundred miles or more! If it is losing air fast, you might want to drive to your local mechanic as soon as possible. In either case, it's important to be proactive to prevent further damage.
If you get a Nail in your tire, you should remove it as soon as possible. You can drive short distances with a nail in your tire but you should not just leave it there and continue to drive for a long period of time. It is very unsafe for not only you but the other drivers you share the road with as well.
It's one of the most unexpected—and unnerving—driving experiences: a tire blowout. And something as small as a nail in the road can be the cause. “It happens any time the air in the tire escapes at a rapid speed,” says James Solomon, a defensive driving expert with the National Safety Council (NSC).
You and the tire are on borrowed time, and it will eventually go flat. A minor shift in the position of the nail or more wear on the tire can cause the air to start to seep out. A slow leak will leave the tire flat and you stranded. As such, take the car to a shop and let them try to pull the nail first.
Punctured tires will likely need to be replaced if: The puncture is more than a ¼ inch in diameter. There's a puncture in the sidewall or shoulder of the tire. You have multiple punctures that are less than 16 inches apart.
A road hazard occurs when a tire fails due to a puncture, bruise or break incurred during the course of normal driving on a maintained road. Nails, glass, and potholes would be the most common examples.
A tire puncture greater than 1/4 inch (or 6mm) cannot be repaired. A new tire replacement is needed if a puncture exceeds this limit. Large tread punctures, irregular gashes or cuts exceeding 1/4 inch cannot be repaired.
Having a nail in your tire, doesn't mean you have a flat. But it does mean something is wrong and if you don't get it repaired in time your tire could blow out or ruin completely. Don't take a chance driving on the road with a nail in your tire.
The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons suggest that people seek medical help within 24 hours after they step on a nail. Stepping on a nail can push debris and bacteria into the foot. Even if a person cleans the wound thoroughly at home, or the wound looks small, there is still a risk of infection.
Treatment. For more serious nail injuries, you should go to an urgent care center or the emergency room. They will stop the bleeding and clean the wound. Usually, the nail and finger or toe will be numbed with medicine before it is treated.
While a tire repair won't cost you an arm and a leg, it will cost you a bit of your time. If you're looking into having a puncture repaired on a tire, you're looking at spending on average between $10 to $20 dollars.
The plug can become dislodged from the tire, resulting in excessive air pressure loss and a potential blowout. This can be extremely dangerous, especially when going at high speeds. Driving on a plugged tire for long distances can also cause the tire to wear unevenly, which can lead to further damage to the tire.
Running over a sharp object, such as a screw or nail, can puncture a tire. These punctures don't necessarily cause a tire to blow immediately. Tires are not as fragile as balloons. However, a slow leak will cause a tire to deflate, and the combination of a small puncture and deflation will eventually cause a blowout.
If the nail is little and the tire is still retaining air, then yes, it is okay to drive with it in your tire. It's common for drivers to run over nails without even noticing it. If the nail is huge and the tire is losing air quickly, it's best to take it to a tire shop rather than try to fix it yourself.
If the nail is deep enough, it can plug the hole so air does not leak from the tire. As soon as you notice the nail, contact a tire store so you can get your tire repaired. If you do not get your tire repaired soon, the tire could blowout causing an even bigger problem.
And that's good, but every time your tire rotates, that screw is rubbing against the walls of the hole and making it a little bigger. That's not good for a couple of reasons: 1.) Your tire could blow out, and 2.) if the hole continues to grow, you run the risk of ruining the tire altogether.
How long does a patched tire last? Like with plugs, patches are said to last from seven to ten years or for the rest of the life of the tire. Again, this tire may not last if the installation goes poorly or there are issues with the location of the hole.
The short answer is no. Manufacturers of run flat tyres recommend that you replace your tyres rather than repair them for a very good reason – the reinforced design and structure of a run flat makes it extremely difficult to tell whether there's secondary damage and the internal structure has been compromised.
Tires can become damaged for a variety of reasons, and it can happen without the driver being immediately aware there's a problem. The most common types of damage are punctures, cuts, impacts, cracks, bulges and irregular wear.
If you start up your car, put it in reverse, and immediately your tire goes flat, it's a good bet that someone wedged a nail or a piece of glass behind your tire to cause that. If it happens two or three times, it's a good bet that somebody is trying to inconvenience you.