Screw In My Tyre >_<

Hey guys,

Ran over a bloody screw in the M3. Don't think it's repairable since it's so close to the side wall, mind you it's a small screw. What do you guys reckon? Am I screwed and need to buy a new tyre or reckon someone will repair it?

Is it worth putting the car on jack stands to prevent it from sitting on the flat tyre for a couple of days until the weekend when I can get it fixed?

Yeah, it's screwed.

Take it to a tyre place for their opinion. Can you keep it inflated or is it a rapid leak?

I just had a broken bottle pierce my tyre too. I'd say you have a 50% chance of repair on that since it is a small hole and not on the sidewall but very close.

you can get it repaired if you see someone good and the belt isnt damaged. i had one closer to the side wall and they rubber welded it. but they do have to take the tyre off the rim for that.

It holds pressure alright. I'm going to take it to some tyre shops on the weekend to see what they say. I've also requested quotes for two new tyres.

It's up on jack stands for now to prevent any structural damage to the tyre. Hopefully body corp don't kick up a stink. Rears are only an inch off the ground and the fronts are chocked.

go to a big tire shop - very good chance of repair - this shiz happens!

Nah I think you should be sweet Declan..

Have it plugged, it'll probably be fine.

not worth getting it plugged, to close to the sidewall.

buy a new set of rears.

Originally Posted by rcsummers

not worth getting it plugged, to close to the sidewall.

buy a new set of rears.

Why do you say it's not worth getting fixed?

I'm no tyre engineer but I can't see how a 2mm diameter hole with a depth of no more than 4-5mm would cause any structural damage should it be plugged. I drove on the tyre for no more than 500m after the TPMS went off and it still had 30PSI in it when I got home. It's now on jack stands so I can't see why it would be beneficial to bin them and get new tyres if I can get the hole plugged to a point where it will hold pressure.

Keen to hear your reasoning if you think otherwise though.

I'll start this with "in Australia"

Any puncture within 2cm of the tyre wall is considered "unrepairable" by the large tyre distributors/chains.

When you finally find a smaller repairer who will fix it, they will usually say, "yes but we won't guaranty the repair will hold." I was told around 50% chance, it's because there is a lot of flex in the tyre in that area during acceleration, breaking and cornering.

I had a screw puncture my rear tyre in an almost identical position on a new Michelin ps2, I had it repaired and it held up fine. (it took me 4 different Tyre stores to find one that said it could be done.)

I'll admit I was a little concerned about what could happen if I tracked the tyre, so I replaced it when the tyre reached 1/2 tread, however I probably could have continued using it with no concerns.

Originally Posted by DeclanM3

Why do you say it's not worth getting fixed?

I'm no tyre engineer but I can't see how a 2mm diameter hole with a depth of no more than 4-5mm would cause any structural damage should it be plugged.

It's pretty simple.

There are kevlar (?) threads in the tyre side wall and if they are damaged, the tyre then has a weak point where is can explosively blow out, which obviously is dangerous when your going fast around a corner..

Which is also when you're most likely to cause the blow out, obviously that is when your'e loading the tyre the most, further that location is also near the maximum stress point for the tyre during acceleration and breaking.

The reason it may not be worth patching relates to the cost of the patch, time to patch failure, (which they won't re-patch as I understand it), and danger of blow out, a serious blow out could cost you more than just a new tyre. (ie injury to yourself and others, or just extra damage to the car)

I find them all to be good arguments, but I still had mine repaired and was happy with the result.

In my case and from what I can see of yours, the entry of the screw appears not to touch the sidewall, and I found the risk acceptable, BUT the shoulder is a weak point in the tyre, and the patch further weakens it.. Thankfully it's not in the side wall.

When that happened to me it cracked my wheel and i had to get it welded shut new wheels i bought dont fit either so they have to be machined. Lucky that it will only be your tire that needs replacing

Originally Posted by pythonis

When that happened to me it cracked my wheel and i had to get it welded shut new wheels i bought dont fit either so they have to be machined. Lucky that it will only be your tire that needs replacing

I'm lost, what cracked your wheel?

Good to see your tyre pressure sensors working well and doing their job!

Originally Posted by KOpower

Good to see your tyre pressure sensors working well and doing their job!

Yeah. I was surprised at how quickly it picked up the fault considering the way the system works. The pressure when the light came on would've only dropped by a few psi max.

Originally Posted by DeclanM3

I'm lost, what cracked your wheel?

the screw in the tyre... silly billy

I would just plug it. My Jewish overrides safety concerns.

But id suggest a new tyre, particularly under hard driving.