I ran over a nail last night and it got stuck into the front tire pretty well. I pulled it out after parking expecting air to escape but nothing. I figured when I wake up this morning, the tire will be completely deflated but it is actually perfectly fine.
The nail went in about 2 inches and what is left is a small hole where the nail was. Does this mean it didn't go all the way in and I should be fine?
Or will this thing pop when I am going 65mph on the highway at any moment?
Feel free to share similar experiences. Thank you!

 

It depends on where the nail went in and at what angle. If you got lucky, it may not have penetrated all the way through. Your tire's not likely to explode or anything, but it is possible over a long period of time that moisture can penetrate the opening and start rusting the "cord" in the tire, which can potentially lead to tire failure.

I've plugged many a tire (inexpensive kits available from any auto parts store), and have put tens of thousands of miles on plugged tires. The kit is basically a short piece of leather cord coated in sticky adhesive - you use an included tool to insert the cord into the nailhole, which plugs / seals the leak.

Or, you can take the tire to a tire shop and have them remove the tire and patch it from the inside.

If your tire isn't leaking down a week from how, I'd just drive and not worry about it.

EDIT - if the nail went in the sidewall, I'd lean more toward replacing the tire… hard to plug the tire there.

es

 

Thanks for the insight. It went in smack in the middle at the fattest area, not the lower grooves if that makes sense.
I have plugs coming in the mail but not sure if I should use it since it would mean I have to punch a hole in it and THEN push the plug in.

 

If it didn't go all the way through leave it alone. It didn't puncture the ply that's all that matters.

Don't mess with it.

 

I'd watch it for a week. If it's not going down by then, you may have dodged a bullet. Of course, it could start leaking down slowly later on, at which point you can plug it.

es

 

you should only plug a tire you do not care about. patching, or better yet umbrella patching is the way to go. it is more expensive, but it is a better repair.

if the tire is worn out, or you plan on replacing it, then by all means jam a plug in there and be on your merry way.

that being said, once i put over 20 plugs into a sidewall just to get me where i was going... when i dismounted the tire, it looked like a pile of poop from the inside.

 

normally it's best to leave nail in if it's not leaking
if nail was pulled out it's best to patch it. leak or not

 

I'd hazard a guess your tire is probably OK. That being said I'd go to my local Discount Tire & have the good folks there look at the tire & determine if it is OK.

I only use plugs as a last resort in an emergency. The best fix is a patch with a plug the goes in from the inside. Done wrong those quickie plugs can compromise the tire.

 

If the tire didn't penetrate the inner liner there is no point to patching or plugging!

The belts are well encapsulated in rubber so a single penetration will not result in significant corrosion.

Yes, I use plugs (the "sticky string" variety) on my tires if the puncture is in the "repairable" area of the tread. They work fine. I used to be leery about this until I got to be friends with a tire shop owner and he told me that he uses plugs on his own tires. He (and I) have never had one fail. By using plugs you avoid the hazards of dismounting and remounting the tire and the need to re-balance the tire/wheel. I also eliminate the hassle of taking the tire to be fixed and often can do the job without removing the rim from the car!

Of course, in his shop he insists upon dismounting and applying a patch to the inside of the tire because it makes more money and also promotes replacement tire sales!

 

Interesting take. My local tire shop, Discount Tire has never charged me to dismount, patch & rebalance a tire. We can agree to disagree on this. If you are comfortable with a plug go for it. I'll keep having my punctures patched.

I think bati555 is OK with his tire. Most likely he dodged a bullet.

 

You paid for repairs when you bought the tires! Working on the car gives them good opportunity to upsell you during your visit!

On the other side of the coin, I get rather concerned when I see tire guys grinding away inside the tire to prep for the patch. The rubber inside the tire isn't as thick and rugged as the tread!

 

I'm sure something is built into the cost of tires to offset a tire repair. I do not buy extra tire warranties. My current tires where not even purchased from Discount Tire yet they repair & rebalance them for free. Hard to see how they got paid up front for that.

A smart shopper uses the tools available & buys what they need. I guess some folks may get upsold. Has that happened to you? I've not had that problem.

Only a very small part of the tire is abraded so the patch will adhere properly. No heavy duty grinding is done. Fixing a tire in this way does not hurt it's speed rating. For me on my car that is very important.

Like I said earlier we'll have to agree to disagree.

All the best.