Runflat tire with a nail in it
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Mississauga Ontario
Runflat tire with a nail in it
I have discovered a nail in my Potenza RF(rear drivers side)...the tires are 2 years old and have about 7000km on them. The tire pressure did not get below 18psi ... popular opinion is the tire cannot be repaired. Anyone done otherwise with some success? I don't have a problem buying a new tire if need be but was concerned about the difference in the tread wear between the pair of tires in the rear.
Thanks
Thanks
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 3,473
Likes: 691
From: West Virginia
My last set of tires had about 4 plugs in them, due to nails and screws - too many trips to HD and Lowes I guess. Even had to plug one of my brand new Michelin PS2's shortly after I got them.
Anyway, I use a standard plug kit (Autozone/Advance Auto or similar). The key is not to be unnerved by really going at it with the small provided file to open the hole up for the plug. That and plenty of the supplied tire cement will do the job. Yeah, you have lost the tire's speed rating, but mine have held up for years at "enhanced" highway speeds. Funnily enough, I still have the old wheels/tires in the garage - and they are still inflated.
The nail has to be in the tread proper tho' - sidewall, or edge of the tread will not successfully plug, due to flexing.
Anyway, I use a standard plug kit (Autozone/Advance Auto or similar). The key is not to be unnerved by really going at it with the small provided file to open the hole up for the plug. That and plenty of the supplied tire cement will do the job. Yeah, you have lost the tire's speed rating, but mine have held up for years at "enhanced" highway speeds. Funnily enough, I still have the old wheels/tires in the garage - and they are still inflated.
The nail has to be in the tread proper tho' - sidewall, or edge of the tread will not successfully plug, due to flexing.
Last edited by jackthelad; Jun 14, 2015 at 10:27 AM.
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,547
Likes: 210
From: Huntersville, NC
as 8VetteZ says depends on where it is. I have been using these: Victor 22-5-60204-8 Plug & Go Tire Repair Kit for some time now and they make a great temporary repair until you can get the car to a shop and have the proper plug/patch put in. They look hideous, but you just screw them into the hole, up to the little flange, then break off the back. They sit just below the outside surface and give you a no-leak seal good for a bunch of driving. not one bubble of air, and the tire tech can break the tire down and get the red plug piece out from the inside and properly repair the tire. A small 12v compressor is needed, but now you have a non-RF solution. I have used these on RF's to save the RF for more driving.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Mississauga Ontario
Thanks guys... I have used those plug kits from Canadian Tire on many occasions on several normal tires. These are so supposed to be temporary but I never changed them and never had a problem. The nail is about 2.5 inches in from the edge of the sidewall and the tire was never deflated so the sidewalls were not compromised. I think i'll give it a shot before coughing up 500 clams for a new one.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,404
Likes: 1,595
From: Western NY
I have discovered a nail in my Potenza RF(rear drivers side)...the tires are 2 years old and have about 7000km on them. The tire pressure did not get below 18psi ... popular opinion is the tire cannot be repaired. Anyone done otherwise with some success? I don't have a problem buying a new tire if need be but was concerned about the difference in the tread wear between the pair of tires in the rear.
Thanks
Thanks
I wound up replacing the OE tires on my '01 coupe, specifically for this reason. When I had roughly 2500 miles on the car, I ran over something that cut the tire, right on the edge, where the tread and sidewall meet. Non-repairable, toss the tire.
However, the replacement tire didn't wear as quickly as the OE tires, and pretty soon the limited slip unit in the differential was VERY unhappy, as the OD difference between the two tires grew, and the rear axle thought I was driving in a constant circle....
I pulled into the parking lot at work one morning, and as I exited the car, I smelled hot gear oil.
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 44
Likes: 3
From: Lexington Kentucky
I have just 500 miles on Z51 with nail in RR. Pressure at 19 psi after car sat for 5 weeks. Local tire company says it is "against the law" to plug/patch a runflat (RF) tire here in Kentucky. Don't really believe that but can believe that it is their company policy to NOT repair RF tires for safety reasons. Problem is that GM is having a very difficult time in finding a replacement tire as Michelin is no longer making the 2015 tire and is gearing up for year 2016 tires. I may try to plug it myself, fill it with air, then go to the tire shop and have them put the nitrogen back in the tire. Anyone have any comments about this; I'd appreciate it.
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Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Just find a local tire place that will do the repair. Have them patch the tire. DONE. Who ever wont do it is trying to sell you a new tire/s
Ask them to show you the LAW! LOL!!
That sucks!
Ask them to show you the LAW! LOL!!
That sucks!
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 44
Likes: 3
From: Lexington Kentucky
Dealer just called to say GM found tires in GA warehouse to be delivered by next Tuesday. Dealer is going to order several as I'm not the first person this year to come in with a new Vette with a puncture. I'm lobbying hard for them to provide it to me at a nominal charge. I want to track the car and don't want to be doing that with a plugged rear tire. In similar vein, I'm trying to buy a set of all season tires for everyday driving but the Continental tires recommended elsewhere on this forum are also being phased out as Continental is re-tooling for 2016. Tough to wait considering I ordered this car December 31, 2014, the first destroyed by flooding the night before delivery, and received this one June 15, then spent 5 weeks away from home and it. My Mojo isn't working well.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,152
Likes: 890
From: South Western Ontario
Why not use the Bridgestone manual? Read both the normal tire repair info and the extra RF repair information. Basically, the tire can be patched but you lose the speed rating.
https://www.tirerack.com/images/pdf/warranty/BSFS1.pdf
https://www.tirerack.com/images/pdf/warranty/BSFS1.pdf
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 144
Likes: 5
It's good that you are aware of this!
I wound up replacing the OE tires on my '01 coupe, specifically for this reason. When I had roughly 2500 miles on the car, I ran over something that cut the tire, right on the edge, where the tread and sidewall meet. Non-repairable, toss the tire.
However, the replacement tire didn't wear as quickly as the OE tires, and pretty soon the limited slip unit in the differential was VERY unhappy, as the OD difference between the two tires grew, and the rear axle thought I was driving in a constant circle....
I pulled into the parking lot at work one morning, and as I exited the car, I smelled hot gear oil.
I wound up replacing the OE tires on my '01 coupe, specifically for this reason. When I had roughly 2500 miles on the car, I ran over something that cut the tire, right on the edge, where the tread and sidewall meet. Non-repairable, toss the tire.
However, the replacement tire didn't wear as quickly as the OE tires, and pretty soon the limited slip unit in the differential was VERY unhappy, as the OD difference between the two tires grew, and the rear axle thought I was driving in a constant circle....
I pulled into the parking lot at work one morning, and as I exited the car, I smelled hot gear oil.
If that's the case then most cars on the road with mis matched air pressure would be ruining limited slips
Pro
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 660
Likes: 17
From: Tustin California
Jackthelad, you are right on about Lowes and Home Depot. I suggested to my local HD to get a tool that is just a large magnet between two wheels that picks up all the screws and nails that the lazy contractors drop off their step bumpers. I just got the dead fish stare.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 3,473
Likes: 691
From: West Virginia
Not surprised - all these stores maintain that whatever happens in their their parking lots is someone else's problem, so unless their sign falls on your head, you will get no sympathy........
