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Old 2005-07-10, 07:02 PM   #1
LetItRev
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Default Tire Repair Opinions Sought

Last night I heard this sound coming from my rear left tire. It was consistent with the sound of a rock in the tread. I couldn't find a rock so I removed the wheel today and discovered a screw in the tread.

It is located about dead center on the Falken Azenis tread. The screw was at a slight angle and came out easily with some pliers. The length is about 3/8" with a diameter of approximately 1/8". I checked pressure about a half hour after removing the screw and detected no pressure loss.

I am wondering if I need to take this to a tire shop tomorrow and have it checked. I am curious if this was deep enough to cause damage. It may be a different story if I put the wheel back on the car and begin driving.

Any advice on good tire shops for flat repairs? Something near South Meadows?
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Old 2005-07-10, 08:21 PM   #2
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How much tread depth left on the Azenis, and how deep do you think the screw went? If A >= B you are done. No worries. If B > A, then all they can do is patch a hole that isn't there.
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Old 2005-07-10, 09:27 PM   #3
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I've had several instances where I've pulled a nail out of my tire with no leakage afterwards. Always with fairly new tires though. The one time it caused a puncture I was glad it did. The flat made me look closely at the tire, which was worn to the cords on the inside edge. That nail probably saved me from a blowout on the freeway or something. Those were also the fastest wearing tire I've owned (ContiSport 2 with around 8,000 miles on it), although I'm sure the excessive camber wasn't helping.
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Old 2005-07-11, 08:39 PM   #4
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I put the tire back on the car after it held it's pressure for 24 hours. I have it inflated to 50 pounds. I'll see what it says tomorrow.

Thanks for sharing the theories/experiences.
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Old 2005-07-12, 08:30 AM   #5
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Try soapy water to detect a small leak.
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Old 2005-07-12, 08:40 AM   #6
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Yeah, it might be a slow leak.

BTW, if you find a good tire place down here, let me know. I still have a flat I've been too lazy to fix.
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Old 2005-07-12, 09:12 AM   #7
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I had a puncture repaired at Big-O once. They pulled the rubber off the rim and put a patch on the inside of the tyre. It cost me about $12.
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Old 2005-07-12, 09:14 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeK
I had a puncture repaired at Big-O once. They pulled the rubber off the rim and put a patch on the inside of the tyre. It cost me about $12.
Usually if it's just a nail or something, they can just do a plug w/o even taking the tire off the wheel.
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Old 2005-07-12, 12:13 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sperry
Usually if it's just a nail or something, they can just do a plug w/o even taking the tire off the wheel.
Plugs can be bad, because they often use a pointy rasp/file thing to "clear out" the hole for the plug. This often greatly increases the amount of damage to the steel and nylon belts/plys in the carcas of the tire.

On a 50K street tire where they use salt on the roads, I might get a plug to keep the salt water away from the steel, but on a 10K high performance tire in our climate, I'd just have it patched on the inside. If you can get them to put some of the black rubber cement type compound they use for the patch into the hole from the outside, all the better.
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Old 2005-07-12, 02:04 PM   #10
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I drove the car today. No pressure loss. I'm still crossing my fingers.
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Old 2005-07-13, 06:17 AM   #11
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You should be fine if it hasn't leaked by now.
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Old 2005-07-13, 10:53 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by khail19
You should be fine if it hasn't leaked by now.

I'm beginning to feel that way. I will still carry a full size spare and tools to quickly change the tire for a few more day though.
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Old 2005-07-13, 10:56 AM   #13
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I've had flats that take more then a day to even show up.

Granted, I wasn't checking the pressure with a gauge constantly, but it would take 4-5 days to lose 10psi or so.
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Old 2005-07-13, 01:12 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nKoan
I've had flats that take more then a day to even show up.

Granted, I wasn't checking the pressure with a gauge constantly, but it would take 4-5 days to lose 10psi or so.

My 911 has a slow leak in one of the tires. It takes a couple weeks just to lose a couple PSI. Even when it sits all winter long it doesn't get completely flat.
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Old 2005-07-14, 06:48 AM   #15
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In my professional opinion, NEVER plug a tire! Patches are okay, but plugs only make matters worse.

If anybody here in Reno needs a tire fixed, feel free to swing here by Nissan. I know we're Subi people, but I work at Nissan, and I'd be glad to help out. Ask for Cory. Costs about $12.

In fact, any kind of maintenance or repairs, we can't do any kind of warranty work obviously, but I'd be glad to offer good work from a reputable shop. Alignments, tires, A/C work, anything but body repairs!
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Old 2005-07-14, 11:24 AM   #16
LetItRev
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Hey Cory,

Thanks for that generous offer. If I continue to have issues with this tire I will give you a call.

As of now, I think the screw never made it through the tire. It's still holding pressure.

Last edited by LetItRev; 2005-07-14 at 05:11 PM.
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Old 2005-07-14, 01:02 PM   #17
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No problem dude!
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