Theres a screw in my tire. It looks like it goes straight into a tread block...as in perpendicular to what would be straight in, but I can't really tell. Theres about 1/2 inch of the screw (the head section) that is sticking out and has been bent down into the tread (not causing any damage, just kinda out of the way.)

Question is: do I cut off the little bit thats sticking out and leave it be?
do I just leave it be completely?
do I take it to a shop, take the screw out completely in the parking
lot and if it leaks have them patch it?

 

Is the tire for Street use only? Or race?

 

I would just take it to a shop and have them pull it and patch it eventhough its not leaking. The rubber in that area might be a little thin after the removal of the nail.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybridcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do I take it to a shop, take the screw out completely in the parking lot and if it leaks have them patch it?</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Most places will not patch a speed-rated tire because of the liability.

If it is for street use, I'd say have them plug it and call it a day. If it is for competition or other high-speed use, I'd just buy a new tire for peace of mind. Many people run on road courses with patched/plugged tires with no major problems, but I don't think I would take the risk.

 

go to walmart and get one of those tire plug kits.. i carry one in my toolbox when traveling. ive had to actually use it at an Auto-X because i got a nail and my tire went flat right away. they are like 5 bucks and they give you 3 plugs and the tool to insert it.

 

I had the same thing happen.... I pulled the screw out, it was all the way through the tire/carcass (but had not punctured it) so I put another tire on, did not want to risk a blowout.

 

pull it out and plug it.

 

i've had my tires patched+plugged at discount tire. I've found it works farely well

 

Discount Tire will patch a damaged tire for free, so no reason to go buy a kit and **** it up yourself.

 

I get at LEAST 1-2 nails, screws, steel chips, bones... in my tires per year. Just have them patch-plug it. I auto-x and have drag raced a few times on them... I take them on LONG road trips. If the tech is competent at his job he will have no problem doing the repair.
i just make sure that i have a spare at home

 

if its for street use then just go ahead and patch it. but if you road course or maybe even autoX... then i say buy a new tire. how much are azenis anyways? my point exactly

 

i am 100% against plugging the tire. They fail ALL the time. i work in a tire shop and many many many times, ive patched tires that were plugged. so even it it works for one guy, it doesnt work for 20 more. that has been my experience.

SO, take it to a shop and have it patched from the inside.
Dont pull the nail out yourself.
Use plugs in emergencys only.

i dont know anything about the safety of the tire for competition puporses though. a patch is perfectly fine for street use.

i shouldnt be more that $10 for a repair. even less if you take the shop the wheel, off the car.

 

I dunno if I'd trust a plugged tire, it would be like the guy from Happy Gilmore with the nail in his head.

 

I had the same thing happen to me with Azenis. It was a short screw that was between the tread blocks. I figured it was going to leak when I pulled it out, but it turned out to be fine. I say pull it out and see if it leaks.

I know from experience that the Azenis have a lot of rubber below the bottom of the tread... The screw went into it a bit, but caused no problems. In the following months, I wore the tires down so much that tread was a distant memory and I could no longer see the damage caused by the screw either. The tread pattern eventually made a reappearance... there was no depth, but you could just see a discoloration in the rubber. Some more wear and that seemed to disappear. I eventually got it to the point where small grooves were forming... in those grooves appeared to be thread (like in string). At that point, I replaced them.

The grip disappeared about as fast as the tread though... in the end, it was still better than the average street tire, but pretty weak compared to a set of new Azenis.

 

i had the same thing happen to me, except in between the treadblocks amazingly enough.

got the tire taken off, plugged/patched, and raced on them till they went bald. never had a problem.

this was for autox though, not road race/hpde type stuff. i would've replaced it for that sort of thing.

 

Cool, thanks guys. I will be doing some auto-x this summer so I think I'm gonna take it to a shop and have it patched from the inside if it leaks when I take out the nail.