Nail In The Tire

[bmwtmx]

So my TA.1 has 1300 miles and I ran over a nail. I did do a track day with it and plan on doing more but I will not run a patched tire on track. The patch is in the block and all looks good but not sure if I should keep it, scrap it, sell it. It is the Pirelli Corsa tire 355 30 19.

[swexlin]

I picked up a nail, and had a plug put in my left rear Corsa last June (I don't track the car) and it was fine. Just replaced all four tires last month, and it still looked good. It was right in the center of the tread. Plug or patch it, and you should be fine. If you're tracking, then yes, replace, keep the old one as an emergency spare in case you can't source a tire quickly and need one.

[Ninjakris]

I feel your pain. I had a nail in the sidewall of my rear corsa with 2K miles on it. I plugged it for a thousand miles or so, but never felt safe pushing the car. I ended up buying two new rear tires so I had matching rear tread. I tossed the tire with the plug and kept the other as a back-up for a while.

If you have space, I'd recommend keeping it around as a spare/backup. Otherwise, put it on craigslist and see if someone will buy it cheap. Totally sucks, but I feel your pain.

Also, it might be worth seeing if the tires came with some type of warrantee when you bought the car. It didn't cross my mind when I ran over my nail, and its too late for me to check into it, but you might have a chance.

[swexlin]

These Corsas are great tires, but they do pick up everything!

[bmwtmx]

My area has a lot of construction and this is just the reality for me. I do a lot of road biking and I average 1 flat for every 3 rides. Totally frustrating. I guess I can keep this thing around as a spare but I bought the car mainly to take to the track on occasions so its value is not there for me. And I have no tire warranty to speak of.

[swexlin]

My area has a lot of construction and this is just the reality for me. I do a lot of road biking and I average 1 flat for every 3 rides. Totally frustrating. I guess I can keep this thing around as a spare but I bought the car mainly to take to the track on occasions so its value is not there for me. And I have no tire warranty to speak of.

Same here. I'm a runner, and I spot nails ALL the time on the side of the road, and pick them up. Good karma....but it didn't save me. Former cyclist as well, and same thing. Area I live also has a lot of construction and contractors, and it's only a matter of time (knock wood!)

[Dman]

Yea, save if you have room, or just list it. A good patched one, for street use to me, is fine. I'd never ever track a patched or plugged tire, risk isn't worth the few hundred bucks. I just got one in my front tire on my GT500, an MPSS 275R20/30, try finding one of those, they're not even making them right now, ugh, car sat a month until TireRack happened to find one out of nowhere, I love those guys.

[lochnessmonster]

Before getting into cars, I rode sportbikes for years. Ducati, Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, I've owned them all, and the fastest of each. Occasionally I would pick up a nail and have to plug the tire. I was told repeatedly by people at the various dealerships I frequented (who had a vested interest in selling me tires) that I should never patch the tire, and that it is completely unsafe. I have been riding sport bikes since 1986, and have patched many a tire. I've taken those tires to their limit (no "chicken strips" for me, I mean to the edge of the tire with wear showing both front and rear), I've taken them up to 150+ mph multiple times, I've run them in rain, I've run them in 90F+ conditions, and I can honestly say I have never had one fail, leak, or anything. This is with plugs BTW, not patches from the inside. I realize, of course, that comparing a Viper tire and a sportbike tire may not be the best comparison. But, my point is, those plugs are damn good, and actually form a chemical bond with the tire that is pretty bullet proof. I've got a patch in the back right of my Viper right now that I had put on several months ago when I ran over a piece of really hard plastic that got lodged in the tire. I haven't thought of it since. I keep the display on the tire pressures, and it hasn't lost 1 kpa. Not one after some pretty hard driving................

[jtc]

i have two new 355's Pirellis for sale. if your interested. PM me if you are.

[TRH62]

I did the same by plugging one of my rear tires and haven't had any issues with it. And I've been at some very high speeds with it.


Before getting into cars, I rode sport bikes for years. Ducati, Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, I've owned them all, and the fastest of each. Occasionally I would pick up a nail and have to plug the tire. I was told repeatedly by people at the various dealerships I frequented (who had a vested interest in selling me tires) that I should never patch the tire, and that it is completely unsafe. I have been riding sport bikes since 1986, and have patched many a tire. I've taken those tires to their limit (no "chicken strips" for me, I mean to the edge of the tire with wear showing both front and rear), I've taken them up to 150+ mph multiple times, I've run them in rain, I've run them in 90F+ conditions, and I can honestly say I have never had one fail, leak, or anything. This is with plugs BTW, not patches from the inside. I realize, of course, that comparing a Viper tire and a sportbike tire may not be the best comparison. But, my point is, those plugs are damn good, and actually form a chemical bond with the tire that is pretty bullet proof. I've got a patch in the back right of my Viper right now that I had put on several months ago when I ran over a piece of really hard plastic that got lodged in the tire. I haven't thought of it since. I keep the display on the tire pressures, and it hasn't lost 1 kpa. Not one after some pretty hard driving................