Tire went completely flat quickly, toss it?

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Last night I hit something in the road that caused a flat quickly. Not sure what it was. Heard what sounded like something hitting the wheel well, which is common around here because people use the street as a landfill. Maybe a half mile down the road, the steering started to get heavy and the truck started pulling to the left. Then I heard the telltale noise. With it being dark, rainy, and lots of drunk people out, I decided to get to a parking lot to deal with it which was maybe a couple hundred yards up the road, so I did drive some on the very flat tire. Luckily I have a newer full size spare, so I put that on, but I could not find the damage on the flat tire. Whatever punctured it was in and out quickly and cleanly. No visible sidewall damage on the outside. The tire did bend in, but after laying in the bed of the truck for a few minutes, it popped back out.

I dropped the tire off at a tire shop for them to look at, but I'm wondering if I should even be messing with trying to get this tire plugged/patched? Pretty sure the puncture is somewhere in the tread, but with the sidewall going flat and having the weight of the truck on it, plus driving maybe a couple hundred yards (or less, not more), I'm wondering if that compromised the tire in some way that might not be visible even when removed from the wheel?

I don't want to just replace it if I can avoid it because the tires have a lot of tread left and were replaced as a set of four, but have been in service almost 25K miles...one new tire would kind of throw my matching set off. Obviously though, if the tire isn't safe because of this, I don't want to risk a total sidewall blowout that could ruin the wheel or worse.

If the sidewall is damaged, will it be visible inside the tire, or could the damage be totally hidden until a blowout?
 
Usually when someone drives on the sidewall, if damage has been done you should be able to see it as a mark or line where the rim cut into the sidewall.

Even more concerning would be the object that caused the flat to begin with. Say you ran over a nail or screw which poked a hole in the thread. Once the tire ran flat, it is possible it ripped the thread or even poked holes in other parts of the tire, (including the side wall).

The best bet is to break the bead, remove the tire and inspect it inside and out. It's possible it might be okay and will give you many happy motoring miles. Best of luck.
 
Two things:
1. You do not paint a pretty picture of where you live or our country as a whole.
2. No matter what, do SOMETHING with your tire. Have it professionally inspected and repair or replace as needed. It sucks but be responsible.
 
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Two things:
1. You do not paint a pretty picture of where you live or our country as a whole.


Sounds like he was driving in metro Detroit....
lol.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: Doog
Sounds like he was driving in metro Detroit....
lol.gif



Or anywhere in Michigan.
laugh.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Two things:
1. You do not paint a pretty picture of where you live or our country as a whole.


Sounds like he was driving in metro Detroit....
lol.gif



Birmingham isn't much different. Detroit in the South. Been driving 10 years now, only two of them in Bham. Over those 10 years, I've gotten 5-6 nails in tires...every single one of them here. Three of those were on trips down here while I still lived in NC. I've never been anywhere else with so much junk thrown out in the road. This is the first time where the tire rapidly lost air...the previous times the nail stuck and caused a slow, easily patchable leak.

At least I wasn't next to one of the abandoned buildings the homeless people like to set on fire.

The wheel/tire are at a tire shop now and they are going to take it off the wheel. We'll see what they say.
 
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I've seen tires that were driven on a short distance flat, and they will look fine on the outside. But when you pull a tire off to inspect, which should ALWAYS be done when driven flat, I have seen enough rubber crumbs to fill a coffee can.
 
It's not necessarily ruined. A tire going flat while you're driving does not guarantee that it's ruined. It all depends how flat it was when you drove on it and how far.

Removing the tire and inspecting it will tell the tale. If it's full of rubber crumbs when they remove it, it's done for. If it's OK on the inside and outside, then you should be fine.
 
Going to head over there in a little bit and see if they got a chance to look at it. The shop is one of my customers and since I have a good spare (correct size, only a couple years old), I'm not in a huge rush except for the fact that I don't have a spare if this were to happen again.

Once it got flat enough to pull the wheel hard, I was in sight of the gas station where I changed the tire. Hoping for the best, but if it's done for, it's done for. I've been real curious to see how long these tires will last. They have worn incredibly well on this truck, which has been hard on tires from the day it rolled off the showroom floor. The OE set was DONE by 20K miles. These have around 25K miles and look like they could possibly go another 20K. I hate having mismatched tires, even if it's just the amount of wear that's different and not the model of tire.
 
Well the tire is done for due to where the puncture happened. Right on the edge of the tread at the sidewall. It wasn't a nail, the gash was bigger than that, but without pushing on it it just looks like a little crack.

They didn't have any Wrangler Radials in stock today, so I'm going to get the new tire next week.

It sucks, but in a way it's a little bit of a relief because I'd probably never really trust that tire again.
 
Sorry to hear the bad news - as long as you don't have a spare, you might want to pick up a can or two of "fix a flat" and one of those cheapie Harbor Fright 12 volt air pumps. It might be just the thing to get you home one dark and cold night.
 
I just want to say that you guys ought to be proud of yourselves. Lots of good solid info on which to base a decision.

And like what was said, rubber crumbs on the inside would be a clear indication there is damage to the tire's structure. That's why doing a plug repair has a risk that a patch/plug doesn't.
 
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Went ahead and got another Wrangler Radial today at Wal-Mart so I could wrap this up on an off day and not be driving around with no spare. Less than $100 out the door.

This was the first time I had used Wal-Mart TLE...I was pleasantly surprised by their efficiency, and they did good work. Took the truck on a good highway run after and they balanced it good, air pressure was correct, and they noted the lug nut torque on the work order.
 
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