I know, not a big deal. But this car is still my baby:-) I am a little nervous taking it to any random Firestone/NTB/Lambs tire store for repair. What makes me nervous is how they take the tire off the rim - could the machine chip the clear coat? Should they take it off the rim from the inside? What about re-balancing the tire once they repair it?

The tire is not flat but there is a good sized screw stuck in it. Any suggestions on what you did for tire repair?


Thanks!
Jerry

 

make sure you get the tire patched from the inside, a plug is not a good idea on a high performance tire. and don't pull out the screw!

 

My choice was to just replace my tire when this happened to me (although mine was a BIG chunk of metal,not a screw. I suspect the integrity of the tire might have been compromised.) Nowadays, you can usually get a "patch plug". It looks like a flat-headed mushroom, where the stem (the plug) goes into the tire,and the head of the mushroom (the patch) lays on the inside of the tire. That way you get both the best of both worlds.

Many tire mounting machines require that the tire bead be broken on the outside. Wherever you take it, ask them if they have a tire mounting machine that is friendly with large diameter wheels. Also, make them do a 'walkaround' with you so they know there is no damage to the wheel before they begin.

Good Luck. When I got my flat replaced, the dealership damaged the wheel and the back bumper, and took 6 tries to finally get them both fixed right.

 

i also got a nail near my sidewall. and had the tire replaced. good luck finding the tire. they are on backorder!

 

I had the exact thing happen to me, althought it had been in their a while and caused too much internal damage, had to get the (expensive) tire replaced, at $360 it might be cheaper getting all of them replaced with a less expensivce and better(?) make..wish I had!

 

You screwed your tire? Sorry, I just got through reading the "boffed" thread.

 

some shops will question it. different shops have different standards of what tires they will repair. stock tires are 1 under whatever the max speed rating is; so they can be repaired ussually. I had one of mine plugs from the outside. it held fine for 6 months till I got new tires. depending how its plugged, might wanna lay off the 155mph runs. though technically Im not sure how high our tires are rated for anyway.

 

Here is a picture of the damage...

 

Your screwed>>>>>>>>>>




<<<<<<<<<<I'm stupid w/ a hangover

 

Your gonna have to replace the tire. The "new" stand on flat repair is no repair less than 1 inch from the tires sidewall.

In other words only on the flat part of the tire...

 

actually..i had a screw on my stock 17" tire in the exact same spot...they fixed it...and so far its fine

they aolso told me its hard to promise anything perfect when its in that spot but it seems to be fine

 

they plugged it from the outside

 

Where did you take it for repair? So to fix it they did not have to take the tire off?


Thanks,
Jerry

 

I'm no expert but I had a similar experience almost 4000 miles ago. I was worried as well..took it to a local place they used a patch-plug (which is what Tire Rack recommended), and the tire has been great - no leak and my wheels still look great. I would take it to a shop on a weekday, when they're not rushed and can take their time. Also, ask if they are able to do an 18 inch wheel. Most shops won't take a chance with your wheel if you make it clear that you're particular.

Good luck and I hope you don't have to drop $300 replacing that tire.

NzZ

 

That is encouraging. Could they patch-plug without taking the wheel off?


Thanks,
Jerry

 

Jerry

Please Listen To Me! Replace That Tire! The screw is too close the edge. That section of the tire flexes a lot, and if someone repairs it, you stand a chance of a catastrophic blow-out. Replace it please.

As far as removing it from the wheel, if you go to a decent shop with good equipment, and the operator knows what he's doing, you wont damage the wheel.

Also, and this is JMO, if the tire has more than 5K miles on it, replace both on that axle. I firmly believe for optimum handling that the tires on the same axle should be installed in matched sets.

havaboz, you're living on borrowed time. Plugs from the outside are BAD NEWS on any car, let alone a High Performance one. Again, IMO, it's your life, saving a few bucks - It just aint worth it!

Lou

 

I had a screw like that as well, but get this

I took to the tire shop and the screw was broke and was only half as long as it was supposed to be and it went in on of the tread blocks. When the tire guy took the screw out it was even in a 1/2 inch. No damage.

Anyway from the looks of it, it may not have gone all the way thru, but if it's an expensive it probably did

 

The patch plug must be applied from the inside of the tire. I should add that my nail was not as close to the sidewall though. It's hard to say if you should replace or not simply from the pic you posted. Depending on how many miles you have, you may be able to patch it and just finish the life of the tire...fronts typically only last about 10k anyway with all the feathering crap.

Lowrider is right about replacing the tires at the same time if you've got high mileage. If you can't have it patched, I would highly recommend looking for a nice gently used set of rears. Many Z owners are chucking the Craptenzas for better tires, so there are a lot of sets with relatively low mileage out there.

NzZ

 

The tires only have 2700 miles :-( I am going to check a couple local shops tomorrow like Soul Speed (http://www.soulspeed.com).

Perhaps the screw it not really that deep but I am not feeling lucky...


/Jerry

 

i just took it to the local tire shop..not sure if they removed the tire because i dropped it off and picked it up

they charged me 10 bucks