Damn nail in the sidewall

So about 500 miles after getting my brand new $315 per tire Nitto Ridge Grappler 295/70R18's, I get a nail in one. Right here.






I asked my tire shop if they could plug or patch it, and they say "yeah that's basically the sidewall, sorry, we can't help you". Do you guys think I should pull the nail and push a glue plug into it, and keep it as my spare? Or is this thing a ticking time bomb, even as a spare? I do get out to some pretty remote locations so I'm wondering if I might as well take a loss and just buy a replacement (perhaps used if I can find).

 

I had a screw 3 times that size in about the same spot. Nitto Terra Grappler with 20,000 miles on it. Local shops "we only patch from the inside and it's too close to the sidewall. Sorry." So I went to Autozone, got a $9 plug kit, jammed the plug in, cut it off, aired up the tire and put it all back on the the truck. That was 35,000 miles ago. I plan to go at least 5,000 more miles on it.

 

They usually patch as long as it's at least 5mm from the edge of the tread. But yeah the push plug would probably work. Now this one was way too far.

 

First you should have gotten your tires from Discount Tire and got the warranty then this whole thing would be irrelevant. Second if you brought that to Discount Tire i would dismount and look on the inside but from that photo it looks repairable.

 

Just use the patch kit from your local auto parts store. I use them on the regular and have never had a failure.

 

Plug it!!!!

 

Same basic story for me too before.

I guess I wasn't smart enough to know it was too close to the sidewall and wouldn't work: but, it worked.

 

@Scuba get in here.

 

I don't like it.
Certs, man. Certs.

 

i usually plug it if i could still feel the wire belt with the round files that come with the plug kit. If I push it in and it’s all rubber, then it’s too far.

 

No biggie. I'd have that fixed in five minutes and forget about it. Wouldn't even think twice about fixing it.

Never trust the people who make money off selling NEW product when it comes to repairing old product.

 

This is a pretty simple guide to tire repairs.

https://www.ustires.org/system/files/Puncture_repair_handout_17.pdf

 

I hate tire issues...

I have a tilt deck dual axle trailer that is a screw magnet... only one in the yard that gets a flat every week

 

I had this happen earlier this year. Went back to discount tire and they gave me a new one since I had just got them.

 

After 2 flats, I got a rolling magnet thing and picked up a ton of crap after the construction here. The amount of stuff I picked up was mind blowing.

 

I just find it odd that both my service trucks, and my kenworth never get a screw in the tires, or their other trailers... but my tilt deck loves to find the screws

 

All my vehicles seem to attract nails. I probably have fifteen plugs in three vehicles at the moment, ended up eventually buying a 'professional' 120 piece plug kit because I kept running out of the little kits.

 

I'm always good around my site and home, but I get it on the road. I see a lot of other people on the trade just toss their stuff across their truck bed without properly securing them. And like @Scuba said, get certificate from Discount tire when you buy a tire there. You can even get the tires of a vehicle you just purchased certificated as well. It's worth it in the end.

 

Sidewall my ass, tell them to pound sand. That tire is totally repairable. I’d stay away from the big discount tire shops for the repair and head to a small independent shop they’ll fix it.

 

There isn’t a Discount Tire in Lake Tahoe where the OP is.

 

This is sidewall, yours should be repairable imho

 

Yep, certs from Discount Tire would be ideal. There wasn't a road hazard warranty? No way I'd spend $300 per tire and not have at least some kind of road hazard plan.

 

There is a reason the “big” tire shops won’t repair that and it has nothing to do with increasing sales. The structural integrity of the shoulder (where the belts and sidewall come together and the area where OP’s is damaged) is critically important to avoid a catastrophic de-tread failure. They aren’t trying to sell a $300 tire... they are trying to avoid a $10 million dollar wrongful death lawsuit.

 

I can't help but think it's a little bit of both, but that is a good point: I would guess the litigious nature of the US results in tire repair shops applying a very conservative margin of irreparability. I think as long as I relegate the damaged tire to the back wheels, if the tire should blow up on me, it won't send me off the road. Besides, I pretty much drive like a grandpa anymore.

There have been a lot of informative posts here, thanks guys. I'm just going to plug it, and make sure it stays on the back half of the car until it is retired. I will definitely look to get an add-on warranty to my next tire purchase. $320 tires are a new thing to me, and I bought my tires new from the same 4x4 shop that did my lift, as part of a great package deal, and at a price much lower than is available elsewhere; this shop did not offer a tire warranty. But from this learning experience, it is worth it to purchase a warranty, or 'certificate' as they are called, when the tires are $300+ a piece.

You know, it's frustrating. Just yesterday I picked up a nail in my neighbor's parking spot, and I probably pick up dozens of nails from parking lots each year just kuz I'm a considerate guy. Yet I always end up with shit stuck in my tires. So much for karma!

 

So, turns out that tire is toast. The nail went in at a very acute angle, rather than perpendicular, which rendered the plug repair completely ineffective -- it just spits the plug right back out when I air it up. Looks like I'm buying a new tire.

You guys and your certs! If I go to discount tire online to order a single replacement tire, a cert is $39. If I select my local store (in Reno), the cert is $58.50, not sure what is going on with the different cert prices, but I don't think I'm willing to pay almost 20% of the cost of the tire for a guarantee! Yikes.

 

If you had a Discount Tire cert you would be paying nothing right now.

 

Try a couple plugs. Usualy one is enough but I've had holes that needed two. Also, try waiting 10 minutes before airing up for the lube/cement to dry out a little. Also make sure you are getting your plug deep enough, it has to protrude all the way to the interior of the tire so it can mushroom out on the inside and lock into place with air pressure, if its just inside the whole that is how it can get spit out.


I've repaired inch wide slices in sidewalls before at home, I don't believe in an unfixable tire. (for that one I did pop the bead and apply an interior patch.)

 

I don't have a good feeling about this one. The hole created by the nail is almost parallel to the cords, you might be able to see from the original picture. The plug wouldn't come off of the insertion tool, so I had to hold the sides of the plug in place when I ripped the insertion tool out, and then push some of the plug back in. The plugged hole is at such an acute angle that the plug actually created a slight bulge in the tread. It's just too sketchy for my liking. If it were a full-time spare, that's one thing, but this is a tire that I use in my normal rotation.

 

Well, I'm not there to look at it. It does sound a little odd. You could always just patch it internally, which is not as easy a plugging but works regardless of the hole angle. In the end its your money. For me, $350 is a lot and I would do what it takes to fix it.

 

EXACTLY. Never understood why people don’t get this when they are spending that kind of money on tires. It’s a no brainer.