Do I need a new tire if I have a nail in it?

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asked Dec 24, 2020 in Repairs/Maintenance by Cravenmorehead (920 points)
Do I need a new tire if I have a nail in it?

1 Answer

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answered Dec 24, 2020 by Mechanic21 (29,150 points)
As long as the nail is in the tread area of the tire then you can have the nail removed and the tire patched or plugged.

If the nail is in the sidewall then you need a new tire.

Having a tire plugged cost between $10.00 to $20.00

The same is true with a patched tire and I charge $10.00 to plug a tire and $20.00 to patch the tire because to patch the tire it has to be removed from the vehicle and from the rim and then remounted.

You can plug a tire without removing the tire.

To plug the tire without removing the tire you jack the vehicle up and move the tire around until you can access the hole in the tire.

Then make the hole bigger with the tool and then add glue to the tire plug and insert it and twist the tool and pull the tool out.

The tire plug should stay in when you pull the tool out.

I prefer to remove the tire first but you can indeed plug a tire with the tire still on the vehicle if you need too.

Tire Plugs are legal and when installed correctly they are just as safe as a tire patch.

Tire Plugs that are installed correctly should last the life of the tire.

Tires plugs will last the life of the tire when the tire plug is properly installed.

A Tire Plug that is installed correctly is a permanent repair although tire patches are much better.

Tires can be plugged more than once as long as the holes are not too close together.

You can plug a tire twice if you get a hole in the tire more than once.

However patching a tire is much better but when done properly a good tire plug can hold and last until the tire needs replaced.

I've plugged tires 4 times before and the tire lasted until it needed replaced at 50,000 miles.

Just never put a tire plug in a sidewall as that is not safe.

if the tire has a hole in the sidewall it should always be replaced with a new tire instead of trying to plug the sidewall.

I have however had to in an emergency plug the sidewall of my own truck tire because I had no spare with me and was on the side of the highway and needed to get off the highway.

But I did go get a new tire installed within that same day.

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