[Shotimes] flat tire - tire wall damage?

[Leigh Smith]

Michael;
A repair like this needs to be done with the tire off the rim for 2 reasons
A) to inspect the tire B) to patch it properly
Inspection: If there is any significant wear on the inside of the tire where
the rim pressed down on it, the tire is toast. This is likely considering
the 2 mile drive. A light rub mark can be OK. Damage is usually greater on
the inside, not the out.
Patching: Tubless tires should only be patched from the inside. With 2 inch
self-vulcanizing/glued patches. Period. That repair method is almost as
strong as the original. External patches/plugs are too risky, they can leak
anytime. They can even cause the tire to delaminate/separate. If the hole is
not too big, I wouldn't even be afraid to drive it hard. But I would not
race it IIWU or get it too hot like with a long high speed run. If the nail
was big, I would also use a plug patch to help fill the hole and support the
vulcanized patch. Tread area holes can be easily & safely patched. Anything
in the sidewall, or the tread/sidewall corner, can not be patched, too much
flexing. If it still leaks air, trash it then. Don't patch the same spot
twice.
Lee
ex-BFG chemist
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <cmichaelo@optonline.net>
To: "shotimes" <shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2006 11:57 AM
Subject: [Shotimes] flat tire - tire wall damage?


> You've probably heard, or even experienced, this tire incident before:
>
> I ran over a nasty long fat (4mm diameter!) nail along the side of a road.
>
> By the time I got home the tire was completely flat.
>
> I probably drove for 2-3miles with the tire totally flat (very slow
though) .
>
> The nail pierced right through the middle of the tire.
>
> My questions are
>
> 1) Can this even be fixed?  The hole is pretty wide.
>
> 2) Did I damage the reinforcement of the sidewalls? Externally, the shape
of the side wall looks fine, except some of the rubber has been worn off
(where the rim pressed down on the collapsed wall).  But  there's no bulging
or warping of the sidewall.
>
> The tire is a Pilot Sport 235/40-18. Almost new.  This sucks.
>
> Michael
> 94MTX,green,BOS+,Koni/Intrax,Baer,Corbeau
> SHO items for sale: http://hometown.aol.com/cmichaelo/for_sale.html
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