help with the nail

[canoner]

i just found a nail on my 90% new tire. it is in the thread. There is no leakage as yet. Should I have it fixed asap or just leave it alone until it is causing trouble (or will it?)? Thanks

[lcar]

I would get it fixed as soon as possible, you never know when it's going to start to leak. if you live in a cold climate area it may have a tendancy to start loosing air even sooner. Being the nail is in the tread, it should be an easy and inexpensive fix, they may be able to plug it right on the car without removing the wheel, or if you feel ambitious, you can go to your auto parts store and buy your own plug kit for around $4.oo and do it yourself, that's what I do, it always works for me, I use the kit with the tar strips. (in fact just did it last week)........good luck!

[CapriRacer]

Just so you know:

Plugs are temporary repairs - hours and days, not weeks and months.

The only proper repair has to both seal the air chamber (patch) and prevent contamination from entering the structure of the tire (plug).

A word of caution - underinflated tires can fail, so depending on how long and how much your tire was underinflated, the safest thing is to replace it.

Hope this helps.

[Grant@Tirerack]

CapriRacer is exactly correct. The only safe repair is to pull the tire off the wheel and seal the inside as well as the hole. Any moisture inside the air chamber will work its way into the belt package of the tire and can start rusting the steel belts. A good repair should run at lest $15-$20. Make sure they inspect the tire and pull it off the wheel.