Nail in Tire - Need Advice

[rvtrekers]

I have a nail in the tread of my 245/70R19.5 front tire. Noticed it when I moved my coach on my drive where I store it. It is not leaking. Have no idea how long it has been there but I only put ~ 400 miles io the motorhome. Do I find a shop and take it there, or do I call a mobile service? I don't think I want to pull it out since it is holding air. I sprayed it with soapy water and no bubbles. This is my first RV so I don't have any relationships with repair businesses in the San Mateo / SF Peninsula area. Thanks!

[Gordon Dewald]

Does it look like a big screw? Or a long screw?

Sometimes you can pick up a short or broken screw that does not puncture the inner part of the tire that holds the air.

[montyhp]

Worth taking it to a tire shop. Drive carefully. Do you have a TPMS?

[genesimmons]

Well u could get a bottle of slime and put in it after u pull nail out or plug it

[rvtrekers]

looks like a short nail, maybe a galvanized roof screw.

[rvtrekers]

No TPMS yet but I am researching them and on my list. I did the CHF. Next is a rear trac bar. Next is a safe-t-plus. Then TPMS with enough sensors for my coach and toad. Only short weekend trips for the next few months and I want to spread the purchases out.

[Gordon Dewald]

If you are really brave you could try pulling it if you are going to call a service man. If it does not leak do not make the call.

If you are going to a tire shop I would drive it there and then pull it. If it does not leak, go fill up the fuel tank, have lunch out and head home.

We had a long nail in our tag. The TPMS warned up about the leak. I stopped and was able to hear the hiss. We were close to a town so drove slowly and stopped by a tire shop. Cost 45 to repair and a couple hours later we were on the road.

[Skip426]

The nail may not be all the way through the tread.
BUT ; I'd want to be at a tire repair facility ; before I pulled it out .

Note; tire slime or tire plugs may not be legal for repair to a steering tire in your state.

EDIT: My slow typing strikes again, Gordon , beat me to posting with the same info.

[rvtrekers]

Originally Posted by Skip426

I'd want to be at a tire repair facility ; before I pulled it out .

Excellent thoughts from everyone! I have contacted two tire shops that work on truck tires and also RV. While I am a brave man I am conservative and my gut was telling me take the lower risk path. Once again this board has helped me out, thanks!

[twinboat]

First find a local truck tire repair shop.

Start pulling on the nail and listen for a leak. If no hiss, pull it out but mark the wheel where you pull it out. If it is shorter then the thickness of the tread, your good to go.

If it leaks, leave it in, check and fill the tire to the max, marked on the tire, and drive it to the truck tire shop.

Every tire manufacture will recommend a internal and external repair. That keeps the air in and the dirt and water out of the layers of the tire.

Plugs pushed in from outside can leak internally and cause the plys to separate. No big deal on a 7 year old worn out tire but good tires deserve proper repairs.

[1bigmess]

You want the lower risk path? Get the tire repaired if it leaks, and change it's position to a drive tire, and a good drive tire to the front if it is possible to do so. If not, and the tire leaks where the object used to be, replace it or repair it and keep it as a spare if you don't have one. I wouldn't have a repaired tire on my steering axle except to limp to a tire shop.

Then, if you prefer staying on the lower risk path, get TPMS before you do the other things. Because nothing can cost you money like a blown tire. Those other things are, IMO, lower priority. TPMS is fairly cheap peace of mind.

[guardrail53]

In my many years of trucking, if I took the truck to a tire shop every time it picked up a nail, or something in the tread, I would have spent a lot of time there! Go buy you a quality plug kit at a farm store near you. If the tire is not leaking air, 98% of the time, it (the nail or other) has not punctured all the way through! Get some vice grips, and pull it out! Spray with soapy water, if no bubbles, no worries! If it starts leaking, plug it! If it is a steer tire, drive to the tire shop, and have it patched from the inside, and rotate it back to a drive position, or buy a new tire, and keep the patched one for a spare! Your call! Most tire shops will not patch a steer tire, but if you rotate it back to the drive, (if the same), they will do that for you! Good luck! I am betting on no leak and it did not go all the way through! Rail!

[rvtrekers]

Originally Posted by twinboat

First find a local truck tire repair shop.

Thanks! I searched for "commercial tire store" and found a Goodyear commercial tire service center in Hayward, CA about 12 miles away.

[rvtrekers]

Originally Posted by guardrail53

if I took the truck to a tire shop every time it picked up a nail, or something in the tread, I would have spent a lot of time there!

Excellent point, great perspective!