If the nail is located on the tyres sidewall it is crucial your tyre is replaced. Driving with a nail in your tyre can potentially cause a blowout or lead to having to replace the whole tyre. If your air pressure is low in that tyre you should fill it up before driving to your nearest tyre shop.
If the hole is small and located in the tread, it should be easy to patch. If the hole is large or located in the sidewall, an automotive shop may be able to plug the tire if there isn't too much air escaping. Once the repair is complete, you can continue driving on the tire.
If the nail is little and the tire is still retaining air, then yes, it is okay to drive with it in your tire. It's common for drivers to run over nails without even noticing it. If the nail is huge and the tire is losing air quickly, it's best to take it to a tire shop rather than try to fix it yourself.
The location of the nail in your tire will tell you whether it can be repaired or not. A nail lodged in the tire's sidewall or outer tread means the tire will need to be replaced. But if it's stuck in the tread itself, there's a good chance you can repair the tire instead of replacing it.
It's best to replace the tire instead of simply repairing it because you may ruin a part of the tire, blow it out and in the end, it may cost you more if you get into a collision. Remember you should avoid mixing tire tread patterns. The tire you get to replace the damaged one must have the same tread pattern.
If your tire is losing very little air as a result of the nail puncture, you may be able to drive for a hundred miles or more! If it is losing air fast, you might want to drive to your local mechanic as soon as possible. In either case, it's important to be proactive to prevent further damage.
Unfortunately, having a nail in your tyre can happen quite frequently. You might spot it when you're checking your tyres or if you have a slow puncture, but an untreated nail in a tyre can lead to your tyre blowing out and potentially causing an accident.
Punctures larger than a quarter-inch in diameter also can't be effectively and safely repaired. If the tire has a cut or gash, it can only be repaired if it's less than a quarter-inch in length. If the tire is worn and has less than 2/32-inch remaining tread depth, it is unsafe to repair and must be replaced.
For a safe repair, the puncture must be 1/2 inch away or more from the edge of the tire tread where the internal steel belt begins. Any puncture less than 1/2 inch from the start of the internal steel belt on the shoulder or sidewall of the tire cannot be repaired (highlighted in red).
And that's good, but every time your tire rotates, that screw is rubbing against the walls of the hole and making it a little bigger. That's not good for a couple of reasons: 1.) Your tire could blow out, and 2.) if the hole continues to grow, you run the risk of ruining the tire altogether.
If the tire has been patched correctly, you can safely drive for a relatively long period. You should note that even if a patch may be stronger compared to a plug, it won't function nearly as well when applied on the sidewall or adjacent areas.
If the puncture is greater than 1/4-of-an-inch in diameter, it's better and safer to replace the tire.
The Soap Test. A soap test is an efficient way to determine a nail puncture's location, especially if it's small and doesn't cause major pressure loss. You can start by spraying soap water on your tire tread. If there's a tire puncture, the spot will let out air — creating air bubbles.
Let's Recap: If your tires' tread depth will be within 4/32” of each other, you can get away with replacing just one or two tires. If you drive an AWD vehicle, the tires must be within 2/32” of each other. But you should always check the vehicle owner's manual to see what the manufacturer recommends.
Patching a tire is generally considered to be the most reliable repair method because it offers a permanent fix. A professional technician will remove the wheel from your car, take out the damaged inner liner, clean the area around the hole, and apply a vulcanizing patch over the hole.
Patching a Damaged Tire
Tire replacement can be expensive. It need not always be the go-to solution whenever you have a flat tire. Patching a tire, if expertly done, can last for seven to ten years. Several tire damages can be fixed with patching.
There's a chance that the nail has caused a leak in the tire, allowing air to escape. If you're driving at speed with a tire down on air pressure, that tire could suffer a blowout, causing it to explode and causing you to lose control of the car. On the highway, that could lead to a dangerous crash.
In many cases, slow punctures can be repaired. It largely depends on what's causing the problem. If there's a nail or piece of embedded debris in the tread of the tyre, an experienced technician can simply fit a rubber plug to repair the hole.
Therefore, most tire manufacturers have established policies that a punctured and repaired tire no longer retains its speed rating and should be treated as a non-speed rated tire driven no faster than 85 mph.
Like with plugs, patches are said to last from seven to ten years or for the rest of the life of the tire. Again, this tire may not last if the installation goes poorly or there are issues with the location of the hole.
A tire can be patched twice and up to three times. However, this rule goes out the window if the hole overlaps another patch or damaged area. Is it dangerous to plug a tire too many times? Yes.
Yes. Fix-a-Flat will seal punctures up to ¼ inch and will fill the tire with enough air pressure to get you back on the road. Immediately, drive the car for at least 2 to 4 miles and visit a gas station (or use a tire inflator) to fill your tire with the proper amount of air pressure as soon as possible.
An average of 1/2 inch. It varies considerably with the tire casing design, tread depth and where the nail is trying to go through the tire. DO NOT PULL THE NAIL! If it is holding air well enough to get you to the tire shop.
While it is true that many plug repairs do a great job of keeping air in the tire, that's only part of the equation. Because they're not completely sealing the injury, plug repairs may allow air and moisture to penetrate the body of the tire. Over time, this could lead to a dangerous (or even deadly) blowout.