Tips On How To Fix A Nail In Your Tire

A nail getting stuck in one’s tire is one of the many experiences that can happen as far as a car is concerned. The nature of our roads makes it almost impossible to rule out experiences like this, some of our roads aren’t tarred and cleaned regularly. Nails don’t cause a tire to leak at the initial, this makes it easy to notice a nail stuck in the tire as it sometimes causes a gradual leak and sometimes it gives an immediate flat tire.  A swift removal is advised as it is unsafe even though you can drive a short distance while it is stuck. Aside from the dangers of being involved in an accident, driving with a nail stuck on one’s tire can cause damage to the car.

A tire is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel’s rim. Most tires are a pneumatically inflated structure, which also provides a flexible cushion that absorbs shock as the tire rolls over rough features on the surface. Tires are of different types namely; light (Used by small automobiles like cars), medium (used by heavy-duty trucks) and others (An example of this are tires used in aircraft). Its lifespan isn’t definite but can be tied to factors such as quality and what conditions the tire is exposed to (Like the nature of the road traveled and the distance covered).

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This might seem like total damage but with these steps fixing it becomes easy. Needed for this operation is a plug and patch kit (This can be gotten from automobile shops or online); this tool allows you to fill the vent after nail removal.

Plug Patch Kit

The plug patch kit contains tire plugs, an insertion needle, and a rasp tool and these are all you need to get your tire back in one piece.

Here’s a guide on how to remove a nail from your tire;

Physically Remove the Screw or Nail From the Tire

You might need to remove your tire if the location of the nail seems difficult or impossible, this will give you direct access to the particular nail spot. You will require a car jack to lift the car to a height of about 6 inches (15cm) off ground level. Pull off the tires by using a lug wrench to unscrew nuts. Worry not if the tire goes flat in the process of removing it or gives a hissing sound as it will be inflated after this process. Another way to find the nail is to spray a bubble solution on the tire, get the tire inflated and look for spots where bubbles are noticed because of the leaking air. This shows the exact leak spot.

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The use of a temporary plug is however dependent on the size of the hole caused by the nail and its location. A nail on the side of your tires or the edges of the tire outside the tread will make it impossible to use a temporary plug

If the nail hole is more than 0.64cm, then a spare tire will be needed or a visit to a car repair shop to be repaired by a professional because if the tire isn’t fixed properly, this can do damage to one’s car.

Thread the Plug Tool, & Physically Insert the Tire Plug

After removing the tires, next is to ream out the spot the nail was stuck, this is done by using a sharp object to make the spot slightly rough, after this you are now ready for the next step, contained in the plug patch kit is a needle, ensure that the threaded needle is inserted into the hole, some amount of force will be needed to push this in. While the plug stays in the tire, jerk out the plug tool out of the tire and allow it to stay in the hole. Also, trim the end of the plug that is sticking out as close to the tire as you can.

If you patched the tire previously it is advisable you get a new one because multiple patches on a tire are not advisable for safety reasons. It is also very important to know leaks that should be fixed personally and one that needs a professional approach.