Nail/screw stuck in front tire

[ManoSpeed]

I got out of my car to open my garage door and noticed a broken off screw/nail stuck in my front tire. It's holding air, but now I'm hesitant to drive because the tire might blow up.

The question I have is, do I need to replace both fronts now? Or can I simply replace the damaged one only?

[FerRrari]

Go to a tire shop, they might be able to patch it up. I always go to Discount Tire and they're great.

[tjank123]

My dealer refused to plug a nail hole and told me it would make it dangerous. they simply wanted to sell me a new tire. Previously, I have always plugged them myself and never had any problems. I opted to have it plugged at independent shop but should have saved the $20. No problems with the tire since. Of course if you are tracking your vehicle you may want to replace the tire do to the high speed.

[doozyj]

Originally Posted by tjank123

My dealer refused to plug a nail hole and told me it would make it dangerous. they simply wanted to sell me a new tire. Previously, I have always plugged them myself and never had any problems. I opted to have it plugged at independent shop but should have saved the $20. No problems with the tire since. Of course if you are tracking your vehicle you may want to replace the tire do to the high speed.

They won't plug it if it is near the sidewall, so that is the reason why they had to decline you. Going to an Indy shop, they probably could care less about it and your safety, so that may be the reason why the did it.

[AWM3]

Originally Posted by ManoSpeed

I got out of my car to open my garage door and noticed a broken off screw/nail stuck in my front tire. It's holding air, but now I'm hesitant to drive because the tire might blow up.

The question I have is, do I need to replace both fronts now? Or can I simply replace the damaged one only?

You have some things in your favor. Your car is a 2007 model so it has pressure monitors inside the wheels (TPMs) and if the tire begins to lose air while you are driving it will warn you in plenty of time.

Since you do not have runflat tires, there is no problem with some shops refusing to repair runflats.

If the screw or nail is definitely on the flat part of the tire (where it contacts the road) and has not damaged the sidewall, any quality tire shop can do a proper repair which involves dismounting the tire, plugging the hole, and patching the inside of the tire. If the repair is done correctly, you should never have any problem from that tire ever. The only exception would be for track driving. It is a bad idea to try to repair track tires because the stress on them is so much greater.

If you do have to replace the tire, you can probably find a used Continental for almost nothing. This is assuming that you still have the original tires on the car. If you have some other brand of tire, yes it would be OK to just replace the one with the exact same brand and specification tire that you have now.

Hope this is helpful.

[bosstones]

[QUOTE=doozyj;8247840]They won't plug it if it is near the sidewall, so that is the reason why they had to decline you.QUOTE]

Yes and no. Definately, if the puncture is close to the sidewall, dealers and most shops won't do it for safety reasons. However, some dealers and/or SA's will push for a new tire regardless.

Originally Posted by car62

If you have some other brand of tire, yes it would be OK to just replace the one with the exact same brand and specification tire that you have now.

I would only caveat that with "unless your other tires are low on tread".