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Nail. Tire not repairable. Choices?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by kitkit201, May 26, 2014.

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  1. kitkit201

    kitkit201 Member

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    So I have a leak in one of my tires. I ahve about 5/8 left on the tire. I will probably have to replace two of them. They are YokoS avid right now. What are my options as I am a hyper miler and i like tires that aren't that noisy.

    Thanks
     
    #1 kitkit201, May 26, 2014
  2. Markee

    Markee Member

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    Just plug it its cheap and easy I've done many through the years and can't remember ever having one fail or go to Firestone and for i think $20 they can patch it
     
    #2 Markee, May 26, 2014
  3. kitkit201

    kitkit201 Member

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    Thanks.. I went to wheelworks and they said it was not patchable, but i doubt it so i'm gonna take it to another shot and do it.
     
    #3 kitkit201, May 26, 2014
  4. Markee

    Markee Member

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    As long as its not in the side wall of the tire they should be able to fix it or you could plug it
    Wheres the nail at in the tire ?
     
    #4 Markee, May 26, 2014
    fuzzy1 likes this.
  5. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    This is a huge problem these days, no one wants to repair, they want you to buy new. Learn DIY.
     
    #5 Former Member 68813, May 26, 2014
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    I've done a couple of plug repairs, with no problems. The kit I purchased is from Black Jack.

    In the first instance it was a very slim finishing nail, about an inch in from edge of tread. I brought it to our nearby dealership, and they deemed it unrepairable, saying it was too close to the edge. I plug repaired it with one of the smaller diameter plugs, and it's held up fine, for about 18 months now. My take is the cautions against plug repair may have some validity, but are overblown, especially for small diameter punctures.
     
    #6 Mendel Leisk, May 26, 2014
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    some tire damage cannot be repaired safely. If you insist, you might put yourself and your passengers in jeopardy. Best to get another opinion.

    Many of the club stores (sam's club) offer free repair of tires, regardless where you bought it. They will also evaluate your tire and see if it can be repaired.
     
    #7 JC91006, May 26, 2014
  8. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    If the object severs one of the steel belts, as happened on my Prius, the tire is not repairable.

    Mine didn't even leak a significant amount of air until the slightly bubbled rubber around the break wore thin and expelled the foreign object. Then I discovered why something somewhere had felt slightly out of balance for the previous several weeks. With the air gone, deflating the bubble, there was an obvious pit in the tread around the leak.

    No other flat in my lifetime has done this.
     
    #8 fuzzy1, May 27, 2014
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    ^It's true, once something punctures it is a bit of a gamble, that something might have been severed. I wonder if they could x-ray the puncture zone? Too pricey I guess.
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, May 27, 2014
  10. kitkit201

    kitkit201 Member

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    The leak was on the sidewall, so it wasn't safe to drive.

    Anyone have experience with the Michelin Defenders? America's tire rep was selling them as teh best tires, but when I went to look for the energy saver a/s, they were special order so the only way to get them was to wait. I just bough the defenders since i have a 30 day return policy on them from michellin.
     
    #10 kitkit201, May 27, 2014
  11. kitkit201

    kitkit201 Member

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    In other words, I was due for new tires, so I just did all 4 of them since the middle parts of the thread was at 1/32"
     
    #11 kitkit201, May 27, 2014
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Yikes!
     
    #12 Mendel Leisk, May 27, 2014
  13. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

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    Yeah, if it was a sidewall damage, I wouldn't want to repair it as well, it's a liability issue and the shops don't want to be held responsible for that. If it was damage anywhere else on top of the tire where all the treads are at, then I would do it myself with a plug kit. I did a video on YouTube repairing a tire with a nail on top with the plug kit, and it hasn't leaked since.
     
    #13 NutzAboutBolts, May 27, 2014
  14. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    It seems your tires were functionally underinflated. What was their typical pressure?
     
    #14 fuzzy1, May 27, 2014
  15. kitkit201

    kitkit201 Member

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    Yeah, maybe the previous owner had a problem with it and not taking care of the tires. He kept on replacing two tires at a time, so uneven wear worked it off. I rather reset things and make sure all tires are in new condition.

    I got sold some defenders, so i'm looking to get the energey saver a/s at some point since it seems from my research that defenders wont be a little less fuel efficient than the avids i had
     
    #15 kitkit201, May 27, 2014
  16. Rivetjoint

    Rivetjoint Junior Member

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    My last set of Defenders gave me about 98,000 miles. No complaints. Certainly you're not going to get the mileage of LRR's but I feel the Defenders are an excellent compromise, netting around 49mpg (in the warmer weather).
     
    #16 Rivetjoint, Jun 1, 2014
  17. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    I just got Defenders since Michelin hard rubber tires last vastly longer than any LRR tires I've had. Any 2001 Prius owner will have extensive experience with LRR tires vaporizing as they drive.

    As for repairing the nail, how bent was it?
     
    #17 FL_Prius_Driver, Jun 1, 2014
  18. kitkit201

    kitkit201 Member

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    After having them for about a week seems like the optimal speed on these is 68mph for some reason. I mean that I can hypermile a lot easier than I use to with my Avids at 63mph. If they go longer than the 60k miles on the avid they will be worth it in terms of price in the log run.


    iPhone ?
     
    #18 kitkit201, Jun 1, 2014
  19. kitkit201

    kitkit201 Member

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    Drove on the same road today as I did another day with the Avids around the same time. I know this isn't scientific by no means, but i got 59mpgs on the same stretch of the road. With the Avids, they were 61mpgs..

    I really want to try the Energy Saver A/S, but these defenders are so smooth and comfortable.
     
    #19 kitkit201, Jun 1, 2014
  20. kitkit201

    kitkit201 Member

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    I got a little bored, and decided to due a simple compare contrast with the Defenders and Energy Saver A/S two tires to see in the long run, which will be cheaper.


    So where I live, the Michelin Defenders are $6.00 more than the Energy Saver A/S per tire.

    Defenders = $118 / each
    Energy Saver = $112 / each

    The difference is $24 + tax for 25,000 mile more warranty. (90k for Defenders vs. 65k for the Energy Saver

    If my test drive today of 59mpgs with the Defenders and 61mpgs with the Avids. The energy saver would get 2.1 mpgs more than the Avids based off the reviews I was reading. So Energy Saver would get 63mpgs.

    Defender = 59mpgs
    Avids = 61mpgs
    Energy Saver = 63mpgs

    I drive about 20k miles a year. Assuming gas is at $4/gallon (it is that in California).

    Defender = miles per year / miles per gallon => 20000/59 = 338.98 year / gallon X $4.00 / gallon = $1355.93
    Avids = 20000/61 = 327.86 X $4.00 = $1,311.47
    Energy Saver = 20000/63 = 317.46 X $4.00 = $1,269.84
    -----------------
    Comparing both the Defenders and the Energy Saver with the warranty of 65k

    Defender: 65,000 / 59 = 1,1101.69 gallons = $4,406.77
    Energy Saver: 65,000 / 63 = 1,031.74 gallons = $4,126.98

    The difference is $276.79 of gas saving. However, One will have to buy new Energy Saver tires by then since the ES would be bald, while the Defenders will still have thread, or at least warranty on them left.

    $112 x 4 = $586 Out the door price with balancing, mounting, and environmental fees. $586 x .38 (25k to match the 90k from defender/65k warranty) = $225.38 spent to get another $25k of life on the next set of new tires..

    So:
    TIRES ONLY
    If you were to drive the Defenders up to 90k .
    Defenders: 4 tires with balancing, mounting etc = $612.58
    Energy Savers: 4 tires with balancing, mounting, etc = $586 + $225.38 (second set) = $811.38

    GASOLINE ONLY
    Assuming the Defenders and the Energy Saver lasts their respective warranty from Michelin, this is how much you will have to pay in gas if you get the rated mpgs
    90,000 miles / 59 milespergallon = $1,525/gallon x $4.00 = $6,101
    90,000 miles / 63 milespergallon = $1,428/gallon x $4.00 = $5714

    Sum up both TIRES AND GASOLINE TOTAL for 90k miles usage
    Defender: $612.58 + $6,101 = $6713
    Energy Saver: ($586 + 225.38) + $5714 = $6525

    Difference of $188 between the two sets tires. Sounds like to me the energy savers are still the winner despite Defenders being the newer tires that Michelin is trying to push at the stores.

    This just might tip me over and go back to the Energy Savers, but the Defenders ride was so good today driving down the freeway. Got many compliments by my carmates that said it was very quiet
     
    #20 kitkit201, Jun 1, 2014
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