Tire screwiness

I used to live in the Portland Oregon Metro area and one really nice thing about there were the Les Schwab Tire stores. If you got a screw in your tire, you could pull in and they would immediately take the tire off, fix it, and put it back on while you wait, in 10 minutes or less. And it was free. It didn't matter whether or not you bought your tires from them. They will rotate your tires for free too. It is a truely great chain of stores.

As a marketing tool, free and speedy tire repair and tire rotations are a great idea, because here I am, 3000 miles away, and I still have warm fuzzy thoughts about a tire store.

(Sorry to go off track a bit, but I do miss my local Les Schwab tire store)

 

Same thing happend to me a couple of weeks ago.

Heard the Tic-Tic at low speed - found a drywall screw in the tire but no leak.

Just be sure to file your repair with the Road Hazard warrantee site. I just got my money back last Friday

As far as puncture resistance, short of a Kevlar belt, I'm not sure anything is going to resist a drywall screw.

One thing I can say is don't try to get BJs Wholesale Club to fix your tire.

It was the nearest tire shop, so I changed to the spare and dragged the screwed up tire over to them. They had a whole tire sales annex.

They told me that they wouldn't even work on the tire unless I bought it there. Even if I was a club member, they still only work on tires they sold.

Luckily, the Sears Auto Center didn't care

 

You should have gotten the Road Hazard Warranty info with the rest of the documentation for the car. There are instructions in there how to file claims.

The tires and wheels are covered for 3/36 under a separate policy from the regular warrantee.

You should also have a Roadside Assistance card.

The number on mine for Road Hazard authorization is 1-877-304-6495

I mailed my claim to

Cross Country Automotive Services
Toyota Prius Reimbursements
POB 9145
Medford, MA 02155

 

H:

From what I've seen, pretty much every passenger car "P Metric" tire out there has about the same "resistance" to puncture. Those two steel belts help a bit, but they're not perfect.

The best puncture resistance I've seen is in E-rated truck tires, as they usually have 3 steel belts and deep tread, sometimes 18/32 or deeper. But they only fit HD 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, and when empty it rides like a buckboard.

Some tires are run flat or have a special puncture sealant in the carcass. I suppose with a run flat you could do away with that fugly yellow "spare" tire altogether.

Just curious, how often do you folks check your temporary use tire? It's supposed to be inflated to 60 psi. When I checked mine this Spring it was down to 45 psi. When I checked in September it was down to 54 psi.

J

 

A little tire info for ya'...higher pressure means less "give" means more likely road hazard punctures. I expect Prius owners, due to their desire for better mpg, will experience more road hazard punctures than in their "other" cars.

Could be just a crazy theory though!

 

H:

Tell me about it, talk about a royal PITA.

You have to empty the entire butt of the car, take out the cover and that tray, THEN take out the fugly yellow "temporary use" tire, just to check the pressure.

It shouldn't be more than a 1 minute deal, but it turns into a 10-15 minute production.

J

 

You need a flexible valve extender

http://www.getagauge.com/USAProducts.cfm



6 bucks is cheap for the convenience and safety

http://zvalve.com/va_extensions_rubber.html

If you want better, look for ZIP (Zero Internal Pressure) extenders at a truck stop or RV dealer for Duallies

 

Not exactly what you are talking about but I have been having a problem with only one tire. The drivers side front. About every three to four weeks, I notice it looks low. And with checking, I find it has lost about 4 to 5 pounds pressure. I have had many cars and many tires, and have never run into this problem before. I took it to the dealer and they said they checked everything- no problem. But it continues. I went to Pep Boys and bought a small tire puffer upper. Every 3 to 4 weeks I have to give that tire a boost. What do you think? Bad valve?

 

I had a new tyre (front) put on my old Renault Clio and that was losing pressure straight away - took it back to the tyre garage and they said there was rust on the wheel rim (which they hadn`t scraped off when they put the tyre on in the first place - they had the cheek to talk as if they were doing me a favour fixing the wheel correctly the second time round). If not rust, it could be some dirt or something??

Just a word of warning - I had a front tyre (on another car) burst when I was doing 75mph on the motorway (wheel balancing problem it turned out). The car spun and we were hit by a large truck that was close behind: 5weeks hospital, 2weeks intensive care. So I`m a bit paranoid about tyres now and would never drive with a tyre I had my doubts about.

NB

 

What I like and it is the same thing tire stores use is those tire repair kits.
They are cheap and you can get them at Autozone or Pepboys or whatever.

You get 2 "T" shaped tools and like 4 or 5 really sticky gummy worm looking things. If you go quick you don't even need to take the tire off.

One "T" tool is a reamer and the other is the threader (kinda like a big sewing needle). Thread the worm through the needle so it is ready. Grab a pair of pliers and pull the screw out. Air will come out so be quick. Ream the hole to make a good clean hole, then jam the worm in and pull the tool out so the worm is doubled over on it self and the ends hang out. Trim with a blade and fill any air that got out. If you are quick about it it should take less than a minute. The hardest part is threading the worm in to the needle hole.