First Steps After Finding a Nail in Your Tire

Your tires cover a lot of ground on the roads of Salisbury and Mooresville. It’s not uncommon for tires to pick up rocks, nails, screws, and other small items that can cause damage. At Cloninger Toyota, we want to help you take the first steps after finding a nail in your tire.

Lexington and Huntersville drivers can learn how to respond to this problem. Nail-in-tire repair may not be as serious as it looks—so long as you have the problem addressed as soon as possible!

Don’t Touch the Nail

Upon discovering a nail in your tire, your first temptation may be to remove it. Don’t. If the nail is deep enough, it can plug the hole and keep air from leaking out of the tire. Instead, schedule service to have the nail removed and your tire repaired.

The longer you drive with a nail in your tire, the worse it can get. You could end up with a tire blowout, causing you to lose control of your vehicle on the road. Driving a short distance to the tire shop may be fine but continuing to commute to work is not.

As you have the nail problem addressed, you may want to ponder the following questions.

What Part of the Tire Is the Nail In?

Your answer to this question will affect whether the damage is easily fixable or not. Modern tires usually use a soft, flexible sidewall and rigid steel belts that run under the tread. If the nail is in the area covered by those steel belts, repair is a likely possibility.

However, if the nail is at the outer edge of the treads, or the sidewall, you’ll need a new tire. Repairing a tire in this condition is not possible.

Is the Tire Leaking Air?

If the puncture isn’t leaking air yet, you should be able to drive to the tire shop and have your tire fixed or replaced. Check the tire’s air pressure and fill it up to a safe level at the gas station, if needed. If your tire is rapidly leaking air, don’t drive on it. Change the tire before you drive anywhere.

How to Be Prepared for Nails in Tire

At some point, every driver is likely to pick up a nail or screw in their tire. There are several ways you can be prepared the next time this happens. Consider:

• Keeping a tire gauge in your car
• Carrying a portable air compressor
• Checking your tires regularly
• Learning how to change a tire

Get Nail-In-Tire Repair at Cloninger Toyota

We want to help you drive safely on the roads of Salisbury and Huntersville. Avoid blowouts when you find a nail in your tire by scheduling service at Cloninger Toyota as soon as possible. Our certified auto technicians will determine whether your tire can be repaired or needs to be replaced.

Either way, we have state-of-the-art service and tire centers on site. We’ll have your vehicle ready for the roads of Mooresville and Lexington in no time!