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So I was going around a slow-speed S-curve just outside the base today, and at the exit I hear a BANG-whack-whack-whack-whack and the "low pressure" warning for the driver rear tire comes on. I stop and look, but I didn't see anything. Drove to a small parking lot hearing that whack-whack-whack sound and stopped.
When I parked, THIS is what I see:
OK, so how bad is it? I ask myself.
So I call the wife and ask her to bring me my slip-joint pliers. I start pulling and twisting, and after about 2 minutes I get this far:
And once I get it out, it's the biggest bolt I've seen stuck in a tire before:
It's about 6" long.
And this happens just before I'm about to ship my Vette back to the USA next week. I don't think it can be patched, but I'm going to ask the local tire store (KSC Reifen). I'm not hopeful that they can get a Bridgestone run-flat in on time, and I'm considering replacing it with a non-run-flat just so I can get it on the boat to send it home. I was also thinking of just shipping it with the tire like it is and getting new tires in the US.
So I was going around a slow-speed S-curve just outside the base today, and at the exit I hear a BANG-whack-whack-whack-whack and the "low pressure" warning for the driver rear tire comes on. I stop and look, but I didn't see anything. Drove to a small parking lot hearing that whack-whack-whack sound and stopped.
When I parked, THIS is what I see:
OK, so how bad is it? I ask myself.
So I call the wife and ask her to bring me my slip-joint pliers. I start pulling and twisting, and after about 2 minutes I get this far:
And once I get it out, it's the biggest bolt I've seen stuck in a tire before:
It's about 6" long.
And this happens just before I'm about to ship my Vette back to the USA next week. I don't think it can be patched, but I'm going to ask the local tire store (KSC Reifen). I'm not hopeful that they can get a Bridgestone run-flat in on time, and I'm considering replacing it with a non-run-flat just so I can get it on the boat to send it home. I was also thinking of just shipping it with the tire like it is and getting new tires in the US.
Have a patch plug put in it, get it back to the US, then decide whether you want to drive on the patched tire. It looks like a fairly large hole in the tire and I would be concerned about water intrusion damaging steel cords over the long haul. Not to mention I probably wouldn't want to take a sustained high speed run on it.
Well, the tire shop said they can't repair it themselves, and the on-base folks won't even try. Now to try to find a plug kit!
The tire shop could get a Michelin SS tire in, but German law doesn't allow mixing of run-flats and non-run-flats. And Bridgestone RE050A tires aren't even available in Europe.
edit - do ya'll think a can of Fix-A-Flat could get me by? I know tire shops hate the stuff, but I need a temporary patch and I don't have a lot of time.
Well, the tire shop said they can't repair it themselves, and the on-base folks won't even try. Now to try to find a plug kit!
The tire shop could get a Michelin SS tire in, but German law doesn't allow mixing of run-flats and non-run-flats. And Bridgestone RE050A tires aren't even available in Europe.
edit - do ya'll think a can of Fix-A-Flat could get me by? I know tire shops hate the stuff, but I need a temporary patch and I don't have a lot of time.
That's a pretty big hole for Fix-A-Flat to plug so I doubt it will work. How far do you have to drive the car to to get it on the boat back to the US? If not that far I would just leave the tire alone and take care of it when you get back to US.
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I wouldn't use that crap, I would see if someone has a plug kit, or try to buy a plug kit.
If you are plugging your tire, inflate to the max, before installing the plug, good luck.
That's a pretty big hole for Fix-A-Flat to plug so I doubt it will work. How far do you have to drive the car to to get it on the boat back to the US? If not that far I would just leave the tire alone and take care of it when you get back to US.
I don't have to drive it far as it's being trucked to the port, but the shipping company said they will take no responsibility if there's any damage - not sure how accurate that is.
Well, I don't want to jinx myself, but I finally found a patch kit after looking all over the place. I got one of those kits that have the black gummy worm things. I used 2 strings as the hole was not small, and it's holding pressure.
I know that it's not going to be balanced at all and fast driving is a no-go, but it's good enough to get my car shipped out. I will get a new tire or a proper patch done when I get Stateside.
Be sure to use the red rope plugs, the black cant take heat, it will get you where you are going meanwhile. The tire stores here in the states wont touch anything outside of the last thread line, last plug was done at the door of the tire store, at least they would put the air in.
US Air Force, and I'll be going to Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Close to Omaha. So basically the same exact weather as here in Germany!
I spent 1981 thru 1986 at a radar site in Hastings, NE. Offutt was our support base but 3 hours away. Don't miss the snow or the wind. I bought my first Vette in NE. 1982 Collector Edition.
I obviously failed physics, but how does a bolt that long work its way in? Your luck is as bad as mine!
In my guestimation - I was cornering hard, and my front tire clipped the bolt head. The bolt tumbled, and most unfortunately the rear tire rolled over it when it was just a few degrees forward more than perpendicular. It embedded itself in a way that any forward movement only made things worse.
The BANG was the initial bolt tearing into the tire with it nearly perfectly perpendicular - hence the noise. The whack-whack-whack-whack was the result of the bolt being angled unfavorably towards the forward rotation, driving the tip of the bolt against the wheel. When I drove in reverse, it was silent. I am thinking that once I get the tire off, the inside of the wheel will be a bit chewed up.
It was just a bit of extreme unluck. I've done that corner dozens of times in the exact same path. Just a few feet ahead of me a car took a really lazy path, I stayed in the paint lines so I could corner a little harder. Maybe if I followed the lazy path I wouldn't have noticed anything.
But the patch has held with zero air loss for the last six hours, so I will call that a win as with the game of Belgium vs England!
Long time ago I was driving my truck that had 35” all terrains on it. Somehow managed to run over a razor blade that then stood up on edge and made a 2” slice in between the treads on the tire. Could actually hear the air escaping over the diesel engine. So a long bolt through a tire is nothing crazy. Just bad luck.
Well, I don't want to jinx myself, but I finally found a patch kit after looking all over the place. I got one of those kits that have the black gummy worm things. I used 2 strings as the hole was not small, and it's holding pressure.
I know that it's not going to be balanced at all and fast driving is a no-go, but it's good enough to get my car shipped out. I will get a new tire or a proper patch done when I get Stateside.
Good for you. I have NO experience with small tires, but with large truck type tires a puncture near the edges of belts can cause a lot of problems. I'd get a new tire as soon as possible when you get stateside.
06-28-2018, 05:57 AM
Ouch, now I need a new tire!
