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Why do our tires pick up so many nails and screws?
I just discovered another one - my third in about a year.
Last time it was a nail; this time, a screw.
Why does this only happen with my 2017 Z06 tires?
I've owned many, many cars over the years, and have never had this happen. Then, I purchase my dream car, and am constantly finding nails and screws in my tires.
The strange part is that 95% of the time, I only drive locally (in my small suburb), and the roads are not under construction, or near construction sites, or anything of that nature.
I mean, I know that the tires on my car are wider than probably any other, so they are probably exposed to slightly more road surface than skinny tires, but is that the explanation? Or is it the softness of the rubber?
I mean, I know that the tires on my car are wider than probably any other, so they are probably exposed to slightly more road surface than skinny tires, but is that the explanation?
Thoughts?
That's a part of the increased likelihood, though it could sometimes also be people acting maliciously. I picked up a nail in a tire on my c6 several years ago, which had a small washer around it - presumably to help it stand in position until I backed over it pulling out of a spot at work. It was near the sidewall of a like new 275-35/18 MPSS too, so a nice little $300 purchase.
I think it is the softer rubber compound to make the tires stickier. In summer especially, I'll notice leaves rocks etc are left on the tires when I park. They resurfaced the road near me awhile back and the tires would pick up the tiny rocks in the resurfacing compound and lodge them in the rubber. I never take the vette to a home improvement store. Way too many sharp objects in the parking lot.
It is wide sticky front tires which create the problem.
Foreign objects typically end up in the rear tires, rather than the front, as the fronts run over and lift the object where they are then pointing up and run over by the rears.
Very sound logic. I can't believe I've gone almost 12k miles without a nail or a screw. Pure luck as it's so easy to do. It did recently get one in my DD. That's a much easier problem to fix.
I'm sorry about that, but it makes me feel good to hear that a "normal" (DD) cars also occasionally experiences these problems.
And on the positive side, as you said, it is much easier to repair on a DD.
The crazy thing is I take this short cut north of me and it's all new condos going up. There's construction on both sides of the street for blocks...with contruction dumpsters in the driveways. I keep telling myself as I drive through, "you're going to get a nail in your tire, stop taking this way you idiot". Half dozen times through there and no nail (always am in my Grand Sport ). So again I say it's just luck.
I had construction at my house this year and noticed a small piece of metal sticking out. I do need to fix it but the tire is holding air for the last 6 months and I don’t hear or feel it so I’ll get it fixed in the spring. I couldn’t make any more track days so never took care of it. I’d say the tires are more durable than I’d expected.
Any car can pick them up....are there a lot of contstruction type trucks around your area?
Only time i get a nail is the week I buy new tires. Every time
I had five flats in the first 80,000 miles of my 2016 Stingray. None since. My 2019 Z06 has no flats in the first 50,000 miles. Go figure. I had one of these in the Stingray tire! And it also punctured the rim.
I just had the first nail in my 2019 tire after 3 years of driving. Never had a single one in 15 years on my C5. Recently had one in each of our 2 family SUV's.
Just luck of the draw I think. When we moved into our house years ago and they were still doing a lot of construction on our local streets, we were getting an average of one nail a month in one of our vehicles.
There are currently comprehensive studies on the topic of "why Corvette Tires attract things that cause them to go flat". I understand that detailed conclusions will be published with in two months of a democrate controlled congress cutting taxes. And the solutions will be developed and available as an option on future Corvette Models, (likely generation C23). In the absence of the study conclusions "they" advise to continue to purchase Corvettes but only drive them a few hundred feet per year and lock the Corvrettes away in Climate controled Garages. This process will help reduce the total number of punctures per year.
You should expect a TSB on this subject as soon as the election recount is completed in Mich. plus I have it on good authority that our President who is a long time Corvette enthusiast has included $1billion in the recently House Passed BBB legislation to study this issue as well as several other important issues such as why McDonalds only sells the McRib part of the year, plus the magnetic qualities of the Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass Corvette Body that attracts metal cars to park close to them even when the Corvette is parked in a remote area of a parking lot? Although the budget for this study is $1B the real cost is Zero because the revenue to pay for it will be A "Fix the Flat" fee of $221.59 on each new tire( this is not a tax).
I wish I had better information on this issue;
Might be time to close this thread? unless much better information can be shared by others?
Drive safe, have fun
11-19-2021, 08:48 AM
Why do our tires pick up so many nails and screws?
Very sound logic. I can't believe I've gone almost 12k miles without a nail or a screw. Pure luck as it's so easy to do. It did recently get one in my DD. That's a much easier problem to fix.
