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Bolt in tire (2nd time in 36 days); recall related?
- Thread starter psuKinger
- Start date
Be very aware of Tesla haters or haters in general. This looks more like a result of a conniving vandal as that particular location on a tire makes it too close to the sidewall for a patching repair. I had two of these in the past year strategically "placed" in the right rear tire. First one was not long enough to penetrate but the second one was. Sure enough, the tire shop refused to patch it. I had to settle for a plug. No issues with a plug until I replaced the whole set with new tires at 10k miles. Now, I make it a habit of taking a quick walk around the car to make sure I am not "set up". It's sh1ttY thing you have to do but some people are just evil.Just got a bolt in my right front tire. Randomly had this happen 36 days ago too (pre-recall).... not a great experience, cost me a *lot* of money at the Tesla dealer ($1700; said my tires were misaligned and worn thin, needed all 4 replaced).
First time it happened my tire went flat *fast* (15 seconds). This time it seems to be holding pretty steady at 31 psi... for now...
Any chance this is related to the recent recall?
Tesla Recalls Model 3, Model Y for Loose Brake Bolts
Nearly 6000 of Tesla's entry-level sedan and crossover models could have problematic brake bolts that may result in low tire pressure.www.caranddriver.com
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It's *very* new. Tesla replaced all 4 of mine (cost me $$$$) due to "misalignment" at about 14,000 miles... and there's probably only about 1000 miles on this new set of 4...
This is why on every new car, regardless of brand, I get a full 4 wheel alignment when new. Every car I've owned, regardless of brand, has needed adjustment directly from the factory. VW, BMW, Tesla, Subaru, Ford to name a few. Luckily, my MY was delivered with the steering wheel off-center, and the SC centered the steering wheel and performed a 4-wheel alignment under warranty, and things we way off, both front and rear. The car drives amazingly straight now, and I've got just about 9K on the Vredestein Quatrac Pros I installed at about 1000 miles, and they have worn perfect with no issues. I run at 42 psi cold.
OP: I didn't even have 500 miles on my original Contis when I developed a slow lead and found a very similar screw in my tire, albeit in the middle of the tread. The SC performed a full patch from the inside, and I was on my way. There is a lot of home construction where I live, so I'm not surprised.
psuKinger: with only 1k miles on the tires, you don't need to replace 2, just the damaged tire...IF it can't be plug/patched.
From the reading I've done, all of the tires we're dealing with are good quality: Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, Vredestein. I've not read any conclusive evidence that any of the currently available tires, in Tesla sizes, are more efficient than any other. The newest Michelin, to be released in the fall, might prove to be more efficient, but for now, it's all purely marketing strategy.
The comparison charts at TireRack are informative, but skewed by the fact that the comparisons are based on purchaser experience, with a huge range of vehicles, and widely variable (regional) road conditions and temperatures. I still think the ranking that TireRack provides has some value, though.
The Tesla MY is still so new that no data we have is conclusive.
From the reading I've done, all of the tires we're dealing with are good quality: Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, Vredestein. I've not read any conclusive evidence that any of the currently available tires, in Tesla sizes, are more efficient than any other. The newest Michelin, to be released in the fall, might prove to be more efficient, but for now, it's all purely marketing strategy.
The comparison charts at TireRack are informative, but skewed by the fact that the comparisons are based on purchaser experience, with a huge range of vehicles, and widely variable (regional) road conditions and temperatures. I still think the ranking that TireRack provides has some value, though.
The Tesla MY is still so new that no data we have is conclusive.
hmm.....
Here are a couple pictures of my tire on my model 3P, dealing with an item in my tire. My zero G referral wheels in fact. sure doesnt look like "a screw" to me:
I dont think it was "standing straight up" when I drove over it, either. I dont think its correct to say "it cant be a bolt".
jjrandorin: Did you remove the offending threaded object (HAHA) from your tire? Lag bolt or hex-head bolt????
A lag bolt has the tapered tip of a screw. A regular hex-head bolt has a blunt tip.
I've never personally witnessed a regular hex-head bolt puncturing a tire, but various tire dealerships I've encountered keep a bucket of items they've pulled from tires. You'd be amazed, they're not all tapered tips!!!!
A lag bolt has the tapered tip of a screw. A regular hex-head bolt has a blunt tip.
I've never personally witnessed a regular hex-head bolt puncturing a tire, but various tire dealerships I've encountered keep a bucket of items they've pulled from tires. You'd be amazed, they're not all tapered tips!!!!
I didnt, no. It ruined my tire AND my rim, and I had just gotten the rims 3 weeks before. You can see how it punched through the inside of the rim, though, which is why I shared that picture. My point was, its a bit unfair for @maximus96 just throw up a picture of a bolt and screw, and say "it couldnt have been a bolt". Lag bolts are bolts too.
I've always been told that bolts differ from screws in that bolts only work if there is a complementary piece for it to grab and use to apply force, i.e. a nut or a threaded hole in a piece of metal which is just a different kind of nut. If it can do its job to secure and hold/attach without any additional items, then it is a screw. While some call them lag bolts, they are really lag screws.
maximus96
Member
ok ok, some bolts can puncture tires, but the basic terminology of bolt vs screw
Now to be fair, I said "unlikely", not "couldnt have been". You got a screw in your tire. Not a bolt. And ok, some bolts can puncture some tires. Finally lag bolts are really lag screws if we want to be correct.
Ouch.... 
There's construction going on everywhere so road hazards like nails, screws, bolts, ...etc... are abundant. I've seen pictures of all sort of stuff, even wrenches, puncturing tires and busting rims.
There's construction going on everywhere so road hazards like nails, screws, bolts, ...etc... are abundant. I've seen pictures of all sort of stuff, even wrenches, puncturing tires and busting rims.
laservet
Member
I had runflats on my previous car, and concur. They are heavy, give a stiff ride, and are expensive to replace. In two different incidents I had the sidewall blow out. Once on the interstate in a construction area with absolutely no place to pull over, at night, in the rain, and I was happy I was able to drive home on the flat. OTOH, the other sidewall blowout was about 25% of the circumference and I couldn't drive it. They were low profile performance tires and those short sidewalls would get pinched against the rim when I hit a pothole, I replaced 4 tires and one wheel on that car due to pothole hits.
The local tire place, not a chain, would repair punctures in run flats, except for the six inch bolt (a real bolt) that made an oblique long hole in the tire.
Quick update. Took it to my local shop; tire can't be plugged/patched. Too close to the side wall, just as the community predicted (yinz are good). I have replacement on order (he didn't have any in stock).
Tire was completely flat Monday evening when I picked it up. Slow leak seems to be speeding up. I took the car home with the leak, and the short trip knocked me down from 37 psi to 19 psi when I got into my driveway... Wanted to get it home and onto my wall charger, as I was losing ~8% a day with it sitting outside in the heat (side note: my Gen 3 wall charger also just crapped the bed, so I'm charging off 120V; just rotten luck right now... link: Tesla wall connector gen3 overheating fix).
My plan is to limp back down the hill to the tire shop once the tire comes in... I've got my own little portable air compressor (AC and 12 volt cigarette lighter chargable), and I'm toying with the idea of taking a stab at a "tire plug" myself, just for the purposes of getting down the hill safer and easier without needing a tow.
OR, alternatively, trying "yellow label slime," which I was pretty unfamiliar with until today... anyone in the community ever used "Slime" like this on their Tesla? Dumb idea?
shop.slime.com
Tire was completely flat Monday evening when I picked it up. Slow leak seems to be speeding up. I took the car home with the leak, and the short trip knocked me down from 37 psi to 19 psi when I got into my driveway... Wanted to get it home and onto my wall charger, as I was losing ~8% a day with it sitting outside in the heat (side note: my Gen 3 wall charger also just crapped the bed, so I'm charging off 120V; just rotten luck right now... link: Tesla wall connector gen3 overheating fix).
My plan is to limp back down the hill to the tire shop once the tire comes in... I've got my own little portable air compressor (AC and 12 volt cigarette lighter chargable), and I'm toying with the idea of taking a stab at a "tire plug" myself, just for the purposes of getting down the hill safer and easier without needing a tow.
OR, alternatively, trying "yellow label slime," which I was pretty unfamiliar with until today... anyone in the community ever used "Slime" like this on their Tesla? Dumb idea?
Sealant for Tubeless Tires – Slime Products
Prevent and repair flat tires for two years with Slime's tire sealant for all non-highway vehicles. Install in any of your tubeless non-highway vehicles, including ATVs/UTVs, golf carts, riding lawn mowers, small trailers, tractors, scooters and much more. Even stops slow leaks!
shop.slime.com
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I would leave the tire as is and keep adding air to the tire as needed. Don't drive the vehicle except to the tire shop. For the drive to the tire shop add additional air to the tire for an added margin. The maximum tire pressure is molded into the sidewall - 51 PSI (measured cold.) You can safely add up this limit, it is going to start leaking anyway.
If you do use slime, make sure the person replacing your tire knows your tire has slime in it, otherwise it will make a big mess... They tend to get pissed when stuff like this catches them by surprise... If it were me, I'd just plug it myself temporarily, just so that it holds air on the drive to the tire shop.
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