Tire puncture

[stadia]

I got the 4th flat tire on my MX a couple days ago because of a nail since I bought this car about 5 years ago. For 3 of the 4, tire shops like America's Tire and Costco said the injuries were too close to the wall to be patched and I had to replace the tire. This time it would cost more than $450 for a new tire installed. I'd like to ask,

1. Is self repair using the tire plug kit OK ? I did a quick search and learned that the plug is not considered a permanent repair. But my tire is in a quite good shape in term of tread wear. It is the rear driver side tire.

2. Is it just my bad luck or Tesla more prone to get nail in the tire? For my previous ICE cars I got only 2 times in the past >20 years. The only possibility seems the heavy weight of the car.

 

[Damager99]

I'm sure you'll hear from others, but I don't think there is anything that makes a Tesla more prone to punctures - you may just have had a bad run of luck. Can't comment on the plug situation, did the tire center give you an opinion?

 

[zoomer0056]

Just bad luck. Take it to a tire shop. Those plugs last but a patch on the inside is the best. If it's not too close to the side wall it'll be as good as new when repaired. Just in case, if your car needs jack pucks make sure they use 'em.

 

[stadia]

I'm sure you'll hear from others, but I don't think there is anything that makes a Tesla more prone to punctures - you may just have had a bad run of luck. Can't comment on the plug situation, did the tire center give you an opinion?

The two tire center chains, America's Tire and Costco, told me to replace. A smaller shop said they could try to plug. I'm not sure how good/safe a tire plug would be. The nail puncture is on the tread, about 2/3 of inch to the wall (I guess it is called shoulder?)

 

[zoomer0056]

about 2/3 of inch to the wall

Google says:

That's just the first Google result.

 

[NewbyMaybe]

If you have a tire you need to plug but aren't sure of it's durability then be sure it's mounted on the rear and not the front.

 

[karkrazy]

Bad luck. But also, cars from 20-30 years ago didn’t really have 19-21” wheels as standard oem equipment. So tires mounted back then were a lot narrower… running on 15-16” rims

 

[Gardyloo]

I got a nail in my M3 tire a couple years ago. I was in the boonies and plugged it, then drove to a Firestone for a patch. The very helpful guy said he wished I had not done that because it can make it impossible to get a good patch seal. Which is the point of this comment. In the event he was able to make a successful patch so the story has a happy ending.

 

[D.E.]

If you have a tire you need to plug but aren't sure of it's durability then be sure it's mounted on the rear and not the front.

I’d argue this. If a rear tire goes down the car swims all over the road. If unsure about the durability just replace the tire and be done with it.

 

[Manbutter]

Google says:
View attachment 914640
That's just the first Google result.

I saw this too. But another site said 6mm which is 0.23”

 

[zoomer0056]

I saw this too. But another site said 6mm which is 0.23”

Err on the side of caution.