Here's an ouch!!

[Richard]

New tires on hybrid.

Driving to a work location the other day. Felt a bit of an odd thump BUT, this road has had some potholes filled.... drove on.

Get to work location. Happened to be the county Highway Dept. Do my stuff...end of day go to car to go home. Pull out of parking spot into general parking lot and I hear "tick......tick.......tick....." as the car moved (as the tire rotated)

Got out, rear passenger was flat. Ugh.... Honda doesn't give a spare with car, you've got to get the parts yourself. I wasn't terribly worried as these were new tires.

I immediatly see a shiney object. Clearly I'd driven over a screw or something. I realize, I'm at the Hwy dept....they have a full machine shop. They've got air compressors. They can likely fill tire and I can limp to shop on way home. Stop to ask. "Bring it in and we'll take care of it"

Guy pulled the "nail" out. Ouch (this is after he used pliers to lever it out but had to get something stronger because the fender was blocking path and he had to pull sideways a bit)

Got the bugger pulled out. He pulled out his tire plug kit and slapped two plugs into it. Drove to tire shop pretty much expecting that this tire was toast. They concurred saying they didn't think a hole this big would still last as long with an internal patch. Brand new tire, to the recycle bin.

Here's a full shot of the anchor bolt. I have NO idea where this happened or how. AND it seems it went in blunt end first.

 

[ponytug]

Ouch is right.

Luck of the impact as you drove over it.

Once, I ripped a five inch tear in a sidewall at about 0.5mph backing out of a congested parking space, just grazing a curb. Very new tires. The first tow company wouldn't tow the car, and the second gave me the runaround about where they were willing to tow it. (I must have bad tow karma.) I had to replace two tires. $$$

I've had all sorts of metal in our tires, sometimes even flat sheets of heavy gauge steel, that I looked at and "thought how on earth did this end up vertically in tire?"

I once started to drive out of strip mall parking lot, and saw something shine in the gutter, thought better of it and went over to look. Someone had lost a couple of pounds of 1-1/2" roofing screws right in the gutter, as if they had bounced out of an open box in the back of truck. I tried to pick up what I could, but I could see shiny things in the (heavily trafficked) road.

Yeah, I took the long way home.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Jstpssng]

I 've heard of some strange things in tires. One of the oddest was a set of car keys. Nobody knew who they belonged to. It must have been hard to balance.

 

[kenmac]

I've patched much larger holes with a patch from the inside that lasted the life of the tread. Some sell / offer a road hazard warranty that would have take care of this

 

[steve tym]

I helped a lady change a tire once because she had a 3/4" combination wrench sticking out of it.

 

[Runner]

I'm amazed at how small things can flat a bike tire. I ride thousands of miles per year and most of my flats are from wire. Small pieces of wire that looks like belting from car tires. Big stuff I can see and avoid (usually) but wire, not a chance.

The wire usually stays embedded in the tire, so after I patch the tube, I have to run my fingers around the inside of the tire to find the wire and remove it.

 

[JJT]

"I have NO idea where this happened or how."

I'll bet the front tire kicked this up and the rear tire caught it just right.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Wife had a wire stripper like this one without the rubber handles. It went through the tire sideways. and it was a fairly new tire. No I didn't get the road warranty. I still don't buy those.

 

[Eagle1]

Wife had a wire stripper like this one without the rubber handles. It went through the tire sideways. and it was a fairly new tire. No I didn't get the road warranty. I still don't buy those.

You win even my daughter has not managed that, keys, railroad spikes 6 holes from running over a pallet.

 

[QRTRHRS]

This is the spare on my 10k trailer. After loading up 100 bales of hay, my friend noticed a low tire. I had checked the pressure prior to the 45 minute drive to his farm. We pumped it up and it seemed to hold air so I was on my way. I stopped to check the tire and my straps along the way. It was a bit low but I felt that I could make it home. After unloading, I pulled the tire and there was a 3/8" x ~3" bolt in it. My tire shop put a patch on the inside. I figured that I would just use it for the spare. Sometime later, when I pre-tripped the trailer, I saw the tread starting to separate. The trailer mostly sits so I am keeping my fingers crossed until I replace the other four and use one as a spare.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Richard, on the plus side, you did not mention any damage to the fender area.

 

[Thomas]

Years back while brush hogging deer antler found front tire..$$$'s.

 

[Mulder]

When I was in high school a girl in my class was going home after her cheerleading practice, ran over a 9mm pistol. Apparently the rear tire caught it, it went off and shot her in the but. Went just thru her cheek and out her inner thigh. She was on crutches for a few weeks. Police didn't believe what happened till they found the gun. Don't remember if they found the owner or not. But bullet went thru floor board seat her and finally the dash where it landed on the floor board.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Wow... talk about a freak accident...

 

[Richard]

Richard, on the plus side, you did not mention any damage to the fender area.

Nope, no fender issues at all. The anchor was flush with tire so was totally imbedded into tire. As I was at tire shop waiting for new tire, I got to thinking (fearing) that this bolt may have speared the rim on the inside, but seems it didn't.

What I DID "fix".... these tires are probably six months old. Honda dealer rotated them front to rear. I IMMEDIATELY noticed some road noise.... much like a resonance. Was clearly rotational and speed dependent. New tires, made appointment back at dealer (this past summer) to see if maybe rear bearing was going bad.

Nope, all is fine.

So I'm living with this road noise that hadn't been there.... update to getting speared by bolt. Take to shop, they said they'd patch if I want but thought it was outer limits of maybe working or not (or maybe just trying to upsell me a new tire)

I mentioned the road noise. He went away.... came back with tire. Seems the outer edge "corner" of the tire had some cupping, scalloping (not sure what to call it) Some small undulations. You could feel it once you knew what to feel for.

He said that could be making the noise as it 'slapped' the roadway. Didn't matter what he said....once I saw that I said to replace tire. I can't afford being 100 miles from home in middle of nowhere at 6:00 A.M. and have it go flat... I then mentioned to check the other tire.

Said had same issue BUT, was just barely noticable. I said I didn't care.... so I ended up replacing two VERY new tires, with two new tires.

to be honest, I view this anchor bolt more as a blessing in disguise.

 

[RayIN]

One drive from Ft. Dix to home I unknowingly ran over an 8" screwdriver with a rear tire. I found the screwdriver half-way through the mud flap. It could easily have been the tire,I dodge one there.
Another time DW and I were driving my dually towing a 15,500# 5th wheel RV. A highway sign was laying in the center of the lane and the car in front of me straddled the sign, but clipped one corner. That spun the sign and I ran over it with one side duals.
When we got to the RV park I checked my tires and found a ½" bolt head sticking out. I called a tire shop and they said they'd stay open till i arrived. That bolt was 3" long and I though the tire was ruined.
However the man put a patch-plug inside the tire. The plug filled the hole and the attached patch sealed it tight. I ran that tire until the wear bars were even with the tread without any problem from that tire.

 

[mapper]

Few years ago my next door neighbor called and asked if I had a tire patch kit, I did (keep it on hand for lawnmower and wheelbarrow repair), he had a flat on his truck, brought the wheel over and we discovered a cat 0 lynch pin through the tread. Must have popped open and fallen off, landing shank up. We patched the tire and got him back on the road. I think he replaced the tire?

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I'm probably the only person who had a flat in the middle of the Ocean. Was on a ferry boat between St. Johns and St. Thomas USVI. Tire had a 2 and 1/12 inch deck screw; only one service station on St. Johns. Barely made it!

 

[Richard]

Ouch, what are the odds! If it was a deck screw, did the ferry pay a portion?

For all we know, this happens all the time..... they just toss the car overboard to get rid of the evidence....!

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Ouch, what are the odds! If it was a deck screw, did the ferry pay a portion?

For all we know, this happens all the time..... they just toss the car overboard to get rid of the evidence....!

Naw, I think I picked it up on shore; as I recall lots of building going on after hurricane. St. Thomas is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been, but after living there for a week, trying to drive on the wrong side of the road, etc. a week was enough.