While it’s impossible to avoid the problem altogether, there are steps you can take to reduce the chances of getting nails in your tires. This blog post will explore these steps and how they can help prevent them.
Driving Location
Construction Sites
Construction sites are hot spots for nails and other sharp objects due to the large number of materials being moved around. Nails, screws, and other metal objects can easily become embedded in the ground or the pavement and easily puncture your tire if you drive over them. It’s best to avoid driving through construction sites altogether. If possible, use a secondary route to get around them.
Road Gutters
When builders and contractors work on a project, they may be careless in their disposal of leftover nails and screws, which can end up on the road and in the gutter.
Cars often kick up nails from the road and launch toward the sidewalk. Here they either fall into the gutter or get kicked there by pedestrians.
When a nail or screw is left in the gutter, there is a possibility that it can puncture a tire when a vehicle passes over it when parking.
Practical Solutions
Mud Flaps
Mud flaps are protective covers that attach to the underside of your car in front of each tire. They act as a barrier between your tires and any debris or objects on the road, preventing nails and other debris from entering the tires. Mud flaps are available in various sizes, many of which are custom-made to fit your car perfectly.
Run Flat Tires
So, will run-flat tires prevent nail damage? The answer is yes, but with a few caveats. Run-flat tires are designed to provide extra protection from punctures, but they won’t prevent all punctures. Small pieces of metal, glass and sharp objects can puncture the tire.
Run-flat tires are designed to be much tougher than regular tires and are reinforced with reinforced sidewalls. This makes them more resistant to punctures, but they still can’t completely prevent them.
Run-flat tires also provide extra protection against air loss. If a puncture occurs in a regular tire, the tire can lose a significant amount of air. Run-flat tires are designed to hold the air for longer, allowing the driver to keep driving until they can reach a safe place to make a tire change.
RELATED: Can I Drive On A Run Flat Tire? [ANSWERED]
New Tires
New tires are made of harder rubber than older tires, so they’re less likely to be punctured by foreign objects like nails. The tread blocks on new tires are also deeper, making it harder for nails to penetrate the tire.
Just because a tire is new doesn’t mean it is impervious to nails. Think about it this way— you can get a flat tire from nails regardless of how old the tires are.
However, the chances of a flat tire from a nail are higher with older tires. This is because older tires are more prone to cracks and tear that can weaken the tire sidewall and make it easier for a nail puncture.
The 8 Reasons Why New Tires Are Often Better Than Repairing
- New tires are always safer than repaired ones
- More pleasing to the eye
- Better traction and handling
- More cost-effective in the long run
- Better reliability
- Less road noise
- Increased fuel economy
- Improved ride comfort
We recommend Priority Tire. They often have clearance sales that result in the cost of a new tire being little more than the cost of repairing the damaged one.
In Conclusion
Mud flaps are protective covers that attach to the underside of your car in front of each tire and act as a barrier against debris on the road.
Run-flat tires are designed to provide extra protection from punctures but won’t prevent all punctures. Additionally, new tires are made of harder rubber than older tires, making them less likely to be punctured.
Finally, try and avoid construction site areas, and when parking, be vigilant to see if nails and screws are there, as this is where they tend to accumulate.
