rj777

Hi all,

So I just replaced my two rear tires (Conti Sport Contact II's) which lasted me about a year and 11k miles. The fronts had much more tread, so I kept them, and only replaced the rears with another set of Conti's.

Then the other day, I noticed my front left tire seemed a bit low. Then I noticed a nail sticking in it. I filled it up to 35 psi with the emergency air compressor. It seems like it held the air for about 8-10 hours, then it was flat again. The car is parked in my garage.

I've already ordered a new set of matching Conti tires for the front wheels, and am having them delivered to a local independent shop.

Should I risk driving the car in to my shop, in hopes that it will hold the air, but then having something weird happen, and having the wheel ruined, or should I just play it safe and have it flatbedded in?

How does a d@%mn nail pierce a tire anyway? Wouldn't it have to be standing straight up for it to sink in?

Thanks in advance.

rick j.
'98 993 c2 cab
'00 986 S
'93 968

nman413

You know there is that spare tire in the trunk...... It ain't pretty but it'll get you there. I would not drive on a tire that you already know is leaking.

993RS

I wouldn't take the risk of driving any big distance. If it is just a few miles, OK, but carefully As far as nails are concerned, I have had about 3 nails in 5 years. How they get in is a good question. Maybe when taking a fast curve?

chris walrod

Just take it easy, no speed runs and you'll be fine..

Dilberto

Truckers tell me the nails get kicked up on roads, all the time...a huge 16-wheeler tire can catapult a std 3" house nail 50ft- from a standstill! When the high/far flying nail returns to the pavement- the heavier flat end will land it square on the road, bouncing several times, from tip-to-tip. Coincidentally, this is where your 951 directly barrels through the bouncing nail, forcing the pointed tip to drive straight into the rubber tire. A common nail strike explanation.

Zach

Franklin229

Why pay for towing? If you can use another car or get a ride from someone, I would leave the car where it is, remove the wheel/tire and take it to the shop to be fixed.

BobbyB

RickJ, as others have said you have a few choices. Remove the tire, put on the spare, or drive if you can take surface streets. So far I've always driven to have the tires replaced - Granted the max distance I've done this has been about 10 miles. Good Luck!!

Ray Calvo

I'll go with Franklin229 (whoever the heck he is); take the wheel off, dump it in your daily driver, and use it to carry the wheel/tire to your tire store.

Hope you have lots of tread; if close to the wear limits, tire shop might not be willing to repair it (happened to me).

JPhillips-998

Go buy a tire repair kit from Pep Boys for $10.00 and fix it. I just did it last week and it is a snap. The tire dealer won't do anything that you can't w/the kit. You will have 3 extra plugs "in case".

Short of that, if the tire holds air for 8-10 hours, why not drive it in and get it fixed?

Ray Calvo

Different strokes for different folks. I tried it on two different tires and never got a good seal. On something like this, leave it to the "experts" (folks with maybe a HS education but do it day in and out & have the professional equipment). Also, a patch is a better repair than a plug, altho you have to remove the tire from the wheel then get a rebalancing.

STLPCA

Jeff
Sorry, but I'm w/Ray & strongly disagree. A proper puncture repair requires the removal of the tire & a vulcanized patch on the inside, not just a plug. Further, an improper plug repair can cause added damage to the tire belts & allow air between the plies. Considering the possible catastrophic effect of a high speed tire failure, saving $20 on a flat repair is a bad bargain, IMO.

Tire Rack - "Puncture Repairs The Right Way"

BTW, still waiting for that email.

TomF

I'm also with Ray here. Take the wheel and tire off and have it repaired professionally. All the shops in my area fix them for free, so as to try and drum up new customers. Even at $20, this is cheap compared to a $45k 993...it is not worth the risk.

cmoss

Look, fill the damn thing up and just drive slow. BUT make sure you get NEW tires (as you are...). I would not trust a patch of any sort at--say--speed on a track...

rj777

Thanks for the helpful responses and useful information. I've already gone ahead and ordered two replacement tires for the front wheels. Since I just recently replaced the rear tires (at the beginning of August), I'll now have new tires at all four wheels.

This morning--while I was waiting for a new clothes dryer to be delivered--I filled up the tire with the nail in it and drove around my neighborhood. It held the air seemingly alright. It's just that the place I'm taking the car to is about 18-20 miles across town, and I'm just leery of driving that far, even at low speeds on city streets. The darn nail went in at a slight angle, and the nail head is sticking out, it's not absolutely flush with respect to the surface of the tire. I'm worried that the whole thing will just implode and ruin my wheel. I have the phone number of a local Porsche-experienced flatbed operator, so I'm thinking of calling them, just to play it safe. This is only my 2nd nail in three Porsches over a total of four 'ownership-years', so I just don't feel like pushing my luck any further.

Thanks again,

rick j.
'98 Carrera C2 cab
'00 986 S
'93 968