2.5 inch screw in a tire? | FerrariChat

2.5 inch screw in a tire?

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by henrus, Mar 26, 2007.

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  1. henrus

    henrus Karting

    Jul 18, 2004
    128
    Bay Area, CA
    Full Name:
    Henry
    over the weekend, i discovered that the right rear tire of my stock '06 Gallardo was flat (uh..is this sub-forum only for ferraris?). i took the wheel off, and sure enough, found a 2.5 inch screw completely buried in it. i had to twist it out. it was perfectly straight, with just the head mangled as it was the contact to the ground.

    question: is it possible for such a long screw to be jammed all the way into a tire, or do you think someone screwed the thing in? i've had nails in tires before, but it seems implausible that such a long screw would so easily find its way into a tire like that.
     
  2. glasser1

    glasser1 Formula Junior

    Sep 2, 2006
    510
    Oregon
    I think it's likely this happened on its own. I have found both screws and nails buried straight into my tire to the head - this during a period when there was a lot of home construction going on in the area.
     
  3. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2002
    5,966
    Milton, Wash.
    Full Name:
    Jeff B.
    I remember way back when I had my VW GTI. I drove over something and heard a loud BANG BANG BANG - something was hitting inside my left rear wheel well. While I was pulling over, the noise stopped. When I got home, I checked the tire and saw a shiny metal end stuck in the tread. I pulled, and pulled, and pulled - it was the entire working end of a screwdriver, about 6" long, that had embedded itself inside the tire and smashed off the handle!
     
  4. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,614
    The Brickyard
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    The Bad Guy
    Totally possible. I depends on where you were driving when you picked it up, and how fast you were going.
     
  5. f355spider

    f355spider F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    May 29, 2001
    18,045
    USA
    Entirely possible! A friend pulled a spark plug out of his tire once after hearing this loud racket on a lonely two lane highway.

    A friend who worked at a gas station in high school told me of some other interesting things he found in tires:

    1) What appeared to be a nail...he pulled and out came about 8 inches of metal rod, then stopped....then another extension, then another...it was a damn radio antenna! :)

    2) The jaw bone from a racoon! Yes, the owner admitted hitting it too.

    A couple things I have hit and blown out tires on:

    1) One half of a open end wrench...the broken stub went through the tread!

    2) Hook from a tractor trailer tie-down, the hook went right through my sidewall.
     
  6. henrus

    henrus Karting

    Jul 18, 2004
    128
    Bay Area, CA
    Full Name:
    Henry
    holy cow. what else have people found in their tires! didn't realize it can be considered an extra storage compartment! ;)
     
  7. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2002
    5,966
    Milton, Wash.
    Full Name:
    Jeff B.
    I once found a car key stuck all the way through a tire tread.
     
  8. James in Denver

    James in Denver Formula 3

    May 23, 2006
    2,136
    Centennial Colorado
    Full Name:
    James in Denver
    I'll post a counter-story.

    I once had a neighbor that wasn't happy about where I parked my SL500 (condo, he parked next to me and he thought my car crowded his dually work truck). Within a few days of having an arguement with him, I found a 4 inch long and about 1/4 inch thick bolt in my tire. It was NOT pointed, flat on the top, and stuck straight up into the tire.

    Now, I could never "prove" it was him, and I "suppose" I could have had it stuck when I was driving, but I highly doubt it.

    The neighbor finally moved out about 6 months later, I was glad.

    James in Denver
     
  9. Snapper323

    Snapper323 Formula Junior

    Mar 12, 2005
    268
    South Carolina
    Full Name:
    L. Lee
    I had a friend in High School who's father had a Jag XJS convertable. He would never let his son near it for the most part. Anyway, forpart of his graduation gift he let him hold the car for an entire weekend. So, he was crusing with some friends along a two lane highway in a wooded area. 50 yards down the road he spotted a paper bag lying in the center of the lane. He thought "oh well, it's just a paper bag" and decided to bowl it over. There was a cynder block in it!!! The impact caused him to lose control, and he went into at ditch. The car wasn't totaled, and there was only a few cuts and bruises, however, after hearing that story I avoid any object lying in the road.
     
  10. GCalo

    GCalo F1 Veteran

    Sep 15, 2004
    7,645
    Northern California
    Full Name:
    Greg Calo
    Henrus,

    It sounds like you are "screwed"!!!
     
  11. tatcat

    tatcat F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Sep 3, 2001
    11,013
    panama city beach FL
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    rick c
    another rear tire episode to help confirm my theory. when your front tire hits an object lying at rest it causes the object to spin or flip. so when the rear tire comes along it penetrates the tread area. happens frequently. how to stop it? install a mud flap or brush under the car behind the front tire. this will knock the object down.
     
  12. Darolls

    Darolls F1 Veteran
    BANNED

    Jul 2, 2003
    7,782
    Full Name:
    Sparky
    A long time ago I owned some Firestone stores.

    Found a Bic pen in a tire, a Yamaha motorcycle open end wrench and too many other things than I can remember.

    The one I remember the most, was a human tooth!
     
  13. Impactco

    Impactco Formula 3

    Jan 29, 2006
    1,615
    #13 Impactco, Mar 26, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Whatever the object was that my wife hit last week, it went through the left rear tire AND the wheel.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  14. MarkPDX

    MarkPDX F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Apr 21, 2003
    15,111
    Gulf Coast
    Wow.... what kind of wheel/car was that on?

    I always figured it had to do with spinning the rear wheels accelerating, sliding around corners, whatever.... haven't had a flat front tire but have had 5 flat rear tires w/ my Vette in the last 3 years.
     
  15. Impactco

    Impactco Formula 3

    Jan 29, 2006
    1,615
    235/45 VR17 on a 17" factory alloy on Volvo S60. $600 for wheel and tire replacement. Lease ends next month so it was money out the window!
     
  16. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Nov 19, 2001
    22,614
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    The Bad Guy
    OH SNAP!!!

    I guess that's one draw back of low profile tires. They don't leave much room do they.
     
  17. DGS

    DGS Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    May 27, 2003
    71,959
    MidTN
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    DGS
    Obviously, it's the work of the infamous screw fairy. ;)
    (Bill Shatner is freaking out! :p)

    I could almost open a hardware store with all the junk I've pulled out of my tires.
    (I've caught several before they've penetrated the pressure cords by listening for the "metal on concrete" studded tire sound when backing out of the garage.)
    (The weird ones are the nails that have fallen out of the garage ceiling -- somebody ran phone and cable wires across there and nailed them to the sheet rock.)
     
  18. henrus

    henrus Karting

    Jul 18, 2004
    128
    Bay Area, CA
    Full Name:
    Henry
    that's terrible, James. i'm sorry you had to go through that. what an ass. at least he's gone now. you have a lot of patience not escalating that somehow.
     
  19. henrus

    henrus Karting

    Jul 18, 2004
    128
    Bay Area, CA
    Full Name:
    Henry
    ha!
     
  20. Beta Scorpion

    Beta Scorpion Formula 3

    Jun 22, 2006
    1,379

    It wasn't a Ferrari either, but I hit a large BOLT with the rear tire on my M3. When I ran over the bolt it made a loud BANG and then CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.... The bolt went straight in with just the head showing. Michelin Pilot, $300....ouch. It held air while I drove to my destination where I was then thankful to have a working spare tire and jack.
     
  21. ClydeM

    ClydeM F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 4, 2003
    11,910
    Wayne, NJ
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    Clyde E. McMurdy
    I've had mainly screws & nails puncture my tires visiting a g/f at her apartment complex. Usually about 1 a month. I actually enjoyed going to the Firestone repair center as they kept a VERY large glass jar on the counter with everything they pulled out of tires. Pens, metal stakes, metal rods, keys, glass shards, a sprocket etc. etc. On the jar is a label that says "But I didn't run over anything"
     
  22. henrus

    henrus Karting

    Jul 18, 2004
    128
    Bay Area, CA
    Full Name:
    Henry
    man, must have been some g/f. that could get expensive after a while. ;)
     

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