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[AceManUSC]

Hello all,

I was driving my car and got a tire pressure fail warning and the car freaked out and told me not to drive over 50 mph and to not drive more than 50 miles. I pulled over and couldn't see anything and the tire looked fine. I turned the car off, reset the pressure sensor and drove on. Nothing happened and the warning never came back.

I chalked this up to a tire pressure sensor just wigging out. Some weeks later I noticed a nail in the tire, clean puncture buried to the head. My tires are the Continental run flats and there is plenty of tread left. I am trying to be cheap. Can I drive with the tire like this without any issues, or should I get the nail removed and the hole plugged?

I know nothing about cars, love my BMW, and am trying to educate myself more by reading these forums pretty often recently.

Thanks for your help.

[#Tee]

quick fix is a plug

better fix is patch

put some spit on your finger and rub it all over the nail in a circular motion...oh yaaaaa baby. youll see a few tiny bubbles which led to the tpms light. if youre ok with adding air every few days or weeks then leave the nail in.

now you have to tell me what youre wearing

[grzes]

take the nail out and patch it. There is a reason why your TPMS went off and you should not disregard it. Sooner you patch it better for the tire, if you keep driving with under inflated tire you will damage it to the point of no repair.

[GoRomeo]

Patch it since tires are still in good conditions. I drove my car once for like 2 months like with nail stuck. I had to add air every 2 weeks or so till I got a good deal on a used RFT.

[firecapt]

Go to an auto parts store and buy a quality plug kit, pull the nail and plug the tire....
I've used plugs on my 335i and X5 with no problems, they've held up until the tires needed replacement.

[jwzimm]

Did you, perhaps, check the pressure in the tire? I really hope you are not running around on a deflated or underinflated run-flat.

It is always baffling to me that folks think they can just disregard a warning light rather than investigate the cause.

[AceManUSC]

I went to Bullet Performance in Costa Mesa, CA to have the window molding around the windshield replaced, it was dried and cracking. They were awesome, by the way. They lifted the car up and looked at all four tires. I had a nail in the front driver tire. A nail sticking through the sidewall of the rear passenger tire, and a small piece of metal stuck in the rear driver that didn't quite penetrate the tire. So, thats a mess. I had them patch the front tire and I am not sure what to do with the rears. I called my local tire guy and he can get me 2 Michellin run flats for $145 a piece, which is a great price. Should I buy 2, and keep the Continental Contipros up front since they still have a lot of tread, or should I bite the bullet and buy 4?

Conversely, I was considering upping the wheel size to 18". The only problem is, I think the car will look weird after that, unless I do Eibach lowering springs, Bilstein shocks, etc. So now it becomes like $3500-4000 for new wheels, tires, suspension/lowering components, installation and tax on everything. Does anyone know if the car is going to need to be lowered?

[jwzimm]

The cars come optional with 18" wheels so you shouldn't end up with the 4x4 look. I do not advise going with different brand tires on the same car as their will invariably have different traction characteristics which can mess with your car. If you have been thinking about going to 18's or larger now would be a good time. Check the classifieds on this forum. There are always folks looking to sell OEM 18's for good prices.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by AceManUSC

I went to Bullet Performance in Costa Mesa, CA to have the window molding around the windshield replaced, it was dried and cracking. They were awesome, by the way. They lifted the car up and looked at all four tires. I had a nail in the front driver tire. A nail sticking through the sidewall of the rear passenger tire, and a small piece of metal stuck in the rear driver that didn't quite penetrate the tire. So, thats a mess. I had them patch the front tire and I am not sure what to do with the rears. I called my local tire guy and he can get me 2 Michellin run flats for $145 a piece, which is a great price. Should I buy 2, and keep the Continental Contipros up front since they still have a lot of tread, or should I bite the bullet and buy 4?

Wow, must have run over a big bunch of debris.

I'm not generally a fan of different brands (neither are tire manufacturers), but a difference f/r is the least troublesome in that regard in most instances. I've done it a couple times (not with RFT) and not suffered. But I'd probably buy 4 at this point, as it will affect handling to some extent (most likely at the limit.)

[bacon33]

I took my car to Tire rack and they fixed the hole at no charge. It all depends where the hole is and the size. I'm glad because I had just had the car a few weeks. Hope this helps.