Last night I ran over a bolt and it went straight into my front passenger tire. The shop that I usually take my car to for repairs is about 8 miles away (if I take no freeway), 7.5 miles away by freeway. The tire has sat for about 15 hours so far and does not seem to have lost any air and I can't hear any air escaping from it.
Here is a picture of it:
So, is this safe to drive on to get it to the shop? Thanks!
Honestly, it would be best to put on a spare. Chances are you could make it to the shop with no problem, but there's an increased risk. The tire could rip and rapidly deflate, or it could leak fast at an moment and leave you with less control than normal. Usually you would just pull over with no danger, but now what? Change your tire in the middle of the road?
If you have no spare, drive on the least busy streets as possible, and go a reasonable speed and be ready to pull over any second. Keep your distance and plenty of braking room, etc.
If you have a spare, another bonus is that you don't have to wait at the shop to get your tire fixed. You can drop off the wheel and have them fix it while you shop nearby or something. I normally take a tire off to have it fixed even if its just a nuisance pinhole because it's easier for me to drop it off and pick it up hours later or even the next day.
Yes, it is safe to drive the tire like this to the shop. You made it home after getting the bolt in there, the tire sat and held it's air, it will be fine for days, weeks even.
Just check your pressures before leaving, tires can still look like they're holding their air even when they're half empty. Low air pressure is what will cause a tire to rip itself apart, not the piece of metal itself.
But do get that tire repaired. Very soon.
You have another option in many places: mobile tyre fitting. They can be competitive on price with driving somewhere and you don't need to move the car except to somewhere safe and accessible.
Your safest option is to use your spare tyre. If you don't have one, get the wheel to the puncture-repairer by another means.
8 miles might be a bit far to walk, but you could use a more local puncture repairer, or ask if they do pickups, or get it there via another vehicle.
