badly punched tire, advice please

[Dave92270]

Hi guys,

on the way from the airport this morning my rear tire got punched by large bolt; the warning "low tire" light popped up, and the tire was completely empty within 10-15 minutes - I managed to get home luckily though.

Please could you look at the images and tell me if it is repairable to the point to be suitable for daily driving? I have only 4 of these, my spare tire is a stock. These tires are Vogue Custom Built 305/50R20 120H and have 1500 miles only on them; they came preinstalled by the dealer on my H3 at the time of purchase. Should I take it to the dealer, or to nearby tire shop in order to get it fixed? Will any tire shop service it properly with regard to tire monitor sensor? BTW I never got bolt puncture like this in any of my previous tires...I had a few SUV's before H3, but never had low profile tires; to get a flat in such a short time surprised me... I wish the car came with more durable tires...maybe I should get more rugged, better suitable tire set for my H3?

Hope it's not too silly question - thanks!

Dave


http://home.dc.rr.com/lf4581/h3/tire1.jpg

http://home.dc.rr.com/lf4581/h3/tire2.jpg

http://home.dc.rr.com/lf4581/h3/tire3.jpg

[Desert Dan]

It looks repairable. Make sure they patch it on the inside (not a plug)

If you have any doubts, patch it and put it on as a spare and buy a new one to replace it.



PS
I'd ditch the 20" Bling rims and tires and get some real tires. Maybe someone would trade you or you could find some dealer take-off rims

[Dave92270]

It looks repairable. Make sure they patch it on the inside (not a plug)

If you have any doubts, patch it and put it on as a spare and buy a new one to replace it.



PS
I'd ditch the 20" Bling rims and tires and get some real tires. Maybe someone would trade you or you could find some dealer take-off rims

thanks Dan,
appreciate your fast reply..

OK, I'll call my Hummer dealer (who is also the only Vogue-Tyre authorized dealer in the area), and take it there to have them properly fix it or replace it.

I agree with you about the "real tires"; my wife got angry while ago when I mentioned my idea of replacing this fancy looking rims and tires, but now I'll have the real reason (safety! - she should hopefully understand that) to get a good terrain rim/tire set. So, what should I look for? I see that lots of folks around here mount variety of BFG tires and 16" or 18" rims. I'd welcome suggestion. Oh, I have standard H3, no adv package if it matters. I'd gladly buy the largest and most rugged tires I can fit without modding anyting. While I didn't go off road yet, I plan to do so - here in Palm Springs area, desert sand and rock looks like what we have mostly around here.

Dave

[wannabeH3]

bummer

[Desert Dan]

Dave

Maybe your dealer would take those rims and tires back and swap them for the base 16" wheels and tires?

BFG AT's are great for the terrain you have down in PS and they are quiet on the hwy!

Hit the dirt and have fun!

[algy]

Anything that is a puncture and does not damage the tire wall is repairable. Like he said ^^ patch it versus plug. If you still loose air after, take a bottle of soapy water and pour over the area, if you see little bubbles after the patch, you'll need to get a new tire.

[Dave92270]

thanks guys,

I already got the punched tire in the trunk and stock spare installed, took me well over an hour to do it (I worked carefully) but at least now I know what to do if I'm stuck somewhere; I spoke with the Hummer/Vogue (same dealer here) and they said to bring it over so I'm heading there right now...I'll check out if they'll have some other options for me while there....

edit: looks like the tire was not suitable for repair after all - the dealer gave me a new tire for free, I paid only $25 for labor - they installed the new tire, put the spare back on the gate plus reset the tire monitor that stayed previously lit at "low tire" after I put the spare on, so for now I'm set. I asked the service manager about off-road capability of these tires, and he insisted that that they're great for both freeway and off-road and that he personally uses the same type so not sure what to think about it. I guess I'll sooner or later try them off-road and see how it goes, and chances of hitting such a bolt on the street again are small I hope. However, I'm definitely thinking about a different set of tires and rims - probably when I get next puncture I'll want to swap them. At the same time the chrome stepbars will most likely have to go as well, those things seem to mainly catch the dirt and add weight. I regret that I paid for all this stuff, oh well.. love the car otherwise.

[lance-n]

one good thing about the tubular nerf bars is that they do repel door dings in the parking lots. so many people just dont seem to care anymore.... blah blah blah....

[Dave92270]

one good thing about the tubular nerf bars is that they do repel door dings in the parking lots. so many people just dont seem to care anymore.... blah blah blah....

yes that is a good point...I noticed that wife's sedan's door stop right on the tubular step when opened (parking side by side in the garage, with not much room between the cars). My previous SUV had so many dings in front passenger door - just from wife's car - not to mention parking lot dents elsewhere; I wonder what is the chance to get stuck on those bars when off-roading; I've been thinking about removing them, but yes I don't want unneeded dings either.

[lance-n]

the only real reason to remove them would be if you are planning on doing some extreme off roading. they can be removed easily with just several bolts each. i have found that they do not affect clearance very much, but then again, i haven't been to places like moab...yet!
add in the added clearance that comes with a set of 35's and i dont think the nerf bars will make much clearance difference at all.
plus, my wife is tiny and the nerf bars help her to hop in!

[Dave92270]

I don't think that I'd be going into some very rough terrain as the MOAB sounds like; but never know what surprise or obstacle can be waiting on local trails either...

Could I put 35's on my H3 without modding anything? If so, what should I get? I've been looking at some BFG Tires, I'd probably want to get set that is most resistant to sharp rocks - possibility of repeat tire puncture while off-road scares me the most - like if I swap for spare, and than punch another one 1/2 hour later..what then? I've been thinking about tires whole week, and if I'm going to replace my current tires and wheel, I want to get set worth to do so, not stock 32's.

[NEOCON1]

yes you can put on 35's without any mods . they will kiss the front fender a little when you hit bad dips at higher speeds . its no big deal , i was worried at first that i would rip the front fenders off , but it wont happen . i have smacked mine as hard as you can a whole bunch of times ;)

with 315's (metric size) on stock wheels you will notice a small amount of contact with front sway bar at full lock , dont sweat that , the stock 33's will rub there a lil bit too . at full lock just turn back a lil and no rubbing . you will be fine . go for it you will love the look , it really makes the truck look tough :beerchug:

[Dave92270]

OK, sounds good about 35's then; would this be what I'd want to order? I looked up the tire at BFG site (shows as 34.6" diameter) and then google:

BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A K/O - LT315/75R16/D (RWL)
http://www.offroadtoystore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BFG03643&Category_Code=BFG-AT

..not sure if that is a good merchant..came up during search.. I wonder if I could order them through my Hummer dealer and let them take care of the wheels, mounting, everything.

Also, this would fit standard stock wheels, right? One more thing - would tire of this size fit the gate/mount? I would prefer to have 5 identical wheel/tires, carrying the full-size spare on the gate. Sorry, many questions...newbie here. Thanks for understanding!

[SHYANNE]

USE IT AS A SPARE

[NEOCON1]

OK, sounds good about 35's then; would this be what I'd want to order? I looked up the tire at BFG site (shows as 34.6" diameter) and then google:

BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A K/O - LT315/75R16/D (RWL)
http://www.offroadtoystore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BFG03643&Category_Code=BFG-AT

..not sure if that is a good merchant..came up during search.. I wonder if I could order them through my Hummer dealer and let them take care of the wheels, mounting, everything.

Also, this would fit standard stock wheels, right? One more thing - would tire of this size fit the gate/mount? I would prefer to have 5 identical wheel/tires, carrying the full-size spare on the gate. Sorry, many questions...newbie here. Thanks for understanding!


the BFG is a great tire and they will fit on the back and they fit the stock wheel :beerchug:

[Dave92270]

the BFG is a great tire and they will fit on the back and they fit the stock wheel :beerchug:


..that's what I needed to know, thanks! I will order 5 of these LT315/75R16/D (RWL) somewhere, or see my Hummer dealer if they'd have them available, plus obtain 5 stock rims, hopefully dealer will have take-offs, I bet they do. I'll try to get these new tires next month - can't wait. That should improve the off-road experience - bit of extra clearance, plus these BFG tires seem much more rugged then my current low-profiles...