I just found a nail stuck in the tire of my truck. It‘s down,between the tread, not in the thicker part. It‘s not losing air so should I leave it alone or should I pull the nail and plug the tire. Also, if I plug the tire, does that shorten the life span of the tire?
Yes plug nail out and shove a plug in. I have used plugs in tires for the last 15 years and never ad a prob. I don't know what all this BS about don't use plugs is about. I guess something else to save us from our selfs, or the fact alot of people now are morons with no common sense and can't install a plug right. Oh well, to each their own. For me I will keep plugging nail holes in all of my street tires
You should remove the nail ASAP. Leaving it in place can cost you a new tire, or worse. I've used the externally applied tire plugs for years and have had very little problems with them. Actually, the only time I ever did have a problem was due to the fact that I didn't use enough sealant on the patch. Unless you're running a race with speeds in excess of 100 MPH, the externally applied plugs work just fine, and are safe.
The tyre will deflate over time anyway, I'd get it repaired but this should not shorten the life of it, also if the nail is stuck near the edge of the tread area then you'll be looking at a new tyre. Using the tyres centre line as a reference, tyres are only repairable on 75% of the tread area with the centre line in the middle. Regardless of what some people may say, the patches are perfectly safe.
