Need to get a tire mounted

[cyberos]

Does anybody know if Goodyear Auto Service in Corpus Christi, Texas, knows how to change a Cybertruck tire on a lift?

My brother-in-law told me that Tesla advised him not to use conventional lifts on his Model 3. He said normal lifts damage the battery.

I need to get my spare tire mounted onto one of my rims. No, I do not have a spare wheel, just the tire (a story for another post). On my way to Port Aransas beach today I ran over a screw, which gave me a slow leak.

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[JCERRN]

Plug it. Then get it patched later

 

[ABILISK]

Obviously the ideal thing to do is aquire a spare wheel ($770 from Tesla directly, probably cheaper somewhere online) and TPMS ($60). That way no 3rd party weirdos touch your truck.

Aside from that, just show the mechanics the lift points and let them know the importance of not deviating from those. It’ll be fine on a lift as long as they do it right.

 

[HaulingAss]

Does anybody know if Goodyear Auto Service in Corpus Christi, Texas, knows how to change a Cybertruck tire on a lift?

My brother-in-law told me that Tesla advised him not to use conventional lifts on his Model 3. He said normal lifts damage the battery.

I need to get my spare tire mounted onto one of my rims. No, I do not have a spare wheel, just the tire (a story for another post). On my way to Port Aransas beach today I ran over a screw, which gave me a slow leak.

You can fix that in 5 minutes with a worm style plug kit without removing the wheel from the vehicle. It's in a good spot for a permanent plug repair.

 

[cyberos]

You can fix that in 5 minutes with a worm style plug kit without removing the wheel from the vehicle. It's in a good spot for a permanent plug repair.

Thanks @HaulingAss! But how do I get the screw out of the tire? It’s in there sideways and bent. The rubber melted around the threads. It’s basically two holes in one.

 

[JURZYDVL]

Hope all ends well.

 

[Lasttoy]

5 minutes to plug it on truck
I carry plugs and air pump

 

[HaulingAss]

Thanks @HaulingAss! But how do I get the screw out of the tire? It’s in there sideways and bent. The rubber melted around the threads. It’s basically two holes in one.

When rubber is vulcanized the molecular polymer chains become cross-linked and the rubber can no longer melt. Heat degrades and weakens the vulcanized rubber, but it cannot cause it to melt. This is one reason why you should never skip the reaming step of a plug repair, it cleans out any debris or degraded rubber around the puncture. It's also why running tires below the correct pressure, even by a few PSI, is more damaging than people think. Low pressures cause more heat and heat is a tires worse enemy, it causes the polymer chains to break, which weakens the rubber.

How to remove the screw? Brute force usually works but I like it when physics is on my team, not the opposing team's side. Neanderthals were big and strong, but they still understood the power of the lever. Unfortunately, they did not have pliers! Grip the screw close to the surface of the tire with a strong set of needle nose pliers and use the shaft of a beefy screwdriver or other metal implement as a fulcrum. You could also grip the threads firmly with a pair of Vice grips and turn the screw out counter-clockwise but the first method will start the reaming process and make the reaming easier, so do that.

Based on your photo, it's obvious the point of the screw punctured the tire and the head bent over. It's highly improbable, nearly impossible, for the same screw to have created two punctures all the way through the tire. Unless there were two screws involved, you almost certainly have one puncture. The head may be embedded in the tread a little, but is unlikely to have gone through the cords and the membrane that holds the air in.

If you don't have tire-plugging skills, or you lack good arm/hand strength, get a friend, neighbor, co-worker or relative who does to help. Make sure to thoroughly ream the puncture hole, that will require some effort with a somewhat beefy tire like this, compounded by the small size of the existing hole. Keep in mind that failing this step is the most common reason why plug repairs might fail. If you have tools handy, you can even use an electric drill with a drill bit slightly larger than the shank of the screw that caused the puncture. This will make the reaming a bit easier. If you do drill the hole, make sure the tire is mostly inflated while drilling to ensure the hole is clean and round and the fibers in the tire are pulled away from the area of the repair. You should still use the reamer. Reaming is also easier while the tire has normal pressure in it. This is another way people fail at plugging tires, they try to repair the tire without inflating it first (assuming it has lost most of the pressure).

It's very satisfying to use a little muscle to quickly repair a puncture and get back on the road in minutes. It takes a different kind of strength compared to swapping a spare on the side of a road or trail (mostly hand/wrist strength vs. arm/core muscle strength to swap a spare tire in) but I would say most people who are strong enough to successfully swap out a Cybertruck wheel/tire with a spare are more than strong enough to effect a roadside plug repair. The latter is much easier, actually. You will not get a trophy, ribbon or gold star for either, so you will have to summon the resolve and motivation for the repair from within. Too many people who are marginally physically capable of doing the job give it a weak effort and then deem it impossible. It helps if the only other option is a very long walk!

 

[smcnaughton829]

When rubber is vulcanized the molecular polymer chains become cross-linked and the rubber can no longer melt. Heat degrades and weakens the vulcanized rubber, but it cannot cause it to melt. This is one reason why you should never skip the reaming step of a plug repair, it cleans out any debris or degraded rubber around the puncture. It's also why running tires below the correct pressure, even by a few PSI, is more damaging than people think. Low pressures cause more heat and heat is a tires worse enemy, it causes the polymer chains to break, which weakens the rubber.

How to remove the screw? Brute force usually works but I like it when physics is on my team, not the opposing team's side. Neanderthals were big and strong, but they still understood the power of the lever. Unfortunately, they did not have pliers! Grip the screw close to the surface of the tire with a strong set of needle nose pliers and use the shaft of a beefy screwdriver or other metal implement as a fulcrum. You could also grip the threads firmly with a pair of Vice grips and turn the screw out counter-clockwise but the first method will start the reaming process and make the reaming easier, so do that.

Based on your photo, it's obvious the point of the screw punctured the tire and the head bent over. It's highly improbable, nearly impossible, for the same screw to have created two punctures all the way through the tire. Unless there were two screws involved, you almost certainly have one puncture. The head may be embedded in the tread a little, but is unlikely to have gone through the cords and the membrane that holds the air in.

If you don't have tire-plugging skills, or you lack good arm/hand strength, get a friend, neighbor, co-worker or relative who does to help. Make sure to thoroughly ream the puncture hole, that will require some effort with a somewhat beefy tire like this, compounded by the small size of the existing hole. Keep in mind that failing this step is the most common reason why plug repairs might fail. If you have tools handy, you can even use an electric drill with a drill bit slightly larger than the shank of the screw that caused the puncture. This will make the reaming a bit easier. If you do drill the hole, make sure the tire is mostly inflated while drilling to ensure the hole is clean and round and the fibers in the tire are pulled away from the area of the repair. You should still use the reamer. Reaming is also easier while the tire has normal pressure in it. This is another way people fail at plugging tires, they try to repair the tire without inflating it first (assuming it has lost most of the pressure).

It's very satisfying to use a little muscle to quickly repair a puncture and get back on the road in minutes. It takes a different kind of strength compared to swapping a spare on the side of a road or trail (mostly hand/wrist strength vs. arm/core muscle strength to swap a spare tire in) but I would say most people who are strong enough to successfully swap out a Cybertruck wheel/tire with a spare are more than strong enough to effect a roadside plug repair. The latter is much easier, actually. You will not get a trophy, ribbon or gold star for either, so you will have to summon the resolve and motivation for the repair from within. Too many people who are marginally physically capable of doing the job give it a weak effort and then deem it impossible. It helps if the only other option is a very long walk!

Dude you are my guy when it comes to fixing all the rest of my flats! That’s about the best explanation I have read and you give every reason why you do each step.
Big thumbs up to you!

 

[HaulingAss]

Oh, I should add, if you take that tire to a tire "professional" they will almost certainly tell you it requires dismounting from the rim so they can apply an internal patch. But the main difference between a "professional" and an informed amateur is that the "professional" makes their living in the tire business and follows the rules handed down from the tire industry.

In some rural areas you may still find tire professionals with decades of experience who put experience and observation above the doctrines handed down from the suits in the tire industry who make up the official rules.

IMO, for a plugged tire to be considered a permanent repair requires a little observation of how the puncture was created and what the extent of the trauma is to the actual structure of the tire. If the tires structure has been compromised over too large of an area, the repair should be considered temporary/emergency. But most simple punctures can be repaired for the life of the tire, without compromising safety. And I believe that was true even before we had constant monitoring of tire pressure via TPMS's.

Common sense goes a long ways, but it should always be applied in a judicious and knowledgeable manner, never recklessly.

 

[cyberos]

Thanks for the help everyone! It all worked out for me. Goodyear Tire in Corpus Christi mounted and balanced my spare tire onto my wheel using two jacks on the left and right rear mount points. I just emailed them the pages of the Cybertruck manual. $40 total.

 

[ABILISK]

you should never skip the reaming

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