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Is The Prius A Nail Magnet?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Swingshiftworker, Sep 26, 2011.

  1. Swingshiftworker

    Swingshiftworker Junior Member

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    Is the Prius a nail magnet?

    I owned a 2006 Prius and picked up 3 nails in the 3 years that I owned it. I now own (actually lease) a 2010 Prius and have already picked up 2 nails in a year and had to replace a tire because I couldn't get off the freeway quick enough to prevent tire damage.

    I have had no nails in the low profile tires of my MR2 Spyder that I've owned for over 5 years. One nail in a nail in 4 years in the FJ Cruiser that I owned and recently sold. And one nail in the Ford F250 that I've owned for 3 years.

    Based on this experience, it seems like the Prius gets more than it's fair share of nail punctures and I'm curious whether other people have gotten them as frequently as I have.
     
  2. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    I do not know about being a magnet but I had a screw imbedded in one of my tires for the first time in years. It ended up causing me to purchase new tires prematurely.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i have not had a nail/flat for probably 20 years. i used to get them all the time in the 70's in my mg. do you live in a high building/remodeling area?
     
  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Not mine, nor any cars in my household. Nearly all flats of the past decade have been on the household's bicycles.
     
  5. offroader

    offroader Junior Member

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    Must be caused from the electric magnet in the motor:mod:
     
  6. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    I find the driving route has more to do with it then anything else. If you are close to a trash dump or travel the roads leading to it or the same thoughts for construction zones (home or commercial), you are more likely to pick up nails.

    Tire law: the more expensive and new the tire, the more likely to get a flat. :)
     
  7. MariaEvri

    MariaEvri Member

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    holy **Swingshiftworker, I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday when I had a flat tire-from a nail
    AGAIN
    I had my car fir 3 years and I had a flat tire (from nails) 3 times
     
  8. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    Two Toyo Proxes tires in first ~5,000 miles. One was shredded from a hunk of metal in Ohio and the other was a nail and was (mostly) fixed by the dealer, but it won't last the same life as the remaining two - unless - those last two get nailed too. No problems the last 10K though.
     
  9. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Just stop driving over nails! Problem solved.
     
  10. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    What mechanism could possibly explain one car being more prone to nail punctures than another? More likely that the driving route or tires are responsible.

    Tom
     
  11. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

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    Even if all other things were the same, this is hardly statistically significant.
     
  12. dhanson865

    dhanson865 Expert and Devil's advocate

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    Way back in the days of Le Sabre, Monte Carlo, Chevette, K cars and such I was told underinflated tires would be less likely to pick up a nail/screw but more likely to work in an odd piece of scrap metal or plastic (actually had a piece of plastic that looked like metal trim wedged in a tire once).

    I haven't picked up a nail or any sort of road hazard in years and years. I do pick up that little gravel that likes to wedge in the tread of the tire but I just take my house key and pry them out every once in a while.

    I think tire pressure plays a role but where you drive and whether or not the city sweeps/cleans the streets matters more.
     
  13. Gary Otto

    Gary Otto Member

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    Try driving around on the Gulf Coast after a major hurricane when everyone is having their roofs repaired or replaced!!!!
     
  14. youdontsay

    youdontsay New Member

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    Well ... I hadn't had a flat tire for eight years and then got three in the Prius in the first 18 months. Two of them were nails; one of them was a massive crater in the road that was totally my fault. :rolleyes:

    I'm not sure if that's just bad luck or what ... I'm due for new tires very soon, so we'll see what happens after I get new ones. :eek:hwell:
     
  15. Eoin

    Eoin Active Member

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    I had 3 nails in 2 months, but then, I have a lot of enemies.
     
  16. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    Clearly, we can see where this thread is headed. The Prius is a nail magnet. No scientific survey needed. ;)
     
  17. Eoin

    Eoin Active Member

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    No, but it is a chick magnet.
     
  18. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    That's a whole new thread.
     
  19. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

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    Ah ha, to many coincidental nails, sounds like subterfuge, need to make the rear camera motion detecting, web friendly, sound enhancing, all knowing, night vision enabling, police alerting and gun shooting...
     
  20. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    The best explanation that I have seen yet is running higher tire pressures. I know I run a much higher pressure on the Prius than I have for any other car I have owned.