What do u guys think. Can I salvage my tire?

You're lucky.... It doesn't look like the tire actually got a hole in it... Just unscrew it and see if it leaks... It probably won't. And maybe this tire will blow sooner than your others, but I doubt it. As long as the sidewall doesn't swell/wires aren't torn, you'll be alright. Of course take it to a tire store looking to make money off of you rather than being honest with you and you might get a much different answer than mine.

 

Ouch baby, very ouch. When I have had any failures near the side wall, discount tire will not fix it. They will force a replacement due to safety reasons...and this is done free for me since I always get the package deal from them. So f0r those about to say yes they push replacement to get your money does not apply for all of us with the insurance.

Do you have the package deal from them? I love not having to worry about my tires...ever. It paid for itself when I had a puncture on my Titan that was in the sidewall...those offroad tires are expensive. Got a brand new one covered under my plan.

 

I don't think so, it looks just between the tire and the laminations they mold onto it. Go watch a youtube video on how tires are made. If it isn't deep and doesn't leak, you should just unscrew it and maybe get a small phillips head and some rubber cement and push some rubber cement into the groove left after removing the screw.

 

That's a tough call since it is so close to the thinner portion of the sidewall. If you were a real aggressive high speed driver I would say replace it for sure. I'm on the fence with this one.

With this type of puncture you could experience a blowout. While those may be easy to control, they can do quite a bit of paint/body damage if the tire rips apart. Who knows.

 

Given the location, I wouldn't risk my safety. If there is a leak, no reputable shop will repair it, and even if no leak, the tire has been compromised in a particularly bad location.

It appears your tires have lots of tread left, so you shouldn't have to replace more than the 1 tire.

 

I had/have a puncture in a very similar spot on one of my tires on my Camry SE. The main difference was that mine did go through the side wall slightly and it was losing air slowly.

Edit: Inserted Pic



You can see that the plug is right between the tire tread and the sidewall, but the screw that punctured the tire did deform the sidewall like the OP's tire.

I also was hesitant to repair it, but I did and didn't think it would be a problem while the tire was on the rear of the car, since the rear of the car has a lot less weight on it and isn't involved with the steering dynamics of the vehicle.

I have since rotated the tire to the front of the vehicle and even with the weight of the 3.5L V6 engine up front, the tire has been OK, so far...

I didn't want to replace the tire, because this was one of two tires I had replaced when I previously ran over some debris on the freeway that caused a blowout and a bent rim, so the tire was pretty new.

 

In my impoverished college student days I would have used the tire as long as it didn't leak but I wouldn't now unless I had a way to know that none of the belts were touched by the screw. The belts aren't weather resistant and if moisture gets leaked into them that's not good in the long term.

 

It seems a waste but DO NOT continue to use that tyre. It might be alright but it might also want to blow out on you at 80 mph one rainy evening.

As xs650 said, when I was 18 I'd have probably continued to drive on that tyre, but the phrase "older and wiser" is there for a reason!

 

One hundred percent with Grumpy Cabbie you can't risk your life and the life of others for the price of a tyre even though I know it hurts.

 

Yup the tires store by me wouldn't touch it. Anything having to do with sidewall damage no matter how small and they will not get involved. To many horror stories of cars with sidewall blow outs.

You could pull out the screw and if it does not leak drive on it carefully until replace time. Just don't roll hard into corners on that side.

 

I wouldnt even risk that. If you do highway driving the sidewalls get hot, especially if you have a full car. The damage could be internal and could spread without you even knowing about it.

In my job I've had a blow out and many of my taxi colleagues have too and it's not nice. I can relate many stories of drivers spinning out on busy motorways because of blow outs. It just isn't worth the risk. One guy had a blow out and hit and/or caused other cars to hit each other as he spun out. Nobody was seriously hurt but it was one big insurance claim.

And these examples are from people who check their tyres religiously.

I think you got your answer no eh?

 

yea... Tire shop won't touch it, but if the tables were turned and you pointed out tiny ripples in a sidewall on a new tire they'll tell you that the sidewall is safe and its just normal manufacturer defect that doesn't effect the safety of the tire.

As has been said before if the screw didn't damage the belts in the tire and you can rubber cement the hole so water can't rust the belts, the tire is fine...

 

Yeah your right. I agree and retract my suggestion. Its not worth it.

 

If you don't drive on public roads, or haul any PAX in the car, then I'd say that you're (probably) old enough to roll the dice on your own. Vaya con DIOS.
However (comma!) since you have to share the roads with others who may not appreciate it when your car goes skittering out of control because you wanted to "take your chances" I'd humbly suggest that you go ahead and change out the tire.
Too bad it's not the rear tire for a motorcycle.
I took a roofing nail in my $270 VRSC rear tire when it had 5,000 miles, and about 60-percent of its tread remaining. It was repairable, but the cost of un-mounting/repairing/remounting plus the fact that the tire was more than half way through its life cycle, coupled with the fact that there are only TWO tires on a motorcycle made the math pretty easy---PLUS I got to see how many burnouts I could do with a plug before it failed.
You know what?
It never did.
I hit the steel treads, dismounted the rear wheel, and replaced it.

Of course, with a Prius I guess all you can do is to make sure that the tire is properly recycled.
It ain't easy being green.

Sometimes...it's not easy being a responsible citizen either.
No kidding.
If it were ME...I'd replace the tire.