New tire?

Found this screw in my front left tire. No visible decrease in tire pressure or alert of low pressure. I already have an appointment for regular maintenance in 5 days, but I drive a lot (including highway) for work and am worried that I need it addressed sooner.
Also, is my spare a regular tire? 2022 basic Tacoma.

 

Go to an actual tire shop asap for a repair. They will probably put a plug in it. Tire shops are better than dealer for tire issues.

 

Have it patched at Discount - they will be better than the dealer.

Tire looks a little stressed for being only two years old, but to my uneducated eyes, it looks perfectly roadworthy.

 

If it’s holding air, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Yes you have a full sized spare, but it’s on a cheap steel wheel.

 

Spray soapy water or windex on it to see if its leaking. Tire is definitely repairable.

 

I agree, the best solution. Have done this in the past.

 

I live in Vegas, so lots of debris/oil/poor road conditions overall, and dry as hell. I also drive about 1,200-1,500 miles per month.

 

It’s holding air until it doesn’t. Take it to a tire shop, they can repair it in a very short time. They could repair it in less time than you’ve spent on this thread

 

This...And it may have not gone all the way through..

 

One last point I think people have a misconception an about… if the tire holds air, it needs no repair. I repair would only make it worse by putting a hole all the way through the tire. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

Pull that tack out and move on with your life. If it goes flat in the future, fix it or just keep tabs on the air pressure.

 

The best repair is a shop that equipped to patch it from the inside. Mostly truck shops have the equipment. But till then a simple plug will do. Never really trusted them for the long haul.

 

How long was the screw? If it's short it's possible the tire is just fine.

There are two things to worry about.
1. Leaking air. The innermost layer in a tire holds the air. If the screw didn't hit this, the tire will not leak.

2. Steel belts rusting. This is why a patch plug is the only safe repair. If the puncture reached the belts in the tire (assuming steel belts) the belt will start rusting. If this happens the belt will weaken and may break. If a belt breaks the tire will no long roll smoothly and will need to be replaced.

If in doubt, take the tire to a qualified tire shop. They can evaluate and let you know if it needs a repair.

 

????

 

I bet the screw did not puncture the tire. If you had a plug kit handy in your garage I would pull that screw out and spray with the soapy water to identify a leak. I had a much longer bolt that penetrated my tread, but did not go all the way through to the inside, this screw looks much smaller.

 

So Wrong !!

 

Might not have even penetrated far enough to be an issue.

Take it to a tire shop they will either plug or patch it.

Had a bad one that needed a patch first 3 months of ownership.
2 years and several tire rotations later I had another one in the SAME TIRE within an inch of the last one.

Was advised tire was toast and unsafe and after looking at it I concured.

Bought a set of Wildpeaks and never looked back.

 

No idea, just so happened to notice it when I got to the grocery store. The plan now (with everyone’s advice) is to drive home from work today and take it to a tire shop tomorrow.
I’ll update with details of what they recommend tomorrow.

 

UPDATE: husband pulled it out and gave it the spit test. No puncture, tiny and not sharp screw. See pic. thanks everyone!

 

Dodged a tire patch there. This is what Sam's pulled out a few thousand mi ago from one of mine. It was leaking air slowly. Patched from the inside, no issues.

 

Noticed a large head screw in my brand new AT3's and drove to the shop where I bought them. They proceeded to extract it from the tread. It hadnt even broke through the tread and was less than 1/4" deep. It was a bit embarrassing, but better safe than sorry.