There are many ways a tire can experience deflation. It could be a tiny puncture from a pin or a nail. Even natural occurrences can cause a tire to deflate, something like a regular exposure of the tire to a high temperature, etc. But what if the tire is slashed with a knife/nail or screw, how long will it take to deflate?
It can take between 30 seconds to 45 minutes for a slashed tire to deflate depending on the nature of the hole on the tire. If the tire is slashed with a knife, it can deflate between 30 seconds to 5 munites, but if it is slashed with a nail/screw or pin, it can take days to deflate.
How Long Does It Take A Slashed Tire to Deflate?
In the best-case scenario, you have 30 seconds to yourself. That’s how fast it takes a slashed tire to deflate. However, it also depends on the nature of the hole on the tire.
Moreover, it is important to note that a tire that is slashed with a knife will deflate faster than a tire that is slashed with a nail or pin. This is because, the hole or cut a knife will leave on a slashed tire will be bigger than that of a pin, screw, or nail.
Can You Drive With A Slashed Tire?
No, you should not drive with a slashed tire. This is because driving is not advisable when you have a slashed tire as movement is always hard. Most times, you might have the rim scratching the road which is relatively dangerous.
Slashes to your tire will cause a bigger hole. Logically, we can say that a tire with big hole damage will lose more air than a tire with a small hole caused either by a nail/screw or pin.
A slashed tire cannot go far, so you possibly cannot drive a car with a damaged tire. Even with that, tires come with reinforced sidewalls with cutting-edge bead technology, which makes driving at a speed of 50 miles per hour after a puncture or a flat tire difficult.
How Can You Tell if Your Tire Was Slashed?
The case of a slashed tire is most times human-related rather than self-inflicted. Aside from running at a top speed on a road that isn’t all well decent for a top-speed drive, you’re likely not to experience a slashed tire except if someone intentionally slashed it for you.
It could be your angry neighbor or anyone random who might want to exercise their grudge through your car. It is easy to tell if a tire is slashed, it is very visible to the naked eye; here are a few observable features for you:
1. Check For The Area Of Damage
There’s no other place a tire slasher can cause more damage than the sidewall of the tire. The sidewall is the thinnest part of the tire that can easily be accessed by anyone using a simple knife or a screwdriver.
When someone slashes your tire, it is a deliberate action and in most cases, it is done with a pattern unlike when it happened as a result of overspeeding on a bad road or hitting a pot-hole, these slashes leave random marks on the tire unlike when it is done deliberately.
You will hardly see slashes on the tire’s tread areas because they are thick-skinned and your slasher may not have the luxury of time to get that done, so expect the damage on the sidewall of your tire.
2. A Sign Of Multiple Cuts
An example of a clean multiple cut is when you run a table knife through the thick foam. The same way it is to your car tire, the kind of markings you see on the foam are the same on the tire.
A single cut may not produce a quick deflation result, so it is probably more than one cut on your tire, and it might be a very long cut.
3. A Visible Tire Deflation
A little puncture can’t deflate in seconds; it will still take a long time before a complete deflation. Even if it is dark, you can simply tell it was slashed. Slashed tires will deflate in seconds.
How to Prevent Your Tire from Being Slashed
To prevent your tire from being slashed:
- Park In A Secure Place: Make sure to park your car in a secured place where no one can be able to access the car. If you don’t have a garage in your home, try to find a spot where your eyes can easily pick up movements.
- Don’t Block People’s Entrance/Driveway: While parking your car, do not park and block people’s entrances. Don’t park in front of their driveway and go far. They can get agitated and slash your tire.
- Try To Have A Motion Sensor In Your Home: A motion sensor in front of your house or where you parked your car will likely scare away people from causing harm to your car.
- Install Security Cameras In Your Garage: A security camera doesn’t have to be expensive. What you need in your garage is something less expensive that can at least pick out simple movement and can be presented as evidence. It doesn’t have to be the latest high-tech product. You can keep things simple.
What To Do If Your Tire is Slashed
If your tire is slashed:
Be Sure Of The Cause
Before you pop out to file a police case, you definitely want to be sure the slashing is done by someone. It’s easy to know the cause of the rapid deflated tire.
What you have to do is to check the markings and the area of damage on the tire. If there are clean markings, with the similitude of a knife stab or slash, then it was an intentional move from someone who wants to see you appear frustrated.
Try To Find Evidence
In most cases, the slashed tire is the action of someone trying to mess with your head. Check around if you can see any sharp objects that are able to cause the same damage. You might not be able to get enough evidence but you sure want to show to insurance company some proof.
If you have checked for most likely objects that could cause the damage, you can take a snap of it and check around for a CCTV, if there’s one, so you can get footage as evidence.
You Should Get The Police Involved
Frustration is easy to attain in situations like this. Even if you might not get the culprit, you still want to make moves to try to get them to pay for the troubles they caused you.
You can reach out to the nearest station and write a report. The police might ask you for evidence, if you have some with you, present it to them. If you have none, let the police do their jobs.
Don’t Drive the Car
If the slashed tire is fully deflated, it is advisable for you not to drive the car to avoid causing more damage to the car. You can tow the car to the auto shop for possible repair or replacement.
How Long Does It Take A Tire To Deflate Without Cap?
There’s no specific time to how a tire will deflate without its cap. Deflation is dependent on various instances.
A tire without its valve cap won’t lose all its air immediately, but with each day passing, it will slightly lose a portion of the stored air to the atmosphere.
The reason why vehicles tire has a cap is to prevent dirt or debris from finding their way into the tire valve stem, which is able to cause more problems to the tire if they find their way in.
Conclusion
A slashed tire is expected to go down almost immediately after the tire gets damaged. It can be frustrating but all the same, if you feel cheated, report the case. When you do, try to be sure to know the cause before you reach out to the police to report the case.