I know they are some sort of nail, but I had one in my tire and at the store found a near identical one and now I’m beginning to think my tire guy is playing shell games. I mean, what are the odds?

  • Prok@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    59
    ·
    7 days ago

    Looks to me like a self tapping screw which had its head broken off / worn down. You probably just picked them both up from the same spot, double check your driveway / lot

    • ch00f@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      7 days ago

      My vote is self-tapping sheet metal screw that had the end cut off because it was sticking too far into whatever it was screwed into.

      Only the part of the screw that touches the two (or more) pieces of sheet metal actual does anything.

      Person should have used a rivet.

    • RobotToaster@mander.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      7 days ago

      I think they are self drilling screws.

      And the top half would break off if it was inserted into a tyre (accidentally or otherwise) and then driven on. Normally that half would be left in the work piece if it snapped from over torque.

      • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        13
        ·
        7 days ago

        The only actually correct answer here. These are not “self tapping” screws. These are indeed the snapped off points of self drilling sheet metal screws, easily identified by the… drill point… built into them.

    • neidu3@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      7 days ago

      Seconded. This one truck I was responsible for in the army eons ago had a screw embedded in one of its tores. Maintenance guys told me to leave it and let the tire burst, as extraction would likely damage the tire even more.

      It looked like that after a while, with the head completely worn down. The tire wear wasn’t sufficient for as long as I was there to push the screw all the way in, so it eventually became someone else’s problem.

      • Prok@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        6 days ago

        A lot of office buildings actually use metal studs, so these screws are used to attach them together. They’re a common enough thing that I wouldn’t be overly suspicious of anything.

        Might be something about the self tapping head that makes them more likely to bite in a tire?? Just speculating there…