Can beer bottles pop car tires?

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    Beer Car Tires
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the potential for broken beer bottles to cause flat tires on cars, exploring the mechanics of tire punctures and the conditions under which this might occur. Participants share personal experiences and hypotheses regarding the interaction between glass and tires.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses uncertainty about whether broken beer bottles can cut car tires, citing a personal experience with littering.
  • Another participant shares an anecdote about a vehicle's tires going flat due to cactus needles, suggesting that various sharp objects can cause similar issues.
  • A participant speculates that a sharp piece of glass might not penetrate a tire deeply enough to cause a flat, especially if it strikes the tread rather than the sidewall.
  • It is noted that the susceptibility of tires to puncture may depend on factors such as tire type, composition, and tread condition, with soft tires being more vulnerable.
  • One participant advises inspecting tires for embedded glass and suggests that leaving a piece of glass in a tire could prevent deflation.
  • Another participant shares a personal experience of a tire being punctured by a sharp piece of glass, indicating that while it is possible, the odds are generally low.
  • A final comment suggests a casual approach to the question, implying that experimentation might provide an answer.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether broken beer bottles can definitively cause flat tires, with multiple competing views and uncertainties remaining about the conditions under which this might occur.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various factors that could influence the likelihood of tire puncture, such as tire type and condition, but do not resolve the implications of these factors.

Dissident Dan
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I'm not quite sure if this is the most appropriate forum. Some jerks were throwing beer bottles in the parking lot the other day. I was quite angry at them. Is it possible for broken beer bottles to cut car tires so as to make them lose air?
 
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Don't know the answer to that, sorry. I do know someone who swears his Bronco tires went flat due to running over cactus needles.
 
I suspect a sharp piece of bottle breakig and flying into the tire wouldn't cut deep enough in most cases to cause a flat, especially if it hit the treaded part. The sidewall would offer itself for easier penetration by a flying piece of glass whereas running over the glass would most likely involved the treaded part.
 
It all depents on the type of tire, tire composition, and remaining tread. Soft beltless tires (high performance usually racing or motorcycle) can be popped by glass, Your average steel belted tire that still has tread should be fine. Old bald tires are suseptible to puncture. I would pull each tire off and inspect them for imbedded glass. Remove any pieces stuck into the tread. If you find a piece of glass stuck deep into the tire (cutting through a tread of between the tread) leave it in otherwise the tire will deflate. Put a spare on (unless more than one tire is affected in which case you can risk deflating a tire while driving) and go to the neaqrest tire shop. They can fix punctures unless there is sidewall damage.

Good Luck.
 
Luck will play a part in that. A sharp pointed piece of glass positioned so that as the tire contacts it the forces are compressive it might do it, I've seen it once on the tire of a little Dodge Omni while in high school. But the odds are pretty low, usually the pieces are too small and the sharp edges are parallel to the ground.

Cliff
 
Try it and maybe you will find out for yourself.
I'd suppose it could.
 

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