Tires

[nekwah]

The other day someone mentioned that a car tire would not be puncturable by a pistol round and be difficult to pierce with a high velocity rifle. Their arguement was that tires are built very much like Kevlar and would be very hard to penetrate. Seems to make sense but when your a kid you always think of shooting the tires of the bad guys getaway car even though now we now your supposed to shoot their engine. Are they really that tough. I always wanted to try it with an old tire but never seem to have enough time or an old tire to try it.

 

[franconialocal]

http://www.carbonmotors.com/

Check out the tires......

I'm still doing a bunch of research for my Chief. He's all about getting one. I think the tires are standard, but the ones you mention are indeed out there and a viable option.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Car tires puncture very easily, even with .22 rimfire.

 

[distra]

Tires are notorious for sending bullets back at you. If you do try it, be very careful!

 

[Zoogster]

Yes they are that tough, some more than others.

There is no standard response as to whether it will work. There is a large variety of tires, some much more difficult to penetrate. There is a large number of rounds, some better at penetrating such a target.

People have shot tires with firearms and had horrible results.
There was a recent story of a guy who shot a tire with buckshot. The buckshot was returned to his legs with similar velocity, easily penetrating deeply into him cuasing grousome wounds. The tire suffered minimal damage.

I have seen small caliber rounds ricochet from tires myself. A much less predictable ricochet than from a hard surface. Posing significant risk to everyone around. The rubber can act as a random direction high velocity spring.

They can also be penetrated resulting in either a violent blowout or a gradual loss of air. A violent blowout of a vehicle going down the road could result in a flipped vehicle going in a random direction. Police spike strips ususaly let air out gradualy reducing that possibility.

When intentionaly firing at a wheel it is the wheel well and not the tire that gives better success. The metal of the wheel well actualy poses less ricochet hazard than the rubber tire, and the punctured metal will more effectively create a hole kept open by the metal. The metal then behind the penetrating bulet will also reduce but certainly not eliminate the dangers of ricochet.

So no, it works great in movies, and occasionaly in reality but is quite dangerous.
Many brands and types of tires and many different types of projectiles mean one answer does not fit all results.

 

[fireman 9731]

I have flattened a tire with a 22LR before.... shot it right in the sidewall.

sssssssssssss.......

Trust me, it works.

 

[Zoogster]

Here we go. He was shooting at lugnuts, but it should be a learning experience:
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/10/sk-man-hurts-himself-trying-to-loosen-lug-nut/

SK Man Hurts Himself Trying to Loosen Lug Nut -- With a Shotgun


SOUTH KITSAP

A 66-year-old man shot himself in both his legs Saturday afternoon while trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut with a 12-gauge shotgun.

Kitsap County sheriff's deputies were called to the residence on the 10800 block of SE Olympiad Drive at 2:57 p.m. after the shooting was reported to 911 emergency dispatchers, said Deputy Scott Wilson, a sheriff's office spokesman.

"Nobody else was there and he wasn't intoxicated," Wilson said.

South Kitsap Fire and Rescue medics treated the man at the scene. He was taken to Tacoma General Hospital. Wilson said his injuries were "severe but not life-threatening."

Deputies at the scene reported the man blasted "double-ought" buckshot at the wheel from "arm's length," Wilson said.

The deputies described the man's legs as "peppered" from his feet to his mid-abdomen with pellets, pieces of the wheel and other debris. Some injuries went as far up as his chin.

The man had been repairing the Lincoln Continental for two weeks, and had removed all the lug nuts on the right rear wheel except for one.

"He's bound and determined to get that lug nut off," Wilson said, who did not know how long the man had been trying to free the lug nut.

The deputies did not take a statement from the man beyond what they were able to gather while he was being treated by medics.

"I don't think he was in any condition to say anything," Wilson said. "The pain was so severe, and the shock."

 

[MMCSRET]

We had some construction equipment out at the range a few years ago doing some expansion and improvements, it was parked for the evening and no one was around. Vandals with 22 caliber (22 LR) handguns shot the tires out on a Cat 426B backhoe, Cat 14G motor grader, and a 10 yard, 10 wheel Peterbuilt dump truck. All tires shot several times and all flat. Thats 20 tires in all. The cab windows in the backhoe and the motor grader stood up better than the tires. The truck windows stood up best of all. Go figure!!!!!

 

[Boba Fett]

A 66-year-old man shot himself in both his legs Saturday afternoon while trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut with a 12-gauge shotgun.

......

Deputies at the scene reported the man blasted "double-ought" buckshot at the wheel from "arm's length," Wilson said.

......

"He's bound and determined to get that lug nut off," Wilson said

I haven't laughed so hard in a while. I'm sorry the guy got hurt, but that is downright hilarious.


As for the OP:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9906E4D8173BE633A2575BC1A9619C946796D6CF

Now, I will admit, the story is just a tad bit old....

 

[BHP FAN]

Sidewall,as Fireman mentioned.If you fire at the tread,it's very likely someone will be injured,but the sidewall can be punctured easily.My wife did the sidewall in on our car,just 'scrubbing' the curb,with the tire.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I've never shot a mounted, inflated tire. I did once shoot a loose tire in the sidewall with 9mm FMJs and could see no holes in it at first glance. Upon closer examination I did find small punctures. I guessed from this that it would have lost air, but not very fast.

 

[LtShortcut]

I've seen bullets bounce back one or two times.

Shooting the driver is much more effective.

 

[woad_yurt]

My CZ 52 not only kills tires, it also sails right through the two doors of an old Ford pickup.

 

[hadmanysons]

Holy conflicting answer Batman!

 

[ljnowell]

We had some construction equipment out at the range a few years ago doing some expansion and improvements, it was parked for the evening and no one was around. Vandals with 22 caliber (22 LR) handguns shot the tires out on a Cat 426B backhoe, Cat 14G motor grader, and a 10 yard, 10 wheel Peterbuilt dump truck. All tires shot several times and all flat. Thats 20 tires in all. The cab windows in the backhoe and the motor grader stood up better than the tires. The truck windows stood up best of all. Go figure!!!!!

just out of curiosity, how do you know it was a handgun?

 

[GregGry]

I saw a video of a big equipment tire on a wheel that was being shot with rifles. The tire popped and what looked like a split ring flew towards the shooters so fast I think it was going above the speed of sound. It missed them by less then 10 feet by the looks of it. The speed it was going made me think that someone could have been cut in half by it.

 

[eventer289]

I saw a video of a big equipment tire on a wheel that was being shot with rifles. The tire popped and what looked like a split ring flew towards the shooters so fast I think it was going above the speed of sound. It missed them by less then 10 feet by the looks of it. The speed it was going made me think that someone could have been cut in half by it.

Is this the video you are referring to?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPWDCuT60Os

 

[Boba Fett]

I saw a video of a big equipment tire on a wheel that was being shot with rifles. The tire popped and what looked like a split ring flew towards the shooters so fast I think it was going above the speed of sound. It missed them by less then 10 feet by the looks of it. The speed it was going made me think that someone could have been cut in half by it.

Kind of sounds like something MythBusters would do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvcwCCWkhBI

 

[erict]

I've shot tires out of old cars and 22lr, 9mm, 45acp, and .223 pass through the sidewall with ease.

I've also shot stacked tires and I won't be trying it again. I had a 9mm bullet hit the tread and bounce back and hit a few inches from my foot.

 

[jackstinson]

My wife did the sidewall in on our car,just 'scrubbing' the curb,with the tire.

Reminds of the week my wife came home and I noticed the rear passenger side tire had a big chunk out of the sidewall and was leaking air. I buzzed down the street and had a new tire put on it.
The next day she pulls into the driveway and that same tire is low. Yep, you guessed it....the brand new rear passenger side tire had a big chunk out of the sidewall and was leaking air. Sheeeezzz.
"Uh honey, could you only make left turns from now on?....please?"
The kicker was.....that same day my son pulls up and...yes...that's correct...his rear passenger side tire had a big chunk out of the sidewall and was leaking air.
After buying 3 new tires in one week for right turn curb damage, I gave up.

Interesting discussion though. I know of a shooting club nearby which uses stacked tires filled with dirt in the backstop pit. I noticed it in a photo of their women's CCW class.

Jack

 

[Superlite27]

I tried to shoot the tires on a Cat D-6 once. It didn't work very well.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I got a job because .22 bullets can bounce off of earthmover tires.

Seems that a logging company was building access roads up in the Oregon mountains. One road was getting pretty close to some guy's pot patch, so he decided to sabotage the road-building equipment.

Shouldn't do that when you are both stoned and stupid. He wound up with a bunch of holes in his legs and a functionally undamaged tire.

So he sued the logging company.

And they hired a watchman. Me.

It was a beautiful way to spend a summer. Thanks, Mr. Drug Grower!

 

[moooose102]

forget the tires, shoot the fuel tank, with tracers!

 

[woad_yurt]

They use diesel fuel, usually, and diesel fuel doesn't ignite easily. Tracers are for gas vehicles!