Minimum caliber to pop a tire?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Minimum caliber to pop a tire? (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:16:35 PM EDT

It's been a little slow lately at the "fun shop." A little while back, my coworkers and I started BSing about a number of things, and for some reason the topic of car tires came up....probably someone impinging on my coworker's parking space, and he had joked about shooting out their tires.
But, I could've sworn that I remembered reading a product review of some tough leather work boots a while back, wherein the author shot them with a .22 and a .22 Mag (ostensibly to test their toughness, probably more as just an excuse to shoot things), and neither actually went through. Knowing that, I somehow doubt that either a .22 or a .22 mag would pop a pressurized car tire.
The only time I've shot at real pressurized car tires is while they've been on a vehicle which was the target out at Knob Creek Range, usually during some shoot or get together....and of course, there were people with Mosins, Thompsons, MG34s, .50s, etc, so no telling what it was that "did the trick." So I figured I'd ask ARFCOM, especially since O_P chills around here.
What's the minimum caliber to pop a vehicles tire? I know there's equations to work out relative speed and tire pressure for things like hydroplaning, so I wouldn't be too surprised if there's a formula for figuring out how much force would be required to penetrate the rubber if the tire was under X degree of psi or something, but I haven't the slightest idea as to what that'd be (or the caliber to which it would correspond). Thoughts?

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:17:54 PM EDT

[#1]

.88 Magnum.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:19:09 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:

.88 Magnum.

Tires, not schools, Johnny Dangerously.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:19:30 PM EDT

[#3]

a .22 lr will do it depending on the thickness of the wall of the tire.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:22:04 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
.88 Magnum.

.87 Magnum

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:22:56 PM EDT

[#5]

From what distance? You also have to remember there's metal treads in the tire unless you shoot it from the side. That being said, I have no idea.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:23:26 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
.88 Magnum.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:23:55 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:

From what distance? You also have to remember there's metal treads in the tire unless you shoot it from the side. That being said, I have no idea.

These are the kinds of questions which spawned the debate

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:24:42 PM EDT

[#8]

I've seen a car tire popped with a .22 CB through the sidewall at around 20 yards, but it took around 15 minutes to deflate.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:25:17 PM EDT

[#9]

I would bet a .22lr would do it.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:25:25 PM EDT

[#10]

A .22LR fired from a rifle will penetrate the sidewall of any normal tire.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:25:46 PM EDT

[#11]

.39...39...whatever it takes.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:27:11 PM EDT

[#12]

what about a .17?

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:29:01 PM EDT

[#13]

Our business neighbors have a whole lot of industrial tires, should I start doing some ballistic testing?

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:29:43 PM EDT

[#14]

Allow me to interject some James Yeager into the discussion.

ETA from the comments:

Handguns suck......they won't do this at any distance and won't penetrate the rubber in some cases.
JamesYeager 1 year ago

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:30:03 PM EDT

[#15]

it all depends on if the chili you had for lunch had beans or not

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:33:18 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

.88 Magnum.

Wasn't it Rommel who discovered that during the Battle of Trenton? Helped lead to the ultimate defeat of the Maratha's at Agincourt if I recall correctly.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:33:21 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:

Quoted:

.88 Magnum.

Tires, not schools, Johnny Dangerously.

that's a .480 Rutgers

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:33:21 PM EDT

[#18]

I actually have a passenger tire that I was planning to take to the range this weekend. I picked it up as a "how to plug a tire" example for a project at work for our field techs a while back, and the project never came to fruition.

I'll see what I can do on finding out if 22LR will do it, starting with the tread, then sidewall. If that works, testing will stop, if not, I'll start stepping up calibers.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:33:22 PM EDT

[#19]

Use a rifle, shoot through the wheel.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:34:30 PM EDT

[#20]

Is the car on a treadmill?

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:34:38 PM EDT

[#21]

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:38:22 PM EDT

[#22]

No need for any firearms as a roofing tack is more than adequate.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:39:19 PM EDT

[#23]

What, no comments on the Ballistic Tire Deflation video? Not even about how close he is, shooting steel with a rifle?

Can some kind team member embed it for me so people will actually watch it...

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:40:16 PM EDT

[#24]

Standard airgun pellet... the pointy kind.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:42:40 PM EDT

[#25]

.22lr will puncture a tractor trailer tire...

My ass can testify to that, as my Dad laid his belt across it as a young boy.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:46:06 PM EDT

[#26]

lots of variables at play here
psi probably makes a difference.
how many ply the tire is...
rubber can be a tricky subject

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:46:51 PM EDT

[#27]

I would think a 22LR would puncture a tire without hesitation.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:49:07 PM EDT

[#28]

235/70 R15 Side wall at ten ft .22 Lr out of a 5 inch brl.

Same: steel belted needed a .380 ball.

Never tried it with a rifle of any cal.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:50:23 PM EDT

[#29]

No clue but I had fun shooting a .30-06 at a huge tractor tire before. I don't think it went all the way through from the tread side though.

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:50:33 PM EDT

[#30]

Tire "popping" when shot is a movie thing. It just makes a tiny hole and slowly deflates.

Almost any caliber will penetrate the sidewalk of a passenger vehicle tire. Even a decent powered pellet rifle can do it( I got in trouble for that one, I really didn't think it would puncture the tire)

Posted: 3/10/2011 12:57:04 PM EDT

[#31]

Waiting on Old Painless and the Tire O' Truth.

I have shot a unpressurized tire with a .22 and had the bullet come back and hit me when I was a kid. We were shooting at a dump and it seemed like a good target. I never did that again!

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:04:10 PM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:

Tire "popping" when shot is a movie thing. It just makes a tiny hole and slowly deflates.

To be fair, I wonder if you could get a movie-style rapid deflation if the sidewall was shot with a .38 wadcutter, or something else that would punch out a big circle of rubber as opposed to poking a tiny hole.

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:08:39 PM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Tire "popping" when shot is a movie thing. It just makes a tiny hole and slowly deflates.

To be fair, I wonder if you could get a movie-style rapid deflation if the sidewall was shot with a .38 wadcutter, or something else that would punch out a big circle of rubber as opposed to poking a tiny hole.

MythBusters tried something like that when they were testing the tire blowout would sever your head / kill you myth. They shot at it with 12ga slugs and other loads.They never did achieve the catastrophic failure like in hollywood movies.

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:10:58 PM EDT

[#34]

Shotgun, all you have to do is rack it and the tire will deflate on it's own.

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:11:02 PM EDT

[#35]

I've done it with a .177 pellet out of a Gamo Big Cat. Tire was a 245/75R17 Dueller A/T Revo.
It caused a slow leak due to the tire self-healing around the tiny hole, but penetrated nonetheless.

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:14:19 PM EDT

[#36]

Old_Painless and Tires of Truth?

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:15:04 PM EDT

[#37]

Don't know about tires but it takes a heat seeking love missile to pop a cherry.

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:17:58 PM EDT

[#38]

Aired down or up? Through the tread or sidewall? Truck tire or passenger tire? Mud terrain, all season, etc? Tread depth? Sidewall tread? Reinforced? Bias ply? Nylon? Tubed? Radial? Run-flats or regular? High-end or cheap? Touring, economy or sport?

Lots and lots of variables in this one. Tires come in such a wide degree of thickness and profile it'd be impossible to give an answer to satisfy all possibilities.

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:18:05 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:

Don't know about tires but it takes a heat seeking love missile to pop a cherry.

( http://www.explosm.net/comics/2328/ )

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:26:01 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:
235/70 R15 Side wall at ten ft .22 Lr out of a 5 inch brl.

Same: steel belted needed a .380 ball.

Never tried it with a rifle of any cal.

Watch them Steel Belted circles of death.........

There is a reason they're not used in shooting houses anymore.

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:28:12 PM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:
what about a .17?

I know a .17 caliber thorn will go straight the hell through.

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:30:38 PM EDT

[#42]

we need a report ...Old_Painless and the box of Tires of Truth?

Posted: 3/10/2011 1:49:48 PM EDT

[#43]

The 2 minute video I posted demonstrating deflation of a tire with an AR continues to go unnoticed.

Are people really more interesting in shooting tires with .22s and BB guns?

Posted: 3/10/2011 2:15:02 PM EDT

[#44]

Quoted:

The 2 minute video I posted demonstrating deflation of a tire with an AR continues to go unnoticed.

Are people really more interesting in shooting tires with .22s and BB guns?

They're quieter

ETA: FWIW, I DID watch the vid to which you linked. I'm curious which part of the metal the guy shot with the AR......also, I wonder how far away an AR'd be effective.....

Posted: 3/10/2011 2:18:51 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:
The 2 minute video I posted demonstrating deflation of a tire with an AR continues to go unnoticed.

Are people really more interesting in shooting tires with .22s and BB guns?

You mean the link you posted hiding the URL with no mention that it's a video? That one?

Posted: 3/10/2011 2:24:29 PM EDT

[#46]

Paging "Old Painless, Old Painless" please pick up the white courtesy phone.

Needs more Box O Truth

Posted: 3/10/2011 2:26:30 PM EDT

[#47]

Quoted:

Tire "popping" when shot is a movie thing. It just makes a tiny hole and slowly deflates.

Almost any caliber will penetrate the sidewalk of a passenger vehicle tire. Even a decent powered pellet rifle can do it( I got in trouble for that one, I really didn't think it would puncture the tire)

You mean you don't pack your trunk with mortars full of gasoline for a nice flamey explosion just in case someone shoots at you? Partypooper

Sidewalls are pretty weak, but small holes aren't going to do much. If it needs to be flat RFN, just knife the damn thing

But it WOULD be a fun experiment... I wonder what the belt could hold up to!

Posted: 3/10/2011 2:28:54 PM EDT

[#48]

Quoted:

I would think a 22LR would puncture a tire without hesitation.

I have no doubt at all that a .22lr will go through the sidewall of any inflated tire that can legally be driven down the interstate.

The tread might present problems. It's thicker and has metal wire/mesh. I'm thinking something with some more "oomph" would be needed.

Posted: 3/10/2011 2:30:04 PM EDT

[#49]

Not a dumb question. However, the answer is not simple.

I took a class wherein, we tested penetration and deflection of rounds.

The observations will appear to be common sense - only because a number of suppostions were destroyed.

You consider at minimum:

1. the distance to the object,
2. the angle of attempted penetration,
3. the composition of the object

All tires are not alike. All shooting angles and distances are not the same either.

Posted: 3/10/2011 2:32:29 PM EDT

[#50]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Tire "popping" when shot is a movie thing. It just makes a tiny hole and slowly deflates.

To be fair, I wonder if you could get a movie-style rapid deflation if the sidewall was shot with a .38 wadcutter, or something else that would punch out a big circle of rubber as opposed to poking a tiny hole.

Cast a 12 gauge wadcutter slug. That ought to cause a rapid enough deflation that the wheel hitting the ground ought to make a satisfying "thump" at least.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Minimum caliber to pop a tire? (Page 1 of 2)

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