On films and TV you always see characters puncture a regular car tire with something like a folding knife or a swiss army knife. How hard would it be in real life to do this?
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@woodchips or you can go to your local garage and ask to experiment on the old (bald) tires – ratchet freak May 15 '12 at 18:11
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Interesting question although the _how hard_ part is a bit unspecific. – Baarn May 15 '12 at 18:54
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9Just a tip: If you're going to experiment, use a fixed blade knife with a hand guard. – Chris Cudmore May 15 '12 at 19:16
1 Answers
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Yes
This video advert shows a man easily puncturing and cutting a tire with a pocket knife.
This Mythbusters episode shows a snippet of Adam Savage puncturing a tire with a knife in the first 30 seconds. [Hat-tip: @ratchetfreak]
Oddthinking
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17One day, the police are going to seize my computer records over some misunderstanding, and I am going to have some explaining to do about my search history. "So, tell me again why you were searching for 'tyre-slashing knifes'?" – Oddthinking May 15 '12 at 23:46
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3I don't like this answer. The only proof given is an advertisement. We all know nobody ever lies or exaggerates in ads. – Sam I Am May 17 '12 at 13:30
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1I'm skeptical. The video shows a tire not under pressure. I think a fully inflated tire would react differently. – Chris Cudmore May 17 '12 at 13:35
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4-1, somewhat circular. Uses the same type of reference material (scripted video or film) that the OP expressed skepticism about. – Paul May 18 '12 at 01:24
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I am the first to agree that if there was an answer from peer-reviewed journal article about a reproduced experiment, we should vote that up over this. However, I see this - a low budget advert presented as (non-fiction) demonstration and subject to Fair Trading laws - as far more convincing than a Hollywood movie - willing to use a special-effects department and deception to advance the fictional plot-line. It isn't extraordinary proof, but the claim is fairly prosaic, and I see enough to provisionally accept it until counter evidence is provided. – Oddthinking May 18 '12 at 05:02
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3Chris: The tire is under some pressure. My intuition (*Danger: Argument from intuition!*) is that an inflated tire would be *easier* to puncture, like taut cloth is easier to cut. – Oddthinking May 18 '12 at 05:04
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ok I un-accepted this answer (sorry), does anyone have a video that looks more credible? Otherwise I'll just accept this one. – fab May 18 '12 at 07:09
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[mythbusters](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=OJBCpUDrqvA#t=231s) don't fake it – ratchet freak May 18 '13 at 13:19
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