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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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2  
Well, you probably have 4 tires to test it out on your own car. :) OK, so that is not a good idea. Did you ask your spouse first? Do you have a friend who would contribute their tires to the cause? NO? Drat. An inflated tire will be easier than an uninflated tire. Were I the props person on a movie, an overinflated tire is best. Next, a knife with a folding (and non-locking blade) is surely dangerous. Blade style will surely matter. A stiletto blade would seem best, an ice pick pretty good. Finally, a lubricated blade, so smear some glycerin on the blade. – woodchips May 15 '12 at 14:21
@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
Interesting question although the how hard part is a bit unspecific. – Informaficker May 15 '12 at 18:54
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Just 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
A smart guy once parked behind my uncles car and trapped him for hours, he gave him an important lesson to that car – ajax333221 Jun 7 '12 at 3:59

1 Answer

up vote 7 down vote accepted

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]

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One 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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I 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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I'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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-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 1:24
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Chris: 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 5:04
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