It'd waste hundreds of hours of brave ICE enforcer time, and clog up the internal system. Especially if it kept passing in duplicates, because the site specifically warms against that.
It should slowly leak out if you tighten it just so. Probably depends on the valvecap design but generally the standard black ones will not leak rapidly even if they screw them all the way. A peppercorn or airsoft bb will also work.
I was confused for a second because I read "ICE" as internal combustion engine. In my defense: I'm not American and "ICE" is commonly used that way in Formula 1
These can be found as cheap as maybe $1, and by just removing the cap, you can simply unscrew the valve stem and walk away, replacing the cap. It does no long term or meaningful damage to the vehicle (unless they drive on the flats), and you can easily attach it to a key chain so you always have one with you.
I mean. If you think you couldn't be successfully prosecuted for smudging the paint intentionally, that's pretty naive. If the current admin wants to make an example of people caught fucking with ICE vehicles, your advice here isn't gonna make a meaningful difference. But I agree that this is a clever way to accomplish the goal without actual damage.
Oh 100%. I'm not going with this method primarily because I don't think I'm going to get prosecuted. The plausible defense is just a co-benefit. These fuckers would probably trying and prosecute if you even look at their rig.
No the valve stem remover approach is superior for several reasons.
First, foremost, it affords an attack of opportunity. Just throw this fucker on your key-ring. You do not need to plan shit. You aren't carrying something that could in anyway be construed as anything other than what it is. Its about as damning as having a bottle opener on your key ring and some one accusing you of drink driving because of it. You never know when inspiration and opportunity are going to take to the dance floor. Fortune favors the prepared mind.
Second, and almost as important as the first. Its subtle. I don't even need to take the whole core out. I can just loosen it a bit so it creates and almost inaudible leak. So what if it takes 10-20 minutes to fully deflate? Even better. I'm long, long gone by the time that its even noticeable. There is another below about using a knife or slashing a tire wall. Which is like, fine, but thats gonna be loud, its gonna be immediate, and its gonna be obvious. You aren't going to get two of that job done. And the valve stem puller? I can do it again. And again and again.
Alternatively, if you don't care about committing crime, slash the side walls instead. This is not repairable and much more expensive to replace a tire than a valve stem.
Stabbing the tyre itself is a gamble in terms of safety. Worst case the tyre basically explodes at you. cutting the stem doesn't risk the tyre zippering from a failure point, and is definitely the preferred method.
Feel free to stab and slice the sidewall once the pressure is released if you want to make the repair as expensive as possible
Its also potentially slower, and definitely louder. I've never tried to bust through the side wall of a tire, but I'm gonna bet that even the side wall material is as tough as.. well.. a tire.
To get around that you might consider a bit of engineering. Tires effectively "pull" the road beneath them. If there is anything between the tire and the ground, it gets pulled first until the ground is met
A simple piece of bent metal cut into a 90 degree bend, with a rugged metal hook on one side, could easily be wedged between the tire and the ground in such a way, such that when the vehicle is being put into motion again, the forward rotation of the tire "drags" the metal spur into, and across the side wall of the tire. Basically bend the metal to a 90, cut a hook into one side, and wedge it in parallel. Once they roll out, the wheel pulls the hook across the side wall using the force of the transmission, and you can be very far away.
Obviously this would take more work, foresight, and maybe a bit of engineering and testing, but its worth keeping in mind.
At the end of the day however, its almost trivial to throw a $2 tool onto a key chain you are already carrying.
Definitely don't do that. Rapidly letting all of the air out is VERY VERY LOUD. Instead, "do not" have a valve stem tool in your pocket and DEFINITELY do not barely loosen the stem core so that it leaks out slower but much more quietly, allowing you to be long gone when they "go flat".
I never knew someone who didn’t unscrew the the valve cap and avoided placing a small pebble or BB inside the cap before they didn’t screw the cap back on and then didn’t inadvertently introduce a slow leak which did not cause the tire to not become flat over a period of time.
I wonder if 'how to use a valve stem tool' will start being tracked in searches. I'm sure we are all on a list already, but can you imagine getting a new one created, just for us?
Bruh it’s literally just a screw driver that you use to twist the valve stem in or out. If you need a tutorial for that this may not be the best idea for you
I believe I am, for all intents and purposes, the actual originator of that trick (in terms of publishing it on the internet, anyway). You have no idea how much it warms the cockles of my twisted little black heart to see that someone else posted this before I was able to.
Buy a pack of valve caps. Super glue stones in them and carry them around. When you see ICE vehicles, replace their valve cap for yours. Repeat as necessary.
Them slowly getting a flat is not going to cause an accident. The low pressure warning is gonna come up well before anything dangerous actually happens
Those are still only rated to go 50 miles once depressurized.
They also wouldn't even know their tires are flat until they start their car and get a tpms warning.
Imagining them giving chase with depressurized run-flat tires is laughable too.
A funny mental image, no argument here. But my point is that this isn't going to disable a vehicle like some people in here are fantasizing - a high speed chase might be ruled out, but they're still a very active threat, and they will easily be able to make it back to the motor pool with a minimum of damage. It's not much of an inconvenience.
Anyway don’t do this to old, low-end cars. If that person’s driving a 15 year old Corolla then they probably can’t afford a brand new Tesla. As much as we’d like everyone to drive an EV, single moms tend to prioritize feeding their kids.
Is that true about all electric cars or are we talking about the American ones here? Honest question. I just am curious if companies like Nissan and BYD are doing the same thing.
Aside from the batteries needing to be replaced at some point, electric vehicles should far outlast their ICE counterparts. A significant breakthrough in batteries could make that well worth it.
I'd love a right to repair, but also prefer to just get rid of capitalism. Not that these have to be mutually exclusive.
Biggest problem is not the engine in the car but the car itself. So much energy must go into their production, maintenance and running compared to literally any other form of land transport. Take a train, ride a bike, walk, etc. hell even replacing the cars with electric mopeds would make a more significant impact. We need to be reducing the number of cars on the road and encouraging carpooling for commuters who don't have other options (aka mostly folks in rural areas who happen to also be those that will benefit the most financially from driving less)
If the screw in valve caps are accessible it would be unfortunate if a single lentil got shoved into the cap. That would cause a slow leak without physically damaging the tire.
This is property damage, you'll get a misdemeanor if they want to charge you. Owning a tire valve core tool, removing the cores, and placing them on the tire is only criminal mischief. Don't forget to put the valve stem cap back on for more fun!
And, amazingly enough, is the exact term that many penal codes use for property damage. Just as two examples, here's Montana's, and here's Texas'. Little OPer wanted to sound smart and repeat words they don't understand.
Mass deportations are not just a humanitarian crisis—they’re an economic disaster. Study after study has shown that immigrants contribute far more to the economy than they take, with long-term benefits that outweigh short-term costs. They start businesses, fill essential jobs, pay taxes, and drive innovation. Removing millions of workers overnight doesn’t just strip industries of labor; it also eliminates consumers, reduces tax revenue, and weakens local economies. The last large-scale immigration crackdown in 2018 left farms, construction sites, and service industries scrambling, leading to higher prices and economic contraction. This policy isn’t about protecting American jobs—it’s about gutting the economy for the sake of political theater.
The cost of this mass deportation effort is staggering—billions spent on enforcement, detention, and transport, all while Trump is slashing taxes for the wealthy. That means ordinary Americans will ultimately foot the bill, either through cuts to public services or increased debt. And for what? To remove people who contribute more than they take? Instead of investing in solutions that integrate immigrants into the economy and strengthen communities, this administration is burning taxpayer money to break apart families, disrupt businesses, and create an international human rights crisis. If we’re talking about a "net negative," it’s not immigrants—it’s the policies driving this destruction.
Don't get hung up deciding between all the different suggestions in this thread. They are all good. Do whichever seems right in the moment. The important thing is that you do something. Every bit helps.
I took a look at your profile. You have to be the most consistently downvoted person on Lemmy. You're either a troll, a propagandist, or one really lost individual. Almost all of your comments are xenophobic, misogynistic, racist, or some other form of anti-human speech. I don't know what you have to be like in your head to truly feel all the things you've said on here in your heart.