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.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 13 points 2 days ago (9 children)

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.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (7 children)

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.

[–] alatha_thrythwynn@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Or, one might use caltrops. I used to fantasize about having small caltrops that I could throw under tires of vehicles that cut me off or drove too close while I was biking. Place some a little ways in front of the tires so that when the vehicle took off, it had some momentum to drive the points into the tires.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I think you are describing roofing nails. But realistically, you don't aim caltrops and you are almost assuredly only going to create collateral damage.

[–] alatha_thrythwynn@lemmy.ca 1 points 18 hours ago

Not roofing nails. More like very pointy, iron jacks, at least if I were to make them. Point, though, about collateral damage, at least with an already moving vehicle. However, in my fantasies, they just disabled the vehicle ¯_/(ツ)_/¯

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