Did I over react by shutting down the engine, but I was really
did not want to add a prop strike
to ruin my day?

You did not overreact at all. Something's amiss, you need to check it
out before flight. You're not going to get out of the plane to check it
with the engine running, are you?

The problem apparently was that
some of the steel cord must have popped up through the tires
sidewall and punctured the tub.

You were flying in a bathtub? I hope you didn't have water damage on
the floor.

Also, what would happen if the tire went flat
during flight? I guess I would know the minute the nose settled on the runway.
If that happened, all I could do is hold the nose off by pulling back on the yolk.

Yep. Easy over or you'll be scrambled.

Jose
--
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