Can you fix a puncture in the sidewalk of a tire?
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We used to plug sidewalls on rock crawlers. A jeep or buggy that never went over 15 mph. No good on a street driven car.
Had a tire plugged in the outermost tread row of one of the OEM Dunlops of the newer Accord at around 26K.
Worked for a while and then began leaking so I bit the bullet and replaced the tire.
Maybe $90.00ish mounted and balanced for a matching tire from Wally.
Not having to go and rescue wife, who was then daily driving the car after flat or blowout?
Priceless.
Sidewall punctures are generally irreparable although this may have been possible in the era of bias ply tires which had much stiffer sidewalls.
I have heard of guys selling plug kits to service stations (remember those?) back in the day poking holes in the sidewalls of their car's tires, installing one of the plugs they were selling and then going on their way as a demonstration of the effectiveness of the product they were offering, so it was apparently possible with some tires.
Incidentally, both wife and I have had blowouts on the rears of cars we were driving at some speed.
Both of these involved Michelin tires and neither was an especially dramatic or threatening event.
Son had a blowout of the RF OEM Yokohama on our older Forester and he had no problems either.
My point is that a tire failure may not be as threatening an event as some portray it to be for those who can actually drive and also maintain their cool.
Worked for a while and then began leaking so I bit the bullet and replaced the tire.
Maybe $90.00ish mounted and balanced for a matching tire from Wally.
Not having to go and rescue wife, who was then daily driving the car after flat or blowout?
Priceless.
Sidewall punctures are generally irreparable although this may have been possible in the era of bias ply tires which had much stiffer sidewalls.
I have heard of guys selling plug kits to service stations (remember those?) back in the day poking holes in the sidewalls of their car's tires, installing one of the plugs they were selling and then going on their way as a demonstration of the effectiveness of the product they were offering, so it was apparently possible with some tires.
Incidentally, both wife and I have had blowouts on the rears of cars we were driving at some speed.
Both of these involved Michelin tires and neither was an especially dramatic or threatening event.
Son had a blowout of the RF OEM Yokohama on our older Forester and he had no problems either.
My point is that a tire failure may not be as threatening an event as some portray it to be for those who can actually drive and also maintain their cool.
Patched sidewalls used to be called having a boot in your tire
I’ve plugged them in the sidewall and even used inner tubes when the rim won’t stop leaking
If you can handle a blowout, keep the tire on the back, don’t overload it and keep your speed down.
I had 50,000 miles on an outer tread area plug, all Luck though I would get a true sidewall patched tire replaced as soon as prudent.
Good Luck
I’ve plugged them in the sidewall and even used inner tubes when the rim won’t stop leaking
If you can handle a blowout, keep the tire on the back, don’t overload it and keep your speed down.
I had 50,000 miles on an outer tread area plug, all Luck though I would get a true sidewall patched tire replaced as soon as prudent.
Good Luck
Some science:
When a hole is put in an object - like puncturing a tire or drilling a hole in sheet metal - this causes stresses to concentrate around the hole - making the hole the most likely place for the object to crack. Wikipedia - Stress Concentration
So plugging a tire doesn't completely work as the plug does nothing to reinforce the area around the puncture and it will eventually crack. This is particularly true for radial tire sidewalls because of the complex motion the sidewall makes. (Hint: It's in 3 dimensions!)
So tire manufacturers do not recommend plugging tires, and only permit patch/plug repairs to the tread area (where the movement is less and more conventional - basically 2 dimensions!) Please note: Tire manufacturers correctly view plug repairs as temporary - and that is consistent with the science mentioned above.
When a hole is put in an object - like puncturing a tire or drilling a hole in sheet metal - this causes stresses to concentrate around the hole - making the hole the most likely place for the object to crack. Wikipedia - Stress Concentration
So plugging a tire doesn't completely work as the plug does nothing to reinforce the area around the puncture and it will eventually crack. This is particularly true for radial tire sidewalls because of the complex motion the sidewall makes. (Hint: It's in 3 dimensions!)
So tire manufacturers do not recommend plugging tires, and only permit patch/plug repairs to the tread area (where the movement is less and more conventional - basically 2 dimensions!) Please note: Tire manufacturers correctly view plug repairs as temporary - and that is consistent with the science mentioned above.
Just this past weekend the Jetta had a flat tire due to a bolt being stuck in the tire. Had it patched, and it leaked. I can't get around the having the tires replaced until later this week, so I went and got that tire slime stuff that you spray inside, so far it has worked! I know it is temporary, but it just might get us by until the tires are replaced later this week.
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Just this past weekend the Jetta had a flat tire due to a bolt being stuck in the tire. Had it patched, and it leaked. I can't get around the having the tires replaced until later this week, so I went and got that tire slime stuff that you spray inside, so far it has worked! I know it is temporary, but it just might get us by until the tires are replaced later this week.
You really shouldn't be using that stuff on newer cars that have tpms. Now you may need to replace the sensor in that wheel. Also be sure to tell the tire place that you used that stuff before the tech starts working on that tire.
Just this past weekend the Jetta had a flat tire due to a bolt being stuck in the tire. Had it patched, and it leaked. I can't get around the having the tires replaced until later this week, so I went and got that tire slime stuff that you spray inside, so far it has worked! I know it is temporary, but it just might get us by until the tires are replaced later this week.
You really shouldn't be using that stuff on newer cars that have tpms. Now you may need to replace the sensor in that wheel. Also be sure to tell the tire place that you used that stuff before the tech starts working on that tire.
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Incidentally, both wife and I have had blowouts on the rears of cars we were driving at some speed.
Both of these involved Michelin tires and neither was an especially dramatic or threatening event.
Son had a blowout of the RF OEM Yokohama on our older Forester and he had no problems either.
My point is that a tire failure may not be as threatening an event as some portray it to be for those who can actually drive and also maintain their cool.
Had the RR tire blow out on the hwy with the oem Continental tire after running over one of those rubber straps that have metal hooks on each end. I think they hold down the tarps on semi-truck trailers. One of the hooks bit into the tire and the other hook made a racket clanking around in the wheel well. Didn't take long for the tire to go flat. Put the spare on which you could tell was low on air. Filled up at the gas station a mile away. Other tires had about 10k left on them so put a used tire on.
Put some all-season Hankooks on as part of the DTD sale. After a few thousand miles noticed one of the tires was low on air. Brought it to Walmart and they said a hard-sharp piece of plastic pierced the tire. Had them fix it and it held air perfectly for the next 60k miles when I replaced the set with some Nokians.
Incidentally, both wife and I have had blowouts on the rears of cars we were driving at some speed.
Both of these involved Michelin tires and neither was an especially dramatic or threatening event.
Son had a blowout of the RF OEM Yokohama on our older Forester and he had no problems either.
My point is that a tire failure may not be as threatening an event as some portray it to be for those who can actually drive and also maintain their cool.
Had the RR tire blow out on the hwy with the oem Continental tire after running over one of those rubber straps that have metal hooks on each end. I think they hold down the tarps on semi-truck trailers. One of the hooks bit into the tire and the other hook made a racket clanking around in the wheel well. Didn't take long for the tire to go flat. Put the spare on which you could tell was low on air. Filled up at the gas station a mile away. Other tires had about 10k left on them so put a used tire on.
Put some all-season Hankooks on as part of the DTD sale. After a few thousand miles noticed one of the tires was low on air. Brought it to Walmart and they said a hard-sharp piece of plastic pierced the tire. Had them fix it and it held air perfectly for the next 60k miles when I replaced the set with some Nokians.
We had a series of tornadoes that blew through Alabama back in 2011. 12 people died in my city (Pleasant Grove). They closed all the roads leading into PG for a few days and if you left, you couldn't get back in unless you parked and walked. During the clean-up, my son used his Honda Element to deliver various relief supplies around town for our church and during one trip he picked up a nail in the sidewall of one of his tires. Having little choice, I plugged it with the idea that I'd get the tire replaced once things settled down a bit. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I sent Thomas to get his tire replaced at the tire shop a few miles away in Sylvan Springs. The owner asked who in the world stuck a plug in the sidewall? Thomas explained the story and Ronnie replaced the tire at his cost, thanking Thomas for his work. The plug didn't leak.
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Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Just this past weekend the Jetta had a flat tire due to a bolt being stuck in the tire. Had it patched, and it leaked. I can't get around the having the tires replaced until later this week, so I went and got that tire slime stuff that you spray inside, so far it has worked! I know it is temporary, but it just might get us by until the tires are replaced later this week.
You really shouldn't be using that stuff on newer cars that have tpms. Now you may need to replace the sensor in that wheel. Also be sure to tell the tire place that you used that stuff before the tech starts working on that tire.
Yes, I thought about this but the Jetta actually doesn't have a TPMS. It uses the wheel speed sensor to determine if one of the tires is rotating at a different speed (caused by low air pressure).
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Just this past weekend the Jetta had a flat tire due to a bolt being stuck in the tire. Had it patched, and it leaked. I can't get around the having the tires replaced until later this week, so I went and got that tire slime stuff that you spray inside, so far it has worked! I know it is temporary, but it just might get us by until the tires are replaced later this week.
You really shouldn't be using that stuff on newer cars that have tpms. Now you may need to replace the sensor in that wheel. Also be sure to tell the tire place that you used that stuff before the tech starts working on that tire.
Yes, I thought about this but the Jetta actually doesn't have a TPMS. It uses the wheel speed sensor to determine if one of the tires is rotating at a different speed (caused by low air pressure).
We just got done building a house in a new subdivision. Picked up 4, count 'em 4 nails in tires during the build. 3 of the 4 were fixable, the 4th was right in the middle of the sidewall...bought two new tires.
TPMS systems bedevil me. My wife's CRV that we recently traded in would flash the low tire warning every time there was a significant temperature change, even if all the tires were at the same pressure, generating a panicked call from her asking if it was safe to drive the car.
TPMS systems bedevil me. My wife's CRV that we recently traded in would flash the low tire warning every time there was a significant temperature change, even if all the tires were at the same pressure, generating a panicked call from her asking if it was safe to drive the car.
Originally Posted by taztheman
My fathers car just got a small puncture in the sidewall (in the middle). Is it ok to put a plug in a sidewalk of a tire? I cannot find any good info on this.
Thanks
Patch it. Totally fine.
My fathers car just got a small puncture in the sidewall (in the middle). Is it ok to put a plug in a sidewalk of a tire? I cannot find any good info on this.
Thanks
Patch it. Totally fine.
Patch it. Totally fine.[/quote]
Thats a definite "no way". You would be fired at my workplace for even thinking to patch the sidewall of a tire.
Thats a definite "no way". You would be fired at my workplace for even thinking to patch the sidewall of a tire.
Originally Posted by taztheman
My fathers car just got a small puncture in the sidewall (in the middle). Is it ok to put a plug in a sidewalk of a tire? I cannot find any good info on this.
Thanks
No way as it's totally unsafe.
My fathers car just got a small puncture in the sidewall (in the middle). Is it ok to put a plug in a sidewalk of a tire? I cannot find any good info on this.
Thanks
No way as it's totally unsafe.
I've repaired a few sidewall punctures. I was taught by an old timer who ran am old school full service station back in the day where you sometimes have to be a jack of all trades sometimes.
If it's within half an inch of the tread, it's a no. Holes are easy, but tears can be repaired but not instantly. It requires "Shoe Gloo" and an overnight wait.
One of the tire techs I know at Firestone was telling me a lot of the sidewall repair training went away in the 90s because it became a list of scenerios where you don't do the repair due to low profile tires.
If it's within half an inch of the tread, it's a no. Holes are easy, but tears can be repaired but not instantly. It requires "Shoe Gloo" and an overnight wait.
One of the tire techs I know at Firestone was telling me a lot of the sidewall repair training went away in the 90s because it became a list of scenerios where you don't do the repair due to low profile tires.
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