Are tire plugs safe ?? Sunday morning found front tire on focus was flat....took to the only place open on Sunday...CT ! They wanted 30 dollars but needed 3 hours yo fix, due to being busy. Came back to reality about CT doing work on my tire and bought a plug kit for 7 dollars took about 10 mins to do. Tire is holding pressure and have 135kms on since yesterday...lots of people are saying its fine and safe (including nextdoor ford mechanic). Nail was in center of tread and on bit of angle so based on how had it was to get plug it i doubt it air pressure could move it. Package siad it was valcunized (or something like that) rubber rope type plug. I ve had tires pluged before but just wanted opinions....Thanks,
DIY Tire Plug
- Thread starter aaxb970
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Kestas
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From the opinions I've read in the past, some people have had good luck, for others it didn't work out. Throw some soapy water on it and check if it's leaking. The repair may last until the treads wear out.
It is commonly accepted that once the tire is patched or plugged that the tire has lost it's speed rating.
It is commonly accepted that once the tire is patched or plugged that the tire has lost it's speed rating.
Last time I brought a leaking tire to CT they told me they just use plugs like from a kit, so I did the same as you.
Originally Posted By: oilyriser
Last time I brought a leaking tire to CT they told me they just use plugs like from a kit, so I did the same as you.
That's why you should ask how they fix it (patch or plug); I always avoid places that just plug a tire.
Last time I brought a leaking tire to CT they told me they just use plugs like from a kit, so I did the same as you.
That's why you should ask how they fix it (patch or plug); I always avoid places that just plug a tire.
There are a number of problems with plugs:
1) They don't always stay air tight. This happens often enough that some folks don't use them for this reason alone. The real problem is that there is a risk that the tire may fail unexpectedly due to the leak. Patches hardly ever leak.
2) You don't know what other damage has been done to the tire unless you look inside. If the tire was extremely underinflated, the sidewall could be damaged and sometimes the only indication is inside.
3) There could be structural damage to the belt wires or the ply cords. Patches reinforce the area and bridge the hole, where plugs can't do that.
1) They don't always stay air tight. This happens often enough that some folks don't use them for this reason alone. The real problem is that there is a risk that the tire may fail unexpectedly due to the leak. Patches hardly ever leak.
2) You don't know what other damage has been done to the tire unless you look inside. If the tire was extremely underinflated, the sidewall could be damaged and sometimes the only indication is inside.
3) There could be structural damage to the belt wires or the ply cords. Patches reinforce the area and bridge the hole, where plugs can't do that.
+1
CapriRacer, Based on experience amd some logic I share you concerns about plugs and wouldn't use them for a permanent repair.
I do have a question.
If I plug the tire myself, will that create any problems getting a proper repair later?
I carry a plug kit and 12V air compressor because I don't want to be depending on the tire's run flat capability to get me to a dealer that can handle the run flats when I am over 100 miles from the nearest dealer that can fix it and I'm on a trip on a Sunday when the dealer is closed.
I have a car with run flats that I take long trips in and no spare and no room for a spare. I have also heard that most tire dealers can't dismount-remount my Goodyear run flats on a Corvette because it takes special equipment and training.
CapriRacer, Based on experience amd some logic I share you concerns about plugs and wouldn't use them for a permanent repair.
I do have a question.
If I plug the tire myself, will that create any problems getting a proper repair later?
I carry a plug kit and 12V air compressor because I don't want to be depending on the tire's run flat capability to get me to a dealer that can handle the run flats when I am over 100 miles from the nearest dealer that can fix it and I'm on a trip on a Sunday when the dealer is closed.
I have a car with run flats that I take long trips in and no spare and no room for a spare. I have also heard that most tire dealers can't dismount-remount my Goodyear run flats on a Corvette because it takes special equipment and training.
Just to clear up 1 thing...the tire was fine when I got home it went flat overnight....I must have picked up the offending object on my street.....so the tire was not driven on underinflated....
Originally Posted By: aaxb970
Are tire plugs safe ??
Yes. Tire plugs are safe.
If you prep/install the plug correctly, it will last the life of the tire. Patching is better, but there is nothing wrong with tire plugs.
My trail Jeep has 8 plugs in one of the sidewalls. They've been in for 4 years and have been through some pretty rough terrain. When my buggy is finished, these tires will go on that and I'm confident the plugs will still be there.
I just want to note, however, that you shouldn't drive on the street with sidewall plugs (I should take my own advice :no-no: )The shop rule of thumb is 1" in from the sidewall, otherwise the tire is considered junk.
Are tire plugs safe ??
Yes. Tire plugs are safe.
If you prep/install the plug correctly, it will last the life of the tire. Patching is better, but there is nothing wrong with tire plugs.
My trail Jeep has 8 plugs in one of the sidewalls. They've been in for 4 years and have been through some pretty rough terrain. When my buggy is finished, these tires will go on that and I'm confident the plugs will still be there.
I just want to note, however, that you shouldn't drive on the street with sidewall plugs (I should take my own advice :no-no: )The shop rule of thumb is 1" in from the sidewall, otherwise the tire is considered junk.
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There are supposedly benefits to patches and dismounting the tire for inspection. For one a patch and special cement properly used should prevent leaks while a plug from the outside may be iffy as to whether or not the liner is properly sealed.
I thought that some tire companies consider their tires speed rated with a complete patch and plug (or mushroom plug/patch combo) where the hole has been reamed out. I understand that many tire manufacturers don't consider a plug-only (and sometimes patch-only) repaired tire to be under warranty.
In any case I'm a bit wary of those string kits. I thought that hole sizes vary and those kits usually come with only one thickness. The tire-shop plugs and mushroom plug/patches come in various sizes to match the thickness of various reamer bits used to clean out the hole. Here's an image from the Tire Rack showing a plug-patch combo in the middle:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=77
If it's done as a temporary repair, I don't see why it can't be done as a proper repair later. Of course there's the possibility that the attempt to repair using a string kit can expand the "injury" to the point where it's wider than industry-standard limits for repair (I thought it was about 1/4").
I thought that some tire companies consider their tires speed rated with a complete patch and plug (or mushroom plug/patch combo) where the hole has been reamed out. I understand that many tire manufacturers don't consider a plug-only (and sometimes patch-only) repaired tire to be under warranty.
In any case I'm a bit wary of those string kits. I thought that hole sizes vary and those kits usually come with only one thickness. The tire-shop plugs and mushroom plug/patches come in various sizes to match the thickness of various reamer bits used to clean out the hole. Here's an image from the Tire Rack showing a plug-patch combo in the middle:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=77
If it's done as a temporary repair, I don't see why it can't be done as a proper repair later. Of course there's the possibility that the attempt to repair using a string kit can expand the "injury" to the point where it's wider than industry-standard limits for repair (I thought it was about 1/4").
Originally Posted By: XS650
......
I do have a question.
If I plug the tire myself, will that create any problems getting a proper repair later?
........
I think that will depend on who does the followup repair. Some folks will be skeptical about doing a proper repair when someone else has done an earlier plug.
Originally Posted By: XS650
........
I have a car with run flats that I take long trips in and no spare and no room for a spare. I have also heard that most tire dealers can't dismount-remount my Goodyear run flats on a Corvette because it takes special equipment and training.
I can't say specifically about Corvettes, but I suspect the tires are just plain difficult to mount and dismount and because of the TPMS, require a bit of care in the process. This means that the tire dealer ought to have a mounting machine that will do the hard work (instead of the tire buster), and the guy has to be trained about how to do it.
This combination may exclude quite a few shops - and some shops will probably disqualify themselves because of the costs. Replacing a TPMS is not only time consuming, but it's expensive, too!
Oh and while I'm at it:
Originally Posted By: aaxb970
Just to clear up 1 thing...the tire was fine when I got home it went flat overnight....I must have picked up the offending object on my street.....so the tire was not driven on underinflated....
Well.....ah......Mmmmmmm.......
You could say the tire wasn't driven on flat, but unless you actually measured the pressure in the tire when you got home, you can't be sure if it was underinflated or not. That's one of the problems with not looking inside the tire. You just don't know for sure.
......
I do have a question.
If I plug the tire myself, will that create any problems getting a proper repair later?
........
I think that will depend on who does the followup repair. Some folks will be skeptical about doing a proper repair when someone else has done an earlier plug.
Originally Posted By: XS650
........
I have a car with run flats that I take long trips in and no spare and no room for a spare. I have also heard that most tire dealers can't dismount-remount my Goodyear run flats on a Corvette because it takes special equipment and training.
I can't say specifically about Corvettes, but I suspect the tires are just plain difficult to mount and dismount and because of the TPMS, require a bit of care in the process. This means that the tire dealer ought to have a mounting machine that will do the hard work (instead of the tire buster), and the guy has to be trained about how to do it.
This combination may exclude quite a few shops - and some shops will probably disqualify themselves because of the costs. Replacing a TPMS is not only time consuming, but it's expensive, too!
Oh and while I'm at it:
Originally Posted By: aaxb970
Just to clear up 1 thing...the tire was fine when I got home it went flat overnight....I must have picked up the offending object on my street.....so the tire was not driven on underinflated....
Well.....ah......Mmmmmmm.......
You could say the tire wasn't driven on flat, but unless you actually measured the pressure in the tire when you got home, you can't be sure if it was underinflated or not. That's one of the problems with not looking inside the tire. You just don't know for sure.
I run the my tires at 39 PSI and I washed the car and dressed tires on the Friday when I got home so I would have noticed or felt low PSI in steering. Then the car say for Friday nite,Saturday and Saturday nite...
I plug all the time, never had one fail.
On a related topic: What do you think about tire slime? I never actually considered using it, but was still curious.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
On a related topic: What do you think about tire slime? I never actually considered using it, but was still curious.
From what I heard, but not from personal experience, Tire Slime will 1) void a tire warranty 2) make the tire you put it into difficult to balance from that point on.
This is what a friend once told me, but I don't know either way.
On a related topic: What do you think about tire slime? I never actually considered using it, but was still curious.
From what I heard, but not from personal experience, Tire Slime will 1) void a tire warranty 2) make the tire you put it into difficult to balance from that point on.
This is what a friend once told me, but I don't know either way.
Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
Originally Posted By: exranger06
On a related topic: What do you think about tire slime? I never actually considered using it, but was still curious.
From what I heard, but not from personal experience, Tire Slime will 1) void a tire warranty 2) make the tire you put it into difficult to balance from that point on.
This is what a friend once told me, but I don't know either way.
When it comes time to repair it, any kind of fix-a-flat product in a can/bottle will at the least cost extra in clean-up expense when it comes time to do a permanent repair.
Anyone recall self-healing tires. I thought that Uniroyal used to advertise a line of them.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
On a related topic: What do you think about tire slime? I never actually considered using it, but was still curious.
From what I heard, but not from personal experience, Tire Slime will 1) void a tire warranty 2) make the tire you put it into difficult to balance from that point on.
This is what a friend once told me, but I don't know either way.
When it comes time to repair it, any kind of fix-a-flat product in a can/bottle will at the least cost extra in clean-up expense when it comes time to do a permanent repair.
Anyone recall self-healing tires. I thought that Uniroyal used to advertise a line of them.
You should start a new thread on the Slime.
Who ya gunna call ??.......
Ghost Busters !!
Ghost Busters !!
Uniroyal had a line of tires called Royal Seal. My dad had them on a 1992 Buick Roadmaster. I believe the tires worked from what I can remember...I have used the can puncture seal before and it puts a thin layer inside tread area of tire . I put it in a 89 Mustang back in 1995 and it worked great I kind of used it as permanant fix it lasted like 3 years.
Y P W's picture from Tire Rack is the only correct method. No tire mfgr. will honor warranty with either of the two(as pictured) incorrect repairs.
Most shops will remove "temp" plug and repair properly if hole hasn't been oversized,,OR plug inserter hasn't missed the original puncture path and created 2 holes in innerliner.
When we have customer come in with slow leak the first thing we do is look for fuzzy end of plug sticking out of tire,,,9 out of 10 if we find a plug, we've found the leak.
Bob
Most shops will remove "temp" plug and repair properly if hole hasn't been oversized,,OR plug inserter hasn't missed the original puncture path and created 2 holes in innerliner.
When we have customer come in with slow leak the first thing we do is look for fuzzy end of plug sticking out of tire,,,9 out of 10 if we find a plug, we've found the leak.
Bob
Originally Posted By: aaxb970
Uniroyal had a line of tires called Royal Seal. My dad had them on a 1992 Buick Roadmaster. I believe the tires worked from what I can remember...I have used the can puncture seal before and it puts a thin layer inside tread area of tire . I put it in a 89 Mustang back in 1995 and it worked great I kind of used it as permanant fix it lasted like 3 years.
I did some research and apparently Goodyear has had a line of self-healing industrial equipment tire since at least 2005. Supposedly the lifespan of such heavy equipment tires can be as little as 3 weeks. At least that's what an article said.
Continental has some tire technology they call ContiSeal. Tire Rack seems to only have such a tire in one size.
http://www.motorauthority.com/continental-develops-new-self-repairing-tire.html
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/ww...ntiseal_en.html
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Continental&model=ContiProContact+ContiSeal
I wasn't sure if it was Uniroyal, but I do remember some ad showing a "soccer mom" trying to park her minivan and continuously running her tires over a 2x4 with nails sticking out of it. The ad showed the tires remaining inflated even after going over them several times.
As for the RMA tire repair - I've never actually found a tire store that would do such a full repair. I've always gotten patch-only repairs although I'd prefer a patch/plug if I could get one. I've seen the warranty terms on Big-O branded tires. The terms include free road hazard repair that includes a full RMA-approved repair unless not possible (damage to sidewall or too close to sidewall).
Uniroyal had a line of tires called Royal Seal. My dad had them on a 1992 Buick Roadmaster. I believe the tires worked from what I can remember...I have used the can puncture seal before and it puts a thin layer inside tread area of tire . I put it in a 89 Mustang back in 1995 and it worked great I kind of used it as permanant fix it lasted like 3 years.
I did some research and apparently Goodyear has had a line of self-healing industrial equipment tire since at least 2005. Supposedly the lifespan of such heavy equipment tires can be as little as 3 weeks. At least that's what an article said.
Continental has some tire technology they call ContiSeal. Tire Rack seems to only have such a tire in one size.
http://www.motorauthority.com/continental-develops-new-self-repairing-tire.html
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/ww...ntiseal_en.html
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Continental&model=ContiProContact+ContiSeal
I wasn't sure if it was Uniroyal, but I do remember some ad showing a "soccer mom" trying to park her minivan and continuously running her tires over a 2x4 with nails sticking out of it. The ad showed the tires remaining inflated even after going over them several times.
As for the RMA tire repair - I've never actually found a tire store that would do such a full repair. I've always gotten patch-only repairs although I'd prefer a patch/plug if I could get one. I've seen the warranty terms on Big-O branded tires. The terms include free road hazard repair that includes a full RMA-approved repair unless not possible (damage to sidewall or too close to sidewall).
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