Tire was plugged should l get it patched?
- Thread starter Joe1
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It is not an improper repair. Is a patch "better" ? Yeah, probably, but for decade after decade, plugging tires was 100% acceptable.
Everything is illegal in Ca!!
Technically according to RMA the only acceptable repair is a patch plug. But I already described my stance on it.
And one day in the future, with enough lobbying from their members, they'll declare that tires can no longer be repaired. Ever. We both know that 20, 30, ?? years ago, this same lobbying group, presuming they existed, said plugs were acceptable.
So allow me to add some context to this discussion.
First, the RMA (now the USTMA - US Tire Manufacturers Association) has had that statement above out for as long as I can remember. I've even sat in on meetings where we discussed revisions to it. (I can't remember if we changed anything or not, but if we did, it was minor wording.)
Part of that discussion included the reasoning behind it - which is: If you repair something, it should function nearly as well as the unrepaired thing. In the case of tires, we know that if the tire lost pressure, it has lost some of its longevity - so it can't last as long as the original. Further, the structural integrity of the tire may have been compromised, so the repair has to address that. Plugs don't. Plus, it has been seen that sometimes the plug seals the outside, but doesn't on the inside causing a leak into the carcass, sometimes causing a separation.
But just a patch doesn't prevent outside contaminants from entering the carcass - like water.
Ergo, plug/patch combination.
First, the RMA (now the USTMA - US Tire Manufacturers Association) has had that statement above out for as long as I can remember. I've even sat in on meetings where we discussed revisions to it. (I can't remember if we changed anything or not, but if we did, it was minor wording.)
Part of that discussion included the reasoning behind it - which is: If you repair something, it should function nearly as well as the unrepaired thing. In the case of tires, we know that if the tire lost pressure, it has lost some of its longevity - so it can't last as long as the original. Further, the structural integrity of the tire may have been compromised, so the repair has to address that. Plugs don't. Plus, it has been seen that sometimes the plug seals the outside, but doesn't on the inside causing a leak into the carcass, sometimes causing a separation.
But just a patch doesn't prevent outside contaminants from entering the carcass - like water.
Ergo, plug/patch combination.
I dint read the whole thread but I have had the best luck with Safety Seal plugs. Even you don't own the Safety Seal tools which are the best IMO you can use their plugs anyway. On smaller punctures I like to use the slim plugs that do not require reaming the tire. Made right here in MA, USA.
safetyseal.com
Shop - Page 2 of 2 - Safety Seal
safetyseal.com
There are 2 ways:
Trim the plug flush with the innerliner and apply the patch over that as normal.
Use a mushroom style combination.
The patch/plugs that I've seen are 1-piece and the plug goes from inside to outside.
Attachments
This is what we used in our Fleet for tire repairs. Never had one fail.
Except for what should be...
I’ve plugged numerous tires and never had a problem. Some tires had a couple of plugs in them.
Like Rand said, most nails were discovered while I was rotating tires. If I saw a nail and it wasn’t losing air, I left it in. Let it wear down as the tire wears down
Like Rand said, most nails were discovered while I was rotating tires. If I saw a nail and it wasn’t losing air, I left it in. Let it wear down as the tire wears down
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Me too. But a few months ago, since Costco does it for free, took it there for a patch job. That was the first time. I find that years down the line, many of my own plugs do leak, especially when they are closer to the edges.
It's all about cost, I get it...I hate to spend $25-$30 for repair then mount and balance, and multiple times...
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Back in 2007 my car came with run flats and I got ripped off and at the time, paid $390 for a tire protection plan (those shot up to over $1k due to runflats being over $400 back then). I was told "no brainer, you get 1 tire it's worth it." Of course never needed it until after it expired. Well I wasn't going to just spend $400 on a tire because it got a screw in it (tire shops will NOT plug a runflat), so I plugged it and drove another year before replacement. Sometimes cost overrides what people say we must and must not do. I hear on a AWD car one tire needs replacement it needs to be shaved? lol
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p.s. on this topic? I somehow felt "pride" or something in knowing my tires were never patched, not damaged, dumb I guess. My wife's set of Premier LTX were never patched when they got replaced. The new set, 1 year in and a screw, so patched. Now that I think of it, it doesn't really matter. But in theory there is more weight and even the part of the mushroom that sticks out into the channel of the tread. It has to infinitesimally affect the performance, in a lab. 
Best repair is plug and patch. The patch guarantees an air seal. The plug seals the tread. If water gets forced into the steel belt area, the belts can decay from rust.
