How Safe Are Tire Plugs?

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I am constantly picking up nails..Right now I have a plug in every tire..Two of the tires are new as they are less then a month old..Tonight I found 2 nails in one of my front tires..I feel like I spend half of my life getting tires repaired..I have severe blowouts every couple of months..I was wondering if the plugs contribute to the blowouts..A couple of times the tires that blew had zero plugs in them but most of the time they already have plugs in them..I have no idea what caused the blowouts cause by the time on get over on the shoulder half of my tire is shredded on I-95.

On my last set of tires I had about 16 plugs between all 4 tires..Going down I-95 I always see cars on the side of the road with flat tires.

Thanks in advance.
 
Do not use plugs, they can cause separations, they can fall out or dry out and leak slowly. If possible have a patch and plug installed.
 
Are you a roofer?

Amazing how many nails youve gotten. Seems a bit much.

Would I use the tires for around-town duty? I guess. For sustained high-speed driving? Probably not after theyve had multiple plugs.

Id only have plugged tires on the rear axle.

What kind of tires do you usually run? My father was getting a lot of nails for a while, and he went to some tires that had less siping, and no more issues. In FL, I wonder if you need siping, given lack of ice. Perhaps you could do better with a blockier tread?
 
It depends on the plug. The Rubber Manufacturers Association (tire makers) says if you demount the tire and use a mushroom style plug from the inside out, the mileage warranty on your tires will be maintained.
The usual ribbon plug most of us mean is strictly in the skill of the plugger. In any event, a plugged tire should NOT be relied upon for the full amount of weight and performance as an uninjured tire.
For example, if you normally drove 75-80 on the tire when new; after the plug I'd do no more than 65-70. I'd put the plug on a non-driven wheel if possible, and my guess is no more than 75%of the rated load. Remember, this information is worth the price you've paid for it; and should not be regarded as an expert opinion.
 
I had one that lasted five plus years and one that lasted two weeks. I have to look at the installer in the mirror every morning.

I hit a nail with a borrowed tractor. Air started coming out six holes! That side, someone gave up on the tire and put a tube in, so when I poked the tube, it went nuts leaking air. The opposide side was tubeless, I checked.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Are you a roofer?


What kind of tires do you usually run? In FL, I wonder if you need siping, given lack of ice. Perhaps you could do better with a blockier tread?


Right now I have Michelin Symmetry..No roofer but there is alot of construction going on everywhere here..A blockier tread might work but for right now these tires are mostly new.
 
I've never had problems with tire plugs. Whenever I've had a plug that leaks because the hole is larger than usual, I just double up the plugs on the installer tool and it seals it up perfectly.
 
Crownvic,

Lots of flats, yikes! I rarely have a flat, but the tire shop I go to marks where the balance weights are on the rim, removes the tire, and patches the hole from the inside. I've never had a problem when it was fixed this way.
 
I've personally never had a problem with mushroom plugs, rope plugs are hit or miss-if I had as much trouble as you have had I would carry a mushroom plug kit with me along with a small air compressor and fix them whenever i had a problem. Or be sure I had a good road hazard warranty to get them fixed.
 
Tire place I go to marks where the valve stem is on the tire, patch inside then remount without re-balance. Never had problem after repaired, cost was $5 per repair for regular wheel and $10 for expensive wheel/car.
 
Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Are you a roofer?


What kind of tires do you usually run? In FL, I wonder if you need siping, given lack of ice. Perhaps you could do better with a blockier tread?


Right now I have Michelin Symmetry..No roofer but there is alot of construction going on everywhere here..A blockier tread might work but for right now these tires are mostly new.


Those are highly siped.

My father always mentioned that Michelins, though good tires were more prone to picking up nails. It is highly UN-scientific, just his experience and noted pattern.

Theyre running primacies on his 300D and symmetry on her breeze right now though...
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Tire place I go to marks where the valve stem is on the tire, patch inside then remount without re-balance. Never had problem after repaired, cost was $5 per repair for regular wheel and $10 for expensive wheel/car.


Hey - that's a great idea! I should ask my local tire shop if they can do that. I've got a slow leak and I'm debating between having it plugged a third time or just replacing the tire.

Hm... Good excuse to buy winter tires!
 
I used to run a brake and muffler shop next door to a busy gas station. I had a little cottage industry going on the side, plugging tires for a couple bucks cash. I bought shoestring plugs in boxes of 50 and probably plugged more than 100 tires (including my own once). Never heard of anyone having a problem. Not to say no one ever did, but I never heard about it. It was a good little gig, 5 minutes and I had lunch money.
 
I've used string plugs all my life. Never had a problem with any of them but I drive slow cars and not Corvetts.

Plugs are a godsend for the jeepers and quad riders. Jeepers often slash a tire off road and a bunch of plugs will hold air well enough to get off the trail.

Quad tires are a terrible Job to break down and they flex so much that an inside patch won't stay put very long so a plug is a no brainer.

Of course I wouldn't use a plug on a motorcycle tire or a fast car thats driven fast. But they are great for my Jeep and quad.

The problem with plugs and flats is that often a tire gets run flat and has internal damage. Putting in a plug and driving on the damaged tire is very dangerous. This is why tire stores break the tire down......To see if theres internal damage.

But if you come out from work and see a nail and you know the tire wasn't ran flat a plug is ok unless your going racing.
 
I use string plugs in conjunction with rubber cement. I just did one two days ago. There was a small nail in the tire that was causing a slow leak.

The TPMS caught it but upon visual inspection, the leaking tire was the last of my guesses. I actually suspected it was a different tire. So much for being able to detect low tires by looking at them.
 
Good Grief Charlie Brown! If I got that many nails in my tires that often I'd consider getting some sort of run flat tire or install a run flat system of some kind in my tires!!!! Either that or I'd buy an armored personnel carrier with metal tracks! I know that ATV tires have various ways of converting their tires into run flats. I'm not talking about Slime either. More like Tire Balls or the various solid foam inserts they make for those tires. I'm sure if U look deep enough you'd fine a product for car tires. I wouldn't put up with constant flats or blowouts for sure!
 
I've also used rope plugs for probably 30 years. I always use rubber cement with them too and the newer plugs are self vulcanizing to the tire so they do seal up really nice. I've never had any issues. But I do recognize that the "more proper" repair is to remove the wheel and use a combo plug/patch - but I don't. I also recognize that the tire is not as good as when new once repaired so I do watch the tire closely for belts that may be slipping or anything else bad. But - never had any go bad and some tires where run darn near bald when in High school.
 
CROWNVIC4LIFE --

are you sure somebody isn't putting nails in your tires because I have NEVER heard of a person getting so many nails, blowouts and such!
 
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
CROWNVIC4LIFE --

are you sure somebody isn't putting nails in your tires because I have NEVER heard of a person getting so many nails, blowouts and such!


+1 4 words for the OP

Buy Road Hazard Warranties
 
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