My tire is punctured by a small screw. I bought a tire plug repair kit, but it seems like I have to first make the puncture hole *bigger* before I stick in the plug.
Of the hundreds type of sealant/adhesive sold in home stores, is there one that I can inject into the puncture (this won't make the hole bigger) and would cure to the consistency of tire rubber?
Ream the hole bigger and use the correct plug.
That is the correct way
john wrote:
I don't think you want to mess with what works. Tire plugs have been refined and perfected since the introduction of tubeless tires.
That said, a "proper" repair usually involves dismounting the tire and
*both* plugging and installing a patch on the inside of the tire casing...nate
The guy at the last place where I had a flat fixed emphasized that the plugs are hit or miss because they fail for various reasons including being cut by the wires in the tire and they moved from using them and apply patches as you described. They used a patch that had an integral plug with a wire that they pulled through with a pair of pliers and cut off because it was a large hole from a chunk of glass. With the equipment they have it is a quick operation to pop off the tire, patch, remount and balance it. And the guy wasn't trying to sell me on anything. It wasn't big box but a local family owned tire place with a half dozen locations and when I asked how much it was to fix the flat the even though I wasn't sold any sort of extra insurance the guy said "those are our tires that we sold you so the flat fix is no charge".
For the OP
I am 58 years old and during that time I have had my fair share of tires "plugged" in the exact manner you describe. this includes steel belted radials.
HOWEVER, the last puncture I experienced was with a Michelin tire purchased from Sam's Club. They would not plug it. They insisted on removing it from the rim and Appling a large patch on the inside of the tire.
I really don't know if the standards have changed or they are just ultra conservative in their approach.
At any rate if you are plugging, you have to make the hole larger to do it. Been that way forever. Side note: that always bothered me also. Never was a problem. I don't recall a single one of them ever failing.
Colbyt
re: I really don't know if the standards have changed or they are just ultra conservative in their approach.
I think you will find that the vast majority of repair shops will now patch as opposed to plug.
I've been told that although plugs rarely fail, patches never do. They'd rather do the extra work, for really not that much more money, as "insurance" that the repair won't fail.
Plugs are greate if you want to do the repair yourself, but when you have a machine within a few feet that can easily bust the tire down it makes no sense not to use a patch.
There are millions of tires plugged every year for the past 40 or 50 years. Why do you think you know better? Follow the instructions or buy a new tire.
re: There are millions of tires plugged every year for the past 40 or
50 years.Did you know that 97.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot?
My experience of 42 years in the tire business: 22% of the flats we repaired were because of leaking plugs. Generally because the plug was inserted at 90 degrees to the tread and most of the time the object that penetrated the tire went in at some other angle. In effect, the "repairer" created a second hole. This style of "repair" was a MAJOR cause of ply separations.
Method of patching aside, you want to remove the tire and inspect the inside. Maybe the nail that punctured the tread also chewed up the sidewall when the tire went down. You plug the hole, air it up and head down the road. That is when the weak spot on the sidewall gives out.
So if you have the tire dismounted for inspection, why not use the recommended procedure which is to plug the puncture to exclude moisture from the steel cords and place a patch over the plug to seal the air chamber?
No outside plug repair is considered permanent; even by the manufacturer. Most tire manufacturers will not warranty a tire separation caused by an improper repair unless you have bought one of their warranty certificates; which, like all insurance, is prepaid repair/replacement.
--Andy Asberry--
------Texas-----
Around 1970 I worked at a Sears store changing tires and we used the patches from the inside then. I did not know anything about why, but they just did it that way.
Please, this is no place for a sensible and fact-filled answer from a person with experience in the subject matter.
You'll give this group a bad name.
The tire needs to be patched internally. Don't use a plug.
Hey Andy, with all that experience you must have some idea of good or bad brands. Care to mention them? I'll be in the market for tires next month. I see prices from $129 to $239 for the same size.
if you want it to last, get it plugged on the inside .. if your going to go ahead and put the string type plug from the outside, we use the pvc cement on the plugs for mower tires .it works pretty good smells like the tire plug glue you can buy .
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I'm sure I had heard that steel-belted radials (which I suppose is what all tires are these days) were not to be (in fact perhaps not even
*allowed* to be) plugged, so I was surprised that a tire repair place was planning to plug a punctured tire. They insisted that plugging was the standard method, and the tire did in fact last another 50K miles or so before the whole set was replaced.Perce
I've been retired now for two years. That is enough time for the most reputable manufacturer to go down the tubes.
A rock solid model of a tire could be ruined by changing manufacturing plants. A new model introduced by a good company could be a dud.
I don't want this to sound like black magic but you get a feel for the rubber of a tire. You can tell if it will (or won't) be long wearing if it holds together.
Tread designs are another area that effect the life of a tire. Some are more prone to irregular wear patterns. The same pattern may wear well on the front but not on the rear...or the other way around. If you don't need mud and snow rated tires, try to find a "highway" tread or at least a pattern with an unbroken outer rib. No blocks.
Generally, in passenger tires, I would look at Goodyear, Michelin and Dunlop. For light truck, it would be Bridgestone and Goodyear. Add Michelin IF your driving is all on paved roads. Michelins have thin sidewalls that are easily damaged by rocks and curbs. They do ride good...for the same reason.
Medium duty trucks, Bridgestone and Goodyear. Again, Michelin if the operating environment is clear of hazards. A surprise (for me) was the Chinese tire Wanli. They seem to be holding up very well.
Motorhomes are somewhere between light and medium duty trucks. If the driver can stay off curbs, Michelin is a good choice. Goodyear also makes an RV tire.
Unless it is a safety issue, I hesitate to get in these "what's best" discussions. If it works for you, stay with it. But you can't realistically argue that it is right for everyone.
--Andy Asberry--
------Texas-----
Thanks, The OEM is Michelin and at 42,000 miles I have no complaints. I'd like to get a US made tire but that can be difficult to find these days as brand does not mean much.
I have repaired more than a few punctures over the years with silicone rubber in a small tube. I jack up the car to raise the wheel, pull the nail or screw, remove the valve stem, then squirt or push in just a little silicone rubber into the hole and let sit overnight. Next day, I replace the valve stem and use a pump to get the pressure up to about 20 lbs/sq inch and drive to QuikTrip to add air (free) up to 35 lbs. I check the air pressure every few days for a week just to make sure it worked. I haven't had any leak so far.
I think they re afraid of some liability issues if they just "plug it" and it fails later, possibly causing an accident
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