Tire Plug Question (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Threads
27
Messages
114
Location
Mission Viejo
Local Tire shops says plugging tires ruins them as you end up cutting the steel belts inside with the reamer. Anyone have any input on this?
 
ive used plugged tires on the 100 for over 10-15000 miles. I wouldnt do it on the 911 though as I wouldnt trust a plug at top speed.
 
my ltx had a hole fixed in it. Cruise at 90 all the time, and gone wheeling a few times No issues with weakening or anything.

Depends on where it is I guess.

They poured some liquid on the inside, sanded it down, and took a lighter too it. They used another method. I don't know what it's called. But they kinda "fused" the rubber back together around the puncture.
 
x8, they're just trying to sell you a new tire. Then they'd probably give you the "well, the other 3 are more worn than the new one and it's bad on a full time system to have the tread wear uneven . . ." Hey presto, they've sold you a set of tires.
 
A tire shop told a friend of mine when he blew a tire that he needed four new tires, as having one tire a slightly different size would ruin the suspension or something like that.
 
As long as they plug / patch the puncture from the inside (remove tire from rim, prepare inside surface) you should not have any problems and the hole is plugged and patched.

Not sure if I would trust an external plug as a long term solution.
 
If you have a permanent repair done that includes a patch and glue on the inside then there is nothing to worry about. This kind of repair is approved by the major manufacturers for high-performance/high-demand tires.

A plug without a patch inside is not a permanent repair but doesn't ruin the tire.
 
A tire shop told a friend of mine when he blew a tire that he needed four new tires, as having one tire a slightly different size would ruin the suspension or something like that.
The percent difference in diameter between a new and a serviceable tire of the same type isn't enough to cause a problem otherwise you would never be able to run a spare tire. They were blowing smoke up his skirt.
 
I insist on patches. i have a good friend that recaps tractor trailer tires and advises me that a patch is the best.
 
Plugs tend to leak over time and patches don't protect the steel belts from rusting and compromising the tires construction. Preparing for a plug repair by reaming it out also seems worse for the tire. I've been intrigued by this mushroom patch/plug but have yet to use it. This type of patch also retains the speed rating of the tire.

///MZ3.Net - Z Rated Tire Patch-Plug

156-zrated_patchplug.jpg
 
The reaming is unlikely to cause more damage to the steel cords than the original nail or screw. It's basically a sanding to give the plug a fresh, clean surface to bind with. It's not to make the hole larger. Any rusting or damage will not effect much of the steel belting of the total tire.

from BF Goodrich
A tread area puncture in any BFGoodrich® passenger or light truck tire can be repaired provided that the puncture hole is not more than 1/4” in diameter, not more than one radial cable per casing ply is damaged, and the tire has not been damaged further by the puncturing object or by running underinflated. Tire punctures consistent with these guidelines can be repaired by following the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) recommended repair procedures.

Repairs of all tires must be of the combined plug and inside patch type. Plug only repairs are improper. A tire should be removed from the rim and inspected prior to repair. Any tire repair done without removing the tire from the rim is improper.

RMA Tire Repair Chart (PDF) - (Recommends reaming with a drill and OK's one-piece patches like the "mushroom" shown above.)

On a racing motorcycle would I run with a plugged and patched tire ? Maybe not. It my cruiser with a fully-inflated full-size spare readily available, I wouldn't hesitate.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom