Would you plug and use this tire? (2 Viewers)

[KLF]

Came out to the garage this morning to find a flat tire on the truck ('15 200 series). Pulled wheel off, found a hardened concrete nail sticking out, rats. Location is right at the edge of the tread, see photo. Tire is a BFG KO2 LT285/70R17, still plenty of meat left on it, ~10/32" or so. All 5 tires on the truck have the same wear.

I put a rope plug in it, re-installed, just to see if it will hold air with weight on it. Looking for advice to see if it would be safe/OK to run. These will be swapped out to my winter wheels/snows about about 6 weeks, so I guess I could put it up as the spare until then, then decide what to do in the spring.

 

[NMC_EXP]

I'd take it to a good tire shop (where the folks doing the grunt work are not a bunch of teenagers) and have it dismounted and a boot (patch) installed on the inside.

A nail puncture is unlikely to cause a catastrophic tire failure.

 

[bigredmachine]

i would use it and have done the same thing on my car

 

[KLF]

I'd take it to a good tire shop (where the folks doing the grunt work are not a bunch of teenagers) and have it dismounted and a boot (patch) installed on the inside.

I may give that a try, when I swap them for the winter. Meanwhile I took it for a short trip to "set" the plug and it's holding just fine. I'll swap on the spare just to avoid any surprises.

Tip on installing these tarred rope plugs: I coat them with Shoe Goo before inserting. It makes it easier to get inserted, and is a safety net to seal off anything the plug might have missed.

 

[skidplate]

Id' plug it and use as a spare.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

I may give that a try, when I swap them for the winter. Meanwhile I took it for a short trip to "set" the plug and it's holding just fine. I'll swap on the spare just to avoid any surprises.

Tip on installing these tarred rope plugs: I coat them with Shoe Goo before inserting. It makes it easier to get inserted, and is a safety net to seal off anything the plug might have missed.

I think my rope plug kit came with some liquid glue/goo in a tube??

I would run the tire as well, FWIW. Not sure they will be able to put a boot in that close to the sidewall but maybe. Seems like someone told me once they can only go within 1" of the edge of the tread. I'm sure that varies by tire, shop, time of day, etc....

 

[Land Shark]

What did you decide to do? I have plugged tires in that same area before and never had an issue. YMMV. I recently had a young man tell me how dangerous plugging tires is. I smiled and just thanks for the info. I can't count how many tires I have plugged a tire over my driving lifetime I have done and honestly can tell you never had one fail or have to redo.

 

[KLF]

I put a plug in it, then put it up as the spare. A few days later, it was flat again. I realized that the rope plugs I had in my kit were really old, and the sticky stuff was probably no good anymore, so I bought some new ones and a tube of patching cement, re-plugged the tire. It held fine for 2 weeks. Now those tires are put away for the winter, and the snow tires are installed. If it's still holding air in the spring, then I consider it fixed. I have no concerns about driving on it.

I too have plugged many tires with great success.

 

[John McVicker]

Here is some info that I came across several years ago. Have no idea if it is accurate or not but it came from a reliable source...Jonathon Hanson...the guy that runs Overland Expo and has Overland Magazine.

It has been several years and I don’t remember his source...but he claims that those rubberized plugs never go stale and will last indefinitely.

I’ve got plugs in my kit that I’ve used that are WELL over 10 years old...never had a problem.

 

[Skniper]

This is why I always pay for road hazard certificates, usually from Discount Tire. I’ve had many a tire replaced no questions asked for damage like this.

 

[KLF]

Here is some info that I came across several years ago. Have no idea if it is accurate or not but it came from a reliable source...Jonathon Hanson...the guy that runs Overland Expo and has Overland Magazine.

It has been several years and I don’t remember his source...but he claims that those rubberized plugs never go stale and will last indefinitely.

I’ve got plugs in my kit that I’ve used that are WELL over 10 years old...never had a problem.

I'm not sure what you mean by "rubberized plugs", I'm using the sticky rope plugs like are in the ARB kits. I assume this is some sort of asphalt based material, which does gradually dry out. I noticed the old plugs seemed kinda rigid, they almost fell out of the clear cellophane wrappers, whereas the new plugs were much stickier, hard to get off the wrapper. It could be the fresh tube of sealant helped too.

 

[Blue77FJ40]

Best plugs out there are Safety Seal (safetyseal.com). No goop required, it's all in the "rope plug". I must have 5 in one tire and a few in another. Like McVicker, never had a problem over the years. I have a kit in each vehicle, as well as a good air compressor. Most of my plugs have gone to others with flats on the road. I would consider that in the tread. Once it hits the sidewall, it's out of the plug fix option.

 

[John McVicker]

@KLF I just called them rubberized but I’m thinking we are talking about the same item, the sticky rope kind.

 

[Zjohnsonua]

Tires meant for highway use that have been punctured in the sidewall or the shoulder lugs should be replaced. Straight from the tire industry literature:

Having plenty of tread isn't a qualifying trait.

I've heard the argument that this guideline is made because they just want to sell more tires. There's also a bunch of smart folks that know that the shoulder is where tire carcass layers overlap and any shift in them can cause sudden tire failure. If you haven't experienced sudden tire failure at highway speeds, good. Keep it that way. It sucks.

I wouldn't even run it as a spare. My tow rig truck's PO did that. It left me with a second failed tire in Nowhereville, KY well after the garages had all called it quits. Spares are only spares until they're your primary...