Fixing Flat Tires

[SARGE]

Gal bud picked up 3 nails in one tire and 1 in the other. Guess someone dumped a bunch on the road. The nails are all in the tread and the tires themselves are almost new. My question is it okay to have the holes plugged, or taken off and a patch put inside the tire? She does highway driving and have heard stories in the past about a plug going bad, yet I usually have my own tires plugged with no problem. Which is best?

[Panama Red]

Our local repair shops won't plug em any more, Sarge. They remove the tire from the rim and apply a patch on the inside. Don't know the reason why cuz I've never had a problem with plugged tires in past years either.

[EzyStvy]

Way back when Steel Belted tires first came out, the steel belts cut the plugs in half...I think they've made major imporvements..But, I'd go with patches any day of the week...

[MaxRat]

I always use plugs....

you can do this yourself if you use the Right stuff....

the best plugs to get are the brown/black ones that look like "Slim-Jim" sausage sticks but shorter...

Buy the kit that come with the tools.... rasp and plug tool... you also need the best "self-vulcanizing" glue/lube....

heres how I do it....

I get the plug ready....thread the plug thru the end of the tool...like threading a needle with much bigger thread....Center the plug on the tool then fold the plug down the tool handle on each side to the shaft towards the handle....

once thats done...pull the object from the tire...put the rasp-tool in the hole and give it a few jabs back and forth to roughen the surface... leave the rasp in the hole...

Now lube the plug tip really good with the vulanizing fluid then pull the rap and insert the plug....

NOW...push the plug in slowly until you only have 1/4 inch of the plug showing..... then pull the tool out.... this sets the plug...then the vulcanizing fluid does the rest....once the tool is out trim the ends of the plug even with the tread on the tire....

Bam leak fixed....

Plugs are safe when done right...the biggest part is the glue...I worked in a service/tire station for many years....

for the most part people do it wrong and it doesnt hold... if you do it the way I described it wont leak or come out....;)

NEVER....EVER try to fix a hole in a sidewall...EVER... if it's past the tread junk the tire...it isnt safe nomatter what anyone says....

[HAL9000]

In shop, we were taught one more step there Maxrat... light the plug on fire... melts it in place really good... I've never had a plug come out.

[MaxRat]

What kind of plug Hal...I never heard of that....maybe on the small rubber plugs...???

The Black Self-Vulcanizing glue really locks those dudes in place...I mean you cannot get them out...

Most places just ship the plugs with rubber cement...the stuff kids use in school....not very good in my opinion....

[jcones8907]

I work at Discount tire Co. and by RMA (rubber manufacturers association) rules a tire is only repairable twice and the third suppossedly makes it unsafe although I have plugged my own tire three times on the plug versus patch thing definately a plug patch combo

thereis a patch in the inside that cvers the plug....hope this helps

[HAL9000]

What kind of plug Hal...I never heard of that....maybe on the small rubber plugs...???

The Black Self-Vulcanizing glue really locks those dudes in place...I mean you cannot get them out...

Most places just ship the plugs with rubber cement...the stuff kids use in school....not very good in my opinion....

The gooey string stuff... dipped in cement shoved in, light er up.. never comes out of there.

[SARGE]

Seems plugs are the way to go, IF the right quality and methods are used. I've seen the kits at auto stores but never sure if were good. Having a compressor at home, or at least a bicycle pump, would sure save a hassle. It seems that after removing the nail, etc., it would be important to "ream" out the hole, then use a good plug and glue. How do I obtain that?

[Brad the best]

get a plug patch , its sorta a 1 peice two in one . i got one from lordco and put it in a bobcat tire . i have beaten the crap out of that tire and it is still holding air .


some times you can get them in a little kit that will explain the procedure . local auto parts store . autozone , lordco , napa , autozone . im not sure what you have in texas.

you should be able to ream it (if you have to) with a twist drill bit if need be .

[sgtspector]

The kit will come with a tool that has a screwdriver type handle and the end looks sort of like a drill bit. That will ream out the hole for the plug to fit snug. Like max said leave the ream in their while prepping the plug so there is air in the tire when you insert the plug. the pressure helps keep the plug in snug while the glue cures.

[MaxRat]

yep Sarge...

I good little air compressor is always handy....I dont know if you have a Advance Auto (Kragen) auto parts store near you but they have a nice 2hp portable air compressor for 66.88 here...let me find the link...

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductList.aspx?MfrCode=ALT&CategoryCode=3483A
the 49.00 one would be a good deal and airs tires nicely plus will bow out your pc when used with a moisture trap and only 30psi....;)

here is a page with plug kits with tools...so you know what you're looking for....;)

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductList.aspx?CategoryCode=3190&SearchFor=Patch%2FPlug%2FRepair%20Kit

[sdkfz]

I have used Discount Tire for repairs many times. When I bought my house in San Antonio it was one of the first to go in and so there was a constant supply of nails/screws on the roads as they fell off of trucks driving between houses going up. Can't say now how many repairs each tire got, but I know it was several in each. Diso**** Tire from whom I had never bought tires from (yet!) fixed em all for free. They earned my business. Every time I had a flat it was obviously a new nail so what ever process they used seemed to work.

When I moved to Boston I lost use of the company since they were not in the state/area, but now in MN they are here and they did a wonderful job coming up with a set of used rims from their warehouse in AZ for my Dodge Dakota (2000). Seems the rims on the new vehicle I bought in Boston were a strange size and my choices for tires was really limited as a result- I needed good snow performance.

jcones8907 - in a round about way I work for you - 401K advice....

[glc]

I would never plug a new or almost new tire. Take it to a good tire store and have it done right.

[MaxRat]

mmm...plugging it is also doing it right....

A plug fills the hole while a patch only covers it from the inside...;)

I'd rather do it to a new tire than a old one...old ones should just be replaced...;)

[glc]

Sorry, Max - a plug is a temporary fix. It is not the right way. Ask any tire manufacturer.

[rjfvillarosa]

Don't quote me on this one but I think plugs are now illegal in the UK.

[MaxRat]

Sorry, Max - a plug is a temporary fix. It is not the right way. Ask any tire manufacturer.


OK...you got me...never heard that before...but make sence....

[HAL9000]

I've heard that too... but I tell ya, with the method I was taught of using the contact cement which also acts as a lube to put the plug in, then lighting the sucker on fire... I'd challenge somebody to pull that thing out... it's in there.

[MaxRat]

I've heard that too... but I tell ya, with the method I was taught of using the contact cement which also acts as a lube to put the plug in, then lighting the sucker on fire... I'd challenge somebody to pull that thing out... it's in there.


LOL...And were you taught to seal tough rims with starting fluid and a lighter...;)

1st time I seen then I was like Holy Shoot.... whoa...


but then after after I had to do it a few times on monster truck tires i was like this is easy...

[HAL9000]

LOL... ya.. we were taught that, but that it's not exactly a "recommended method" :p

[Redfallon]

I've always used the plugs. One thing I try to do is note the direction of the object (usually nail) when removing it, if it's at a severe angle I try to ream the hole out and place the plug at a similar angle. I've heard they're not recommended anymore, but I still use em. *shrug*

[glc]

Plugs can distort the tire belts and cause separations.