Plugging tires

How hard can it be?

AKA Why do I pay the tire guy $15 a pop to plug tires when I think I can buy the stuff and do it myself?

1: Buy Plug kit 2: Plug tire. 3....?????? 4: PROFIT!

Not very. I have keep a set in every vehicle I owned for the last 10 years and along with a little 12v compressor. Besides saving 15$, you dont need to listen to someone say "your gonna die, we cant patch that. it's ILLEGAL, you need 4 new tires" ever again.

The quality of the kits has tanked over time and the goopy shreds do seem to have a shelf life. Which reminds me. I need to source good kits.

Shaun wrote: you dont need to listen to someone say "your gonna die, we cant patch that. it's ILLEGAL, you need 4 new tires" ever again.

While you certainly won't die plugging a tire, it is actually illegal, at least in the state of Maine. And only illegal in the sense that tire will fail annual inspection.

And based on the number of people I've seen looking for their tires patched that look okay on the outside but have failed on the inside of the sidewall, it's not a bad idea to break the tire down and take a look inside. At that point, might as well have it patched properly.

Not hard to do, but I only trust the ones that look like a tire patch with a stem in the middle.

They do require dismounting the tire but I have run them for as much as 20K miles with no problems. There is one in a rear on the wifes car that has been in there for 15K miles now.

A shop will tell me these tires need to replaced and won't touch it. The tires have 3/32nds of tread (2/32nds is legal) but are terrified of being sued by some numpty idiot.

I've never had a plugged tire fail. I've paid to have it done, and I've done it myself, and they'll hold air until the tread is gone.

Any questionable tire (age, puncture, sidewall) I use a 1.5" hole saw n bore a hole thru it. One shady shop offered to dispose of a BFG/AT KO that the sidewall delaminated bad inside due to running flat. I knew damn well they'd resell it. Same w/ old tires... bore big honkin' hole.

It's pretty easy to do. There's probably a Youtube video out there if you need instruction.

My only piece of advice is get a good quality plug - they all look like the same, disgusting stringy piece of tar, but the good ones will seal and the cheap ones won't. I buy mine at NAPA.

You want to do it for your own junk, it's on you. But, your speedrated tire is no longer speed rated, moisture gets into the plies & can cause rust then explosion. Reputable tire shops won't plug them. It's not a scam, it's dangerous.

I've been doing it for ~30 years and I ain't dead yet. I've even done bike tires. I carry a kit with me in the Truck, especially when towing. Had a tire go out on the road and didn't have a kit with me. I carry one now. It will at least get you to a tire store.

Meh, the local shops still plug tires around here. I've had a few done. Still here.

Yeah same, I have had some that were right on the sidewall and lasted the entire life of the tire (read bald like Kojack)

Once again a few idiots ruin it for the rest of us.

I have had tyres plugged with no ill effects.. certainly better than filling them with goop

No plugs, only interior patches. That's me though.

I've been plugging them forever and haven't had one fail yet. +1 on the quality kit, Napa sells them.

I've used a Dynaplug kit on several punctures. Got a few thousand miles on one tire with a plug. It seems to seep air slightly faster than the other tires, but it took two plugs in one hole to get it sealed.

Time for new tires anyway.

I started carrying a do-it-yourself plug kit when I owned an M Coupe (no spare) and had two punctures on the same 1000 mile trip. Saved me from getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. Once home, you can always take the tire in and have it checked (unlike when using a can of fix-a-flat). I wouldn't autocross on a plugged tire, but I've never had one fail on the street.

In addition to quality plugs, get a good reamer and insertion tool. The first kit I bought had an insertion tool with a screwdriver handle and it bent the first time I used it. I like the ones with a T handle. It wouldn't hurt to practice on an old tire before it really matters.

Ive also never had a plug fail me, I paid once to have a shop do it, saw how it was done and figured "thats it? I can do that."

A tip I got from a friend is that the plugs are a little easier to work with if you throw them in the freezer for a few minutes to cool them off.

the kit i currently have is sitting in the fridge in my garage..... although its so old it may be no good anymore.

I bought a kit after I had my house re-roofed. I picked up probably 15 nails in my riding mower's tires. I now do my vehicles too and have never had a failure. I used to pay tire stores to patch them, but they no longer want to take the time. They also got to charging upwards of $25.

Many plugs and no failures here, even on tires used on the track. I just take it to a little shop around the corner, they only charge like $7 and they use the proper kits where the tire is unmounted.

I agree on the BlackJack kit NAPA sells. It is the exact same kit we used at the dealership. About the only thing I won't do is patch anything beyond the tread blocks. The biggest thing is getting the "rope" cut off to a level BELOW the tread blocks. If it is above, you get a thump and will pull the plug out.

I like plug an patches better but you need to dismount the tire at least 1/2 way to install them. Its a patch with a nipple. Those rope thing work but are not a perminate fix IMO. I do keep a rope type kit in my race trailer as well as plug and patches. Good rope brand is "Black Jack" the tools are heavy alum handles and they work. the cheap one never seem to work for others at the track they come steel mine..

44

I autocrossed on a tire with a plug. twice. Nothing went wrong.

Then the baldiness reared its head, and I replaced the tire.

on a dedicated set of autocross tires, they likely won't last long enough or see enough foul weather to let the belts rust and weaken, besides the fact that you're typically not going over highway speeds so speed rating is less important

Dr. Hess wrote: I've been doing it for ~30 years and I ain't dead yet. I've even done bike tires.

well hell yeah. Since bike tires (rears) only last about 4k miles I'll usually run one until the tire is shot. It's common practice