OT Tire patch vs plug

Daughter had flat tire (radial) took it to repair shop. Asked how long to plug it? The gent haughtily replied "No one plugs tires anymore, it's unsafe. Patching is all that's done." OK................

Went to the hardware store next door, bought a plug kit, 99 cents, used the stations free air and did it myself, home in 15 minutes.

Worked my way through college (30 years ago) in a service station, radials had been around for about 10 years, but plugging was all we ever did. What's changed? Teach an old dog a new trick.

BTW; Kid's car stays pretty well in town, no long highway trips. Maybe

65 mph for 10-15 minutes max.

Thanks Mark

Reply to
pheasant
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What changed is you ran across a lying asshat willing to say anything to get more money out of you.

(running 30k on a plugged tire with no problems)

Unless you are running some sort of high-performace tires the guy is wrong.

Reply to
Sparky Polastri

Reply to
spam

A plug alone doesn't meet the Rubber Manufacturer's of America guidelines for a proper repair. The interior is supposed to be inspected to see if the hole is beyond repair or if the sidewall is damaged. There might also be loose pieces inside the tire. They're also subject to legal liability if a plug fails.

"Plugs vs. Patches

A PLUG BY ITSELF IS AN UNACCEPTABLE REPAIR. The repair material used-for example, a "combination patch and plug" repair -must seal the inner liner and fill the injury to be considered a permanent repair. Never use a tube in a tubeless tire as a substitute for a proper repair.

Individual tire manufacturers may differ on whether the speed category applies to speed-rated tires that have been repaired. Consult the tire manufacturer for recommendations."

** **

Rema sells plugs, and states that they should be used only with a patch. I think it's worth $25. Most places will also drill out the hole such that the plug fills the "injury" snugly and to remove sharp steel fragments. Many plugs get damaged when forced past shredded steel.

Reply to
y_p_w

what changed was more people suing when the plugs failed (which they still very rarely do, but with much greater frequency still than patches -- and much more dramatically so, I believe). It's a litigious thing.

Reply to
Mike

Hey All

Thanks for the replies. Guess it's very similar to medicine these days; Cover Your A## Now that I've heard from ya'll going back to the hardware store to buy a couple more plugging kits. Ahh........ some of the old things are still fun to do. :) Mark

Reply to
pheasant

Were steel belts as common thirty years ago?

Along with all the institutional commentary, the street word is the ragged edges of steel belt can saw plugs into pieces...hence the best practice, not patch or plug, but patch AND plug.

Reply to
CompUser

And the "injury" should be reamed out with a cutting bit to smooth out the ragged edges, and to create an ideal hole for the plug. Some of the "string" type plug kits even manage to damage the tire even further.

I really don't see what the big deal is about spending $25 on a proper repair. I don't understand why the OP thinks it's principled to take that risk, however small.

Reply to
y_p_w

Yes.

It's a matter of diagnosis. When I've got a 3/4" #8 machine screw that barely is long enough to reach the inner liner I know full well the hole it creates is miniscule, chances of damaging the belts just as small. When I also know the tire will only be run for around town errands, not extended periods of high speed driving, plus being one of Cooper's better tires anyway, I'm not concerned about catastrophic failure. Like I'd stated originally I plugged many tires in college, never saw one come back. Back tehn you had regular customers who bought gas, and service, so you'd see them once a week or every other week. They'd let you know if something failed; in very short order too. Also being an old fart, it galls me to pay even 10 bucks for something worth maybe 50 cents. 25 buck forget it! I'd just buy a new skin and junk it for that price! Soooo......... as long as I've got the experience, and know it's just a symptom of our greedy society more than any technical advance, I'll keep plugging away.

Reply to
pheasant

I'm in the OF category too, for an increasing percentage of the population...but hey, it beats the alternative ;-)

AFA cost, I had mine plugged, patched and rebalanced for free (along with a free alignment check that included some toe adjustment, too boot) at a Big Chief tire store...they did it for me as a first time walk in, on the basis that they hoped I'd come back eventually for tires.

I'm up for four new ones in the next few weeks...one guess where I'll head.

Reply to
CompUser

Perhaps you've assessed your situation and come to that conclusion. However - not everyone will have the same situation and shouldn't assume that a plug-only would be a cheap and acceptable permanent repair.

I would still have the hole reamed out for a perfect plug fit and take take out any steel fragments. Having a string-type plug jammed into a hole is supposed to put uneven stress on the area. And forcing in a plug that isn't an ideal fit can damage the area even further.

And how the heck do you get the plug in there without damaging the liner? The string type kits I've seen include a needle that forces the plug into the hole and through the liner.

It's not as if the tire manufacturers are doing this to rip off the consumer. Even the tire companies that don't make repair materials or don't have their own stores recommend the RMA repair procedures.

Reply to
y_p_w

The liner's already perforated. The needle just goes in through the same hole. You force the plug up into the liner, give the needle a quick turn, and remove it. The liner seals up against itself remarkebly well being elastic. (ever pull a nail out of a half flat tire after inflating it to find the leak?) you'd be amazed how well the liner seals itself even when perforated, and the force the air escapes with when you pull out the offending object. The glue simply assures the hole is sealed. Light it to let the rubber melt a bit, then cut 'er off. 2 minutes or less and done.

When we had to pull one to patch it, you scuff the liner with a air tool or scraper so you have a rough surface for the patch, so you are still messing with it.

We don't have have Big Chief, heck I'd take up a deal like that if we did!

Gotta remember; half the S##T we do is to CYA, so course the manufacterers ain't gonna give something that may fail a percent or two more than another method a recommendation. How do you think the drug companies sell their wares; "mine has only 14% incidence of your dick dropping off, where the competitor's has 14.5% so mines statistically superior." Doo-Dah, Doo-Dah.

Make your own choice, for me; I'll keep a pluggin'. :)

Reply to
pheasant

I think the term is "false economy". I wouldn't risk the safety of myself or anyone close to me over the small cost of getting the repair performed correctly.

Reply to
y_p_w

In my personal experience on steel belted tires, back when they did plug them, my dealer plugged my tire. After a week the steel belts had cut through the plug, so they removed the tire and patched it. This was back in

1986. I have plugged tires with the kits from the discount stores and they held until I could get the tire fixed correctly.

Blair

Reply to
Blair Baucom

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Edward Hayes

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