Flat tires. Didn't we just do this?

If the hole is in the sidewall the plug won't hold for long. Too much flex. BUT you should be able to repair it with a normal tire patch from the inside.

I have a few different plug kits, a couple use the rubberized string and my favorite uses a mushroom shaped plug made of rubber. That thing is slick. It uses a pistol shaped tool to press the plug through an insertion needle, when you pull it back out the plug seals against the inside of the tire and if you use the correct cement it becomes a permanent part of the tire. Not real cheap but it works great.

If the hole is in the sidewall the plug won't hold for long. Too much flex. BUT you should be able to repair it with a normal tire patch from the inside.

CY: If the hole was in the sidewall, I could have seen the hole with the tire mounted. Had to take the tire off, which suggests....... and I put the sharpie pen mark on the side, so I could find the hole, later. There was a lot of latex goop on the tread, from the..... (four letters, starts with h...) so I didn't sharpie on the tr......

I have a few different plug kits, a couple use the rubberized string and my favorite uses a mushroom shaped plug made of rubber. That thing is slick. It uses a pistol shaped tool to press the plug through an insertion needle, when you pull it back out the plug seals against the inside of the tire and if you use the correct cement it becomes a permanent part of the tire. Not real cheap but it works great.

CY: Well, that looks effective. Forty two bucks, would be worth it if you had a shop, or if the tool got you down the road after a flat.

Writing late at night, tired, thirsty, and a little less than coherent. I'll rewrite the post, and see if I can make more sense.

Take two!

Went out to take care of a couple errands. I was on a limited access highway, going about 55 MPH in a

65 MPH zone. The truck started to make some awful noise in front. I pulled over, off the side of the road. Get out and look. Right front tire, was flat as a pancake, on the bottom. Bummer.

Found my small air compressor. I'd used it a couple days ago, with a friend's soft tire. Hook that on, and ran it for two or three minutes. The tire did not inflate.

Dug in a tote of stuff in the back. Got out a can of stop leak fix a flat, puncture seal, or some other brand. Squirting the entire can of stuff in, did not raise the rim off the ground.

Then put the compressor back on. Still, rim on the ground.

Called AAA, they sent a guy out with a tow truck. He had a floor jack and cordless impact wrench. Made short work of the tire change. I do have a screw up jack, but it's under a lot of other stuff. And, I do have a lug wrench. But, I figure I pay for AAA, and may as well use it.

When we got the tire off, I could see the BIG hole in the tread, about 1/3 of the way in from the outer edge of the tread. The latex and presure are bubbling cheerfully away. I marked the location with a Sharpie pen, on the sidewall. Didn't think the pen would write on wet latex.

Stop on the way home, bought a couple more tire plug, the black cord with the tar. I had a couple, but figure to buy some new ones.

Learning moment. The insert tool I had in the storage tote in the back had a tip like a closed top U. It pulled the tar cord plug right back out. Went in doors to modify the plug tool, (bench grinder; metal content) make it J shaped instead. Then, it worked. Need to make sure my insert tools are J shape, in the future. I checked the other insert tool, in my other vehicle. It was J shaped.

Inflate the patched wheel. Will see in the AM, if the air holds. [yes, it did] If it holds, I'll put the wheel back on (matched tire, matches the other side) and put the spare back under. [The spare is held on by two big nylon tie wraps, and two coat hangers. The winch and crank mechanism rusted and stopped working, long time ago.]

Didn't we just discuss flat tires? Must have, right?

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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The closed loop is intended to be used with a string that you leave longer on one side than the other. You push the short end ALL THE WAY INTO THE TIRE. Then you twist the needle and pull it out.

I don't like those because you can't be sure you have a good wad of string left on the inside. They're Ok for very small holes, like from small nails.

I'm sure the folks on r.c.m will be both surprised and pleased to learn a grinder can be used on metal. All these years they thought it was only good for wood and plastic.

Damn, you will go to any stretch to make your cross-posting relavent, won't you?

I've found it best to use both plug and patch on sidewall repairs. Just be sure to cut the excess plug material off from the inside before attempting to apply an inner patch. It's not a bad idea to try to neaten up the exterior of the sidewall by trimming the excess plug material there too as most states will fail a sidewall repair on inspection. Then touch up the spot with a tiny dab of a bonding primer with a dab of black silicon layered on top of that to conceal the repair blemish so it looks almost invisible. Then rebalance the tire.

If I ever get a sidewall hole, I don't trust patches or plugs. I'd think replace.

In my case, the hole that I got plugged fine, and it's held air since then.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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I've found it best to use both plug and patch on sidewall repairs. Just be sure to cut the excess plug material off from the inside before attempting to apply an inner patch. It's not a bad idea to try to neaten up the exterior of the sidewall by trimming the excess plug material there too as most states will fail a sidewall repair on inspection. Then touch up the spot with a tiny dab of a bonding primer with a dab of black silicon layered on top of that to conceal the repair blemish so it looks almost invisible. Then rebalance the tire.

First thing CY ever said that I can agree with 100%

2nd thing I can agree with.

Lg

Well, the truck I just bought has no spare tire. I have a jack and lug wrench already. Maybe for a while Ill do like they do for the new Camaros and just carry a big can of Fix-A-Flat. Thats all they come with I hear. I have plugging tools, but only one plug, so I guess Id better go get some more. Luckily I have a parts truck to go look at soon. Maybe it will have a spare on it. NB

I was sitting in my truck in Denver one night when one of those specials let go on one of the trailer tires. Considering the venue, my first thought was I was taking fire from some gangsta. It's pretty dramatic in a tire that's running 110 psi. The mechanics weren't happy with my attitude when I got back to the LA terminal.

Fix-A-Flat saved my butt after some yahoos in Knoxville managed to screw up three out of four tubes when mounting new tires. However, with tubes, the mess is mostly contained. The tire guy will love you after you empty a big can of slime into a tubeless tire.

not allowed to repair sidewall punctures in this country. Problem with "blowouts" at high speeds on modern vehicles.

I agree it isn't inspect-able, and most garages/shops won't do them, but I know of several that will repair sidewall punctures. I've done it myself on a few occasions over my 35+ year driving history, and I've had no problems with the ones I have repaired.

BTW, blowouts on *any* vehicle at higher speeds is hazardous, be they new or used tires. Having said that, the legality of sidewall repairs and the degree of risk in doing so are two different issues. The legality does not mean that in some cases it can't be done with a high degree of safety. Fuck the nanny state...

Funny we didn't have that problem at the same speeds with less modern vehicles. Some politician with not enough to do, as usual.

I blew a rear tire at about 90 one night. After a brief inspection, I continued on my way. There wasn't much left of the wheel when I got to where I was going, the wire from the tire bead was wrapped around the axle, it was sort of noisy, and the highway department probably didn't appreciate the groove I carved, but only having three working wheels didn't slow me down too much.

That's one of the reasons I've never been too keen on buying used rental cars. I never treated Mt. Hertz's equipment very gently.

On an old bias ply tire you COULD repair a small sidewall puncture, with a better than 90% chance of it holding as long as the rest of the tire if it was done "right". Today's fires are radial ply - and repairing a sidewall puncture successfully is a whole lot less likely, due to the difference in tire construction. I repaird a lot od bias ply sidewalls over the years, but I won't waste the time and take the risk on a radial.

The sidewalls on the lower profile tires flex more. That's the difference between then and now. It was the tire and automobile companies that made the change. Other than that, I do like to beat up on politicians.

Had a brand new set of S-rated Michelins. Got a nail in the sidewall. Told the guy to patch it. He argued with me at length, I said to Hell with it, took it home and patched it then took it back and told him to balance it. 35,000 miles later when a drunk in a Pinto attempted to commit suicide-by-Volvo there had been no problem.

Now, it may make a difference that it was a tube-type tire, but I've never been averse to sticking a tube in a tubeless.