Fixed a right front flat tire - any issues to be concerned about?

Aloha everyone,

I have an '06 OBW, and got my first flat tire on it last night. I fixed it this morning with the standard tire repair plug kit. As I was wrapping up the job, my neighbor mentioned that tire repair places usually rotate the tires after plugging a flat front tire to avoid leaving a plugged tire on the front of a car. (He specifically mentioned front wheel drive cars). I had never heard of this, but of course that doesn't mean that it isn't true.

Is there anything I should be concerned with regarding a plugged tire on the front of my Subaru? Should I move the repaired tire to the rear? Any AWD issues that I should know about?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice!

Reply to
G-Ride
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A do it yourslf repair doesnt sound too safe.

Reply to
bigjimpack

The steel belts in my tires kept cutting the plugs in half many years ago when I tried the self repair route. Also same problem when a tire dealer did it. Only success I have seen with steel belted tires is a patch on the inside.

Blair

Reply to
Blair Baucom

Firestone has a "patch-plug" think of a big rubber thumbtack looking patch. you put it on the inside with the plug through the tire. Works good

Reply to
StephenW

My driving instructor always said, "You want the best tires on the rear of the car."

When we asked him why, he said, "Because you can't steer the rear!"

Made sense to me...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Hmmm, I never heard this, although I have to say that both rear tires of my Honda Odyssey have plugs in them and I have been wondering about whether I can rotate them to the front.

Dan D '99 Impreza 2.5 RS (son's) Central NJ USA

Reply to
Dano58

There is absolutely no way I would attempt to repair a tire that I might consider repairable but a specialist would not. I've used the same tire company for years, had a few punctures repaired and had a couple of seemingly good tires condemned as unsafe to repair...advice which I've taken. Expert advice could save your life. The cost of getting a tire fixed professionally is hardly a fortune, takes less than 15 mins including re-balance which you can't do anyway so why take the risk of running on what might be an unsafe do-it-yourself repair?

Reply to
Clive

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I've been plugging my own tires for Many moons, and never had a problem, and don't even take the tires off the car anymore, unless I can't find the puncture. I've made plugs out of old inner tubes, and even patched a cut sidewall.

VF

Reply to
houndman

If the tire holds air, I wouldn't worry about it.

VF

Reply to
houndman

SNIP FOR BREVITY

I've been plugging my own tires for Many moons, and never had a

Unbelievable. You'd get busted in the UK driving on a patched up sidewall split for a start and certainly would not pass the compulsory yearly safety check. Balancing the wheels...most important for reducing tire wear, safety and driver comfort. How do you do that on the front drive with a wheel wrench and tire irons? I suppose if you toodle around at 25mph none of the above matters? It does.

-C-

Reply to
Clive

You should be concerned about 2 things. 1) a plug-only repair isn't safe. 2) your neighbor gives bad advice. you'd rather blow a front tire than a rear tire. front tire failures might make you plow into something, but rear failures cause spinning and rolling.

Reply to
pmkeating

don't even take the tires off the car anymore, unless I

Tire irons I got from my dad who used to patch his tube type tyres. You get a good workout, and don't have to go to a gym for one. It was a rear drive car, what difference That makes, and 60-70mph on the interstate. Never saw inspectors do any more than maybe look at the treads.

I have some tires with big dry rot splits on the insides of over sized tires on the rears of an older car. That was surprising, but put them back on, and the outer rubber mainly protects the fabric from abrasions. One of the rears has some serious gauges in the outer sidewall, not down to the fabric, and rubber cement filled that in. That car gets mostly driven in the city, but don't worry about it on the road. Never had a tire fail in 45yrs. Not even one or maybe two 2 that got pinched hitting a hole where cobblestones were removed between railroad tracks, that dented the rims, so must be doing something right.

Had some weird things happen. Picked up a screwdriver, that hit the rear fender well as it went around, and a steel belt wore through on the edge on an old tire, and picked up an empty trash bag on a front tire that flailed around, and visible above the fender.

VF

Reply to
houndman

Well, if you are driving around with 'big dry rot splits' and 'serious gouges in the outer sidewall' on your tires, VF, then you are truly a stupid person. I mean, how much do new tires cost compared to your life - and the lives of others you may impact when those tires finally let go while you're driving around??

Dan D '99 Impreza 2.5 RS (son's) with new tires purchased because I care about my son's life Central NJ USA

Reply to
Dano58

I think we've already pretty well established this fellow's reality is not the same as most of ours...

The fact he's gotten away w/ many things doesn't make them wise or safe to do.

Rick

Reply to
Rick Courtright

It's been quite a while since I've seen a tire shop in my part of the world that will simply plug a tire. It's my understanding that "industry standard" practice dictates a plug be covered w/ a patch. The plug is intended more to resist moisture entry into the belt area (to prevent delamination and possible sudden failure), while the patch does the actual sealing of the air. One of those big thumbtack looking combos gets both jobs done w/ one piece. My shop's used a separate plug and patch on my "H" speed rated tires, just a patch alone on the "S" and "T" rated tires.

Those kits you buy in the auto parts store are probably best left for "it's the only way I can get home" fixes IMHO. I'd consider the relatively small charge for a professional job to be money well spent, and until that's been done, I'd leave the "suspect" tire up front for reasons already mentioned by other posters. Your neighbor might be a nice guy, but he's not driving your car...

BTW, many of our local tire shops offer free flat repair if they sold you the tires. Something to ask about when it's time to buy replacements.

Rick

Reply to
Rick Courtright

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