12/15/2023 0 Comments Tire plug or![]() ![]() In many areas with vehicle inspection, tires are almost certainly on the list of items to be checked over. That can’t be great for the liner or sidewall, but do we have people running out to replace tires when that happens? And what about other damage? I’ve certainly seen some tires that have taken wicked curbshots or potholes. Perhaps ANY tire repair is incorrect, then, if a vehicle is to be shod with tires of a certain speed rating. However, if some of the major tire manufacturers remove speed ratings from tires repaired using any method, it sounds like at least some of them consider a “properly” repaired tire unsuitable to be returned to service. Nightmare stories about improper tire repairs exist. (At least one tire repair kit manufacturer seems to agree that string plugs can be considered a permanent repair.) And let’s also not forget string plugs were the most common tire shop repair for many, many years, and it was considered a permanent repair. Heck, I think it’s easier and quicker to plug a tire roadside than it is to swap to the spare tire and wheel. They’ve worked fine on wheelbarrows, motorcycles, cars, mowers, tractors, trucks, and trailers. And yeah, I’ve stuffed a string plug in spots outside the “repairable area.” But I also don’t run out for a trackday on my beater commuter after I have done it. Let’s just not forget most repairs aren’t a binary right or wrong, but rather fall somewhere along a spectrum of appropriate to inappropriate. This is a completely inappropriate tire repair-but it kept the tire in service for a little longer at low speeds. If I’m inside a tire, it’s getting a patch-plug.) If someone can explain to me how a patch-plug does a better job of keeping moisture and contaminants out of the tire than just the plug, I’m all ears. (In fairness, I have never patched anything besides a tube. My argument for any of these repairs is that every one I have performed has never failed, and I have done a ton of ‘em on personal vehicles and way more customer cars. The argument against plugs is that they don’t seal the liner. The argument against patches is that the tire’s steel belts are now exposed to water and salt by way of the path the offending item took into the tire, and will eventually separate, leading to a violent blowout. And patch-plugs are also (you guessed it) just fine. However, my anec-data over the years has led me to believe plugs are just fine. Much depends on the injury the tire suffered and the skill of the installer. A plug, like any repair, is not bulletproof. I’m not saying every tire can be plugged and tossed back into service. (“You can’t repair it without dismounting!”) It does seem to me that an abundance of care would benefit them through either increased tire sales (“Sorry, that repair isn’t within the repairable zone”) or, barring that, having a damaged tire brought to a shop that presumably also (begrudgingly) repairs tires. Photo by Lemmy.Īnd all of these rules have always been promulgated by groups like the RMA (now the U.S. In the case of this particular tire with 3/32″ of tread left on it, the tire won’t be in service long enough for belt separation to be a realistic issue. This tire is in obvious need of repair, and I think there are a few ways to skin that cat. ![]()
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