tire plugging

trickydc

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I have a question for repairing a tire. Have an EO 7 daker rear that somehow got a 3" screw in it. The screw caught the front edge of the tread and went all the way, the first 2" had threads but it went past that to the smooth part.
I had ride-on tire sealer and balancer in the tire so I didn't lose any air until I pulled the screw out at home. I've plugged the tire and it seams to be holding air just fine. The tire has about 4.5K on it so it's still got some good tread on it.
So my question is would you just get a new tire or run it with the plug. This is Texas in the summer time, so the tires get really hot and does that make a difference.
 

RCinNC

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You're probably not going to get much satisfaction out of the answers you get. You'll get guys who'll tell you that they have no problem riding on a plugged tire until the tire wears out, and you have guys telling you it's dangerous and you shouldn't do it. From my personal standpoint, if I plug a tire and it's still holding pressure after a couple of days, then I'll run it until it's worn out. If you wanted to be 100 percent sure, you can demount the tire and patch it from the inside., but I wouldn't bother with that unless the plug was leaking. Hot Texas roads aren't going to affect a tire plug.
 

trickydc

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thanks, and that's what I figure I'll here, as I've read that in other locations. I really didn't know so I thought I would ask.
 

iClint

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You could get it plugged properly from the inside but the tyre shop will hate you for having the sealant inside. Chances are you could ride on your plug until the tyre is dead if you did a good job of it. Certainly no need for a new tyre.
 

Ramseybella

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A friend turned me onto the Stop & Go Tire plugger.
Was a PITA at first but once you figure it out it will hold to the end of the tire life with nail or screw holes.
Carry it in my tire kit with a Co2 tire pump.
Knock on wood only had to use it once, but had to change the tire 2000 miles ahead of schedule.
Of all things a tip of a utility knife wedged into the tread creating a slice pattern and not a hole, but it held air for a week.
 

worncog

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IMO, I would pull the tire and install a glue on tire patch. That is how I repair all my tires that get a plug out on the road. Install tire worms with glue, inflate to normal pressure, trim, ride on. Remove tire when I return home and install a patch. Patch is good for the remaining life of tire. Of course the tire must be serviceable. I have had tire damage from large objects that required tire replacement, so you have to use good judgement in determining the best choice.

Personally, I don't like the tire plugger. Not poking fingers, just didn't have good luck with the mushroom plugs. Tire worms and glue work exceptionally well in most circumstances. I have repaired at least six flats in the last five years. Recommend the Motopump also. Fills a tire in less than four minutes and works very well at airing up when returning to pavement. YMMV
 

Checkswrecks

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RCinNC said:
You're probably not going to get much satisfaction out of the answers you get. You'll get guys who'll tell you that they have no problem riding on a plugged tire until the tire wears out, and you have guys telling you it's dangerous and you shouldn't do it. From my personal standpoint, if I plug a tire and it's still holding pressure after a couple of days, then I'll run it until it's worn out. If you wanted to be 100 percent sure, you can demount the tire and patch it from the inside., but I wouldn't bother with that unless the plug was leaking. Hot Texas roads aren't going to affect a tire plug.

+1 to pretty much everything RC wrote. If I plug it and it holds a couple of days, it stays. Otherwise, pull it off, clean the inner wall really well, and put in a patch.
 

HeliMark

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I'll plug and ride until the tire is done. But that is only if it takes one "worm". If it is two, I will take it to a shop and have it patched from the inside, and ride it until the tire is done.
 

Propsoto

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RCinNC said:
You're probably not going to get much satisfaction out of the answers you get. You'll get guys who'll tell you that they have no problem riding on a plugged tire until the tire wears out, and you have guys telling you it's dangerous and you shouldn't do it. From my personal standpoint, if I plug a tire and it's still holding pressure after a couple of days, then I'll run it until it's worn out. If you wanted to be 100 percent sure, you can demount the tire and patch it from the inside., but I wouldn't bother with that unless the plug was leaking. Hot Texas roads aren't going to affect a tire plug.
This ^^^

I've plugged 6 tires in the last ten years. They varied from nearly new to nearly worn out. I run dynabeads as well, without issue.

It's been a few years now. My last two were in my new 2014 S10. Same tire, 1/2" and one week apart.
 

Don in Lodi

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I don't see where anybody asked what diameter the bolt was. Anything larger than a quarter inch should have the tire replaced due to the number of cut belts weakening the carcass.
 
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RonH

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Don in Lodi said:
I don't see where anybody asked what diameter the bolt was. Anything larger than a quarter inch should have the tire replaced due to the number of cut belts weakening the carcass.
Yea, I had a 8mm bolt go into my brand new original tire. The hole plugged OK, but took 2 plugs, then I thought about patching, but buying all the correct supplies costs nearly $100.00 by the time you do it right with the primer, tools to buff the area ect. The hole was bigger than 1/4" so no use doing anything but just replace the tire.
 

RCinNC

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Yeah, I didn't specify things like a hole being too large to plug, or damage to the sidewall, or an actual gash from something like a piece of metal. I was thinking more along the lines of running over a nail, or a screw.

I'll add to my "RC's Personal Rules for Tire Repair": If the hole is so large that I feel no resistance on the reamer when I push it in, I'd get rid of the tire. The reamer's actually a pretty good gauge of whether or not you should fix it, since it preps the hole to the right size for a plug. If the hole's already too big for the reamer to do its job, then it's probably too big for a plug to work properly. I'd be willing to jam a couple plugs in it to get home, but I think I'd replace the tire. I can't give a good engineering explanation for that, it's just a personal preference.
 

VRODE

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My buddy's tire. I was following. We're guessing the front tire flipped the bolt, the rear tire ran over it where it then punctured it. Then it must have worked it's way to the sidewall, eventually punching thru that. We were thinking this occurred over a 2-3 mile span. Because of the twisting action involved the holes were very elongated and too big for plugs. We tried but it wouldn't hold air.
 

rbernie

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I will never try to patch any tire that has damage to the sidewall or the edge of the tread where it meets the sidewall. I am currently running a rear tire that picked up a nail during my commute. To repair it, I pulled the tire and patched it both with a string plug through the hole and an inner patch. I've run the tire in the Texas heat well past 100mph, and recently rode it from the DFW area up to Iowa and back.
 
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