Tire repair - Anyone attempt this on their own

So had a decent sized nailed removed this morning. Stopped by the local auto shop, the guy there fixed it with a plug. I've seen it done many times in my life.

Question is, anyone of you guys ever plug your own tire?

Seems pretty basic, and cost doesnt seem prohibitive since there are kits such as this

Victor 22-5-00106-8 Heavy Duty Tubeless Tire Repair Kit, Multi, One Size

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AMOEGY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER available.

 

Cheap insurance to keep in your truck, also a compressor doesn't hurt to own as well. I think I paid $8 for a tire repair kit and I've used it twice.

 

It's a different plug.

The plug the guys (should) do at the auto shop are where they remove the tire and patch it from the inside. This plug simply crams something into the hole while the tire stays mounted and hopes it holds.

Imagine place a 4x8 sheet of plywood over a doorway when there is 100mph winds blowing at it. If you place the plywood on the doorway on the side the wind is coming from, the wind will effectively hold it in place. Now imagine trying to hold a sheet of plywood there just ever exactly the size of the doorway...which one do you think will hold better?

Of course, keeping that kind of plug kit handy for emergencies is a good idea, but they definitely aren't a substitute for a real plug.

 

yes I have plugged tires in the past, works very well, most auto part stores, target, walmart, carry them. I keep a set in the truck with the mini compressor just in case.

If you are going to keep a set in the vehicle be aware that the glue can dry out, so check it every so often.

 

I carry a compressor and repair kit with me. The kit includes plugs, cement and the reamer & plug puller. I have used the kits numerous times as the awful OEM tires are "soft" and often penetrated by hard shale when I take the truck out on logging roads for fly fishing. Once plugged, I have never had a leak from the same hole. The only suggestion I would make is to buy the more expensive kit which contains larger plugs and reamers.

The local tire dealer near me wants $ 25.00 to seal a tire from the inside as it requires dismounting to get to the hole. He claims that this is the "only" way to fix a tire.

As I don't think the OEM tires are even worth the $ 25 charge for repair I will keep plugging away at punctures.

 

While I do agree that an internal patch is the most effective way to repair a tire, your analogy of a pass-thru plug is like apples and oranges. With a pass thru plug you are not covering a "window" with a "sheet of plywood". The pressures and forces are totally different. I have been plugging and patching tires for 30 years, and have NEVER had a pass thru plug fail to hold. I have had pass thru plugs that have lasted me well into 30k miles on tires before, and I have never had a customer return to a shop with a plug that has failed them either.

 

Thanks for all the comments guys.

 

In the tire business we refer to this plug as a gummy plug. I have seen them last forever and I have also seen then blow the plug out or start leaking again. I would say its an okay fix if your in a pinch and cant get it to a shop. My opinion of the correct way would be the tire shop dismount the tire off the wheel and insert a rubber filler (plug) in the hole then patch over it.

 

on my old first gen i had 1-2 plugs in every tire and drove it until they were bald. never had an issue of air leaking or anything of the sort.

it used to be the only thing people did for tires. this patch thing came along later. yeah i'm sure it's better but nothing wrong with a regular plug either. it does the job. if it did pop out your tire would just slowly leak down and go flat again and you could just plug it again and keep going. it's not like your tire is gonna explode on you.

i've never had a plug pop out of any tire in my lifetime.

 

Used plug fixes at least 8 times so far with no fail. Guessing it's pretty rare they fail. With a nail puncture it's the perfect cheap and permanent fix.

 

Do some shops call the internal patching "booting a tire"?

 

Couldn't tell you how many tires I have plugged. That's all I have ever used. Drove one tire over 50,000 miles with the plug in it and never had a problem. I always keep a plug kit in the truck. Works like a charm and have never had one fail.

 

Not sure about NOW, but back when I was just getting into working on cars "booting" was what we would call when we put an inner tube into a tire. I HATED those things!!!

 

The most important part is proper location and application of the plug.

Used too close to the sidewall or trying to plug a giant hole and the plug will will fail, used in the central portion of the tread for common nails & screws a plug should be good for the life of the tire.

Success (as usual) is proportional to using ones head.

 

Wow this takes me back! My first job at age 16 in 1970 was in a gas station where I learned to plug and patch them from the inside. We would re-balance the tire after we fixed it.