Can I plug this tire?

[Darrell KSR]

The nail is circled in yellow.

Has less than 500 miles on it. Great luck I have been having.

NTB told me it was "too close" to the shoulder, so they wouldn't repair it, but would sell me a replacement for $170 (including all the add-ons.)

I don't want anything unsafe, but it's not on the sidewall, and it's not on the shoulder. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.

20140112_163755.jpg

[badrose]

Personally, I never take a chance on a plug.

[BigBluePappy]

I would think a boot plug would be more appropriate; but I would have no problems with plugging this to get it to a repair facility. The fact that NTB told you it was too close --- I would try a second opinion like a Big-O.

[dan_bgblue]

A tire shop will not repair that tire if they value their business and fear law suits. National highway safety rules say that if the hole in in the outside 2 inches of tread it is not to be repaired. Why you ask? That is where the steel belts are that support the sidewalls. That puncture and possible tearing of the steel web can cause catastrophic failure of the tire. Back in the day of bias ply tires any shop would fix it for you.

If I had that tire and it was in a car that was used solely for in town traffic (45 mph and under) I would repair it myself and mount it on the rear drivers side of the vehicle. Any other situation I would suffer the loss and buy a new tire.

[suncat05]

In this case, I'd err on the side of caution and just replace it.

[Darrell KSR]

Replacing it tomorrow. Will let it leak today .

I really thought it was perfectly safe there. If it were my car, I'd probably do it myself and drive it anyway, but it's my wife's van.

[dan_bgblue]

Darrell, a technician at a tire shop once told me, I had a tire puncture almost exactly as the one in the picture, that if it were his he would buy one of the little rope patching kits and fix himself. He said he had a tire on his pick up truck that he fixed that way and it was running fine after 30,000 miles. He then went on to tell me that a friend of his patched one like that and it disintegrated after about 50 miles and when it did, it caused an accident that totaled the truck.

[BigBluePappy]

General rule at my house, if it is my truck and over an inch from the sidewall; I'll patch it. If it is on Grammy's car; replace it. I don't take a chance on the love of my life. Me on the other hand, I drive like a grandpa (heck, I are one) anyways.

[Darrell KSR]

General rule at my house, if it is my truck and over an inch from the sidewall; I'll patch it. If it is on Grammy's car; replace it. I don't take a chance on the love of my life. Me on the other hand, I drive like a grandpa (heck, I are one) anyways.

I'm with you on all counts.

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[Darrell KSR]

Darrell, a technician at a tire shop once told me, I had a tire puncture almost exactly as the one in the picture, that if it were his he would buy one of the little rope patching kits and fix himself. He said he had a tire on his pick up truck that he fixed that way and it was running fine after 30,000 miles. He then went on to tell me that a friend of his patched one like that and it disintegrated after about 50 miles and when it did, it caused an accident that totaled the truck.

I really would feel fine doing it on my Volvo. I've had too many people tell me I should not have it fixed for me to fix it on my wife's van, though.

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[KeithKSR]

I've had loads of tires with those kind of punctures repaired, but not plugged. One easy fix is to use a radial patch from the inside. A second fix is to patch it from the inside and then use a radial tire tube with the tire. A tube is usually $20 or less for a radial tire.

A more expensive repair involves vulcanizing the damaged area, but not all tire repair shops do that.

A plug is a temporary repair designed to get you to a proper repair shop. The shop I use never repairs a tire using plugs.

[KeithKSR]

I really would feel fine doing it on my Volvo. I've had too many people tell me I should not have it fixed for me to fix it on my wife's van, though.

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Tire shops that call a plug a repair are usually tire dealers and not repair specialists.

[BigBluePappy]

"I would think a boot plug would be more appropriate;"

I think we are talking about the same type of repair.

I've had loads of tires with those kind of punctures repaired, but not plugged. One easy fix is to use a radial patch from the inside. A second fix is to patch it from the inside and then use a radial tire tube with the tire. A tube is usually $20 or less for a radial tire.

A more expensive repair involves vulcanizing the damaged area, but not all tire repair shops do that.

A plug is a temporary repair designed to get you to a proper repair shop. The shop I use never repairs a tire using plugs.

[dethbylt]

Plug it and keep it as a spare if your vehicle takes a full size one. Never trust a plug for regular travel. That's my mantra.

I used mantra in a KSR post. Win.