How Safe Are Tire Plugs?

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Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
CROWNVIC4LIFE --

are you sure somebody isn't putting nails in your tires because I have NEVER heard of a person getting so many nails, blowouts and such!


+1 4 words for the OP

Buy Road Hazard Warranties


Most people in my neck of the woods have the same issue as me..Most of my nail issues are from North Broward where my mom lives..Miami is not as bad..The tire place told when work is being down on overhead passes [down here anyway] they use tons of nails and alot of nails fall onto the roadway below..I have ridden under a few of them lately.

I only get a Road Hazard warranties now.
 
Originally Posted By: ridgerunner
Good Grief Charlie Brown! If I got that many nails in my tires that often I'd consider getting some sort of run flat tire or install a run flat system of some kind in my tires!!!! Either that or I'd buy an armored personnel carrier with metal tracks! I know that ATV tires have various ways of converting their tires into run flats. I'm not talking about Slime either. More like Tire Balls or the various solid foam inserts they make for those tires. I'm sure if U look deep enough you'd fine a product for car tires. I wouldn't put up with constant flats or blowouts for sure!


I actually thought about that today after seeing 3 cars on the side of the road with blown tires on I-95.

Thank you ALL for your help.
 
I've installed many rope style plugs in my own tires, mostly due to screws.

Once one of them developed a slow leak and I installed another one next to it. While I do not, cannot drive, above 90 mph, I never had any major issues with the plugs, and I used to do a lot of high speed washboard driving when I used to frequent Baja.

Crown Vic, time to start looking under your tires before backing out of your parking spot. Some kids somewhere are amusing themselves at your expense.
 
I'm a fan of the plug/patch combo that Walmart TLE does.....have had 1 nail thus far in my vehicle history, and wasn't a bad experience at all (other than the fact that I happened to get the flat late at night, and happened to pull over to the side of the road into some very soft "sugar sand" - and that little Scissor jack wouldn't do diddly-squat! LOL....friend had to bring his rolling truck jack to jack the car up to get my spare tire on
smile.gif


$10 per patch at my Walmart, but they can only patch if it's in the "center" of the tread....so if you get the nail in the side wall, you're pretty much S-O-L.....off to tire rack or whatever :p

And yea, they just mark the valve stem, mark the wheel weights, take the tire off the rim, they did some kind of grinding to the inside of the tire, I guess so the patch would adhere better....and laid down some rubber cement + the patch, and the tire worked great. They state it's a "life long patch" for the life of the tire....but yea, due to the nature/SIZE of the patch (it's about the diameter of a 50 cent piece! LOL) they said it simply would not adhere to the "sidewall" of the tire, particularly with the possible "sidewall flex" that occurs when driven....so they will not patch any puncture in the sidewall, but have heard of success with the ribbon/plugs in that area
smile.gif
 
Never had a problem with traditional string plugs. Quicker, easier, and work just fine.
 
I've put many plugs in the tires of my little S-10 pickup over the years and have never had one fail, even under a bed load (and then some) of firewood.

I'm pretty good at plugging tires, but, I would not plug a tire on a passenger car other than as an emergency repair until I can get it patched or replaced as necessary.
 
I used a lot of string plugs and I think for the most part they are better than just a patch, because the plug actuallty seals out the water and elements from the outside in. Now, a combination patch-plug is the recommended way to do it and is better than a patch or plug alone of course. A plugged or patched tire without a patch-plug combination repair, technically would lose its speed rating but even that should be good for over 70 mph.
 
CapriRacer said:
My experience is just the opposite. I've had 5 plugs done and 3 have leaked for a 60% failure rate!quote]

That is not good.

I am glad to see the bulk of the people here that have plugs seem to be doing OK with them..No tire store is going to replace a fairly new tire when all a plug is needed..If they did that most people down here in the jungle would be getting new a tire almost every week.

Even the snowbirds complain about getting nails and screws in their tires every time they come down here..They generally go home with at least 2 plugs in their tires.
Click to expand...
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
My experience is just the opposite. I've had 5 plugs done and 3 have leaked for a 60% failure rate!




That is probably the installer's fault. There is a little "knack" to it and a lot of people don't thread the plug correctly on the tool and then don't push it all the way thru before pulling it back up.
 
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
My experience is just the opposite. I've had 5 plugs done and 3 have leaked for a 60% failure rate!

That is probably the installer's fault. There is a little "knack" to it and a lot of people don't thread the plug correctly on the tool and then don't push it all the way thru before pulling it back up.


By contrast, I have had zero failures with patch/plug combinations.

Personally, I think that you can't divorce the installer from the methodology. If installer technique is important, why endorse the plug method without reservation. And if the plug/patch combination is so immune to installer technique that it is virtually foolproof, how can we say a plug is as safe as a plug/patch. Clearly it is not.
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
My experience is just the opposite. I've had 5 plugs done and 3 have leaked for a 60% failure rate!

That is probably the installer's fault. There is a little "knack" to it and a lot of people don't thread the plug correctly on the tool and then don't push it all the way thru before pulling it back up.


By contrast, I have had zero failures with patch/plug combinations.

Personally, I think that you can't divorce the installer from the methodology. If installer technique is important, why endorse the plug method without reservation. And if the plug/patch combination is so immune to installer technique that it is virtually foolproof, how can we say a plug is as safe as a plug/patch. Clearly it is not.



I've been using quality vulcanizing plugs for many years like so many others on here have with zero problems.

Does this mean it's better than a plg/patch combo? No. I know removing the tire and using a combo plug/patch is the best way to repair a tire. I just choose not to all because I don't like wasting time in a tire shop when I can plug it myself in 5 mins. Not the best reason I know, but atleast I'm honest
smile.gif
 
I have studied tire plugs a bit, although my knowledge is limited. Feel free to post corrections or additions. Plug systems are not the same. Read the directions for your kit. There are two basic types of simple plug insertion needles. Open, and closed.

In open needle systems, such as Black Jack, plug is pushed in part way, not twisted, and tool pulled out. There are two rope diameters in the hole. Black Jack is self vulcanizing. For many kits, such as Slime, directions are similar, but the plug rope is not self-vulcanizing. Instead the plug is covered in a provided rubber cement.

With closed needle systems, there are at least two common ways these are described to be used. With Safety Seal, a leading self-vulcanizing plug, the tool is pushed in, and the plug goes all of the way into the tire. Without twisting, the tool is pulled out bringing the plug part way out. There are two rope diameters in the hole. Safety Seal introduced red plugs as a branding thing, but some others have copied the color. Red will stand out visually until the tire is used.

Another variation on the closed needle system, the plug is pushed in part way. The tool is twisted a specified amount, and the tool is pulled out bringing the center of the plug rope out a little. So both ends and the middle of the plug are outside of the tire. Thus there are four plug rope diameters in the hole.

Stopngo.com has a self-vulcanizing plug with a mushroom head. It uses a fancier type of inserter tool which compresses the plug as it is inserted. I have never seen this kit, but it seems interesting. It seems aimed at motorcycles.
 
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I've used string plugs on four different tires. All lasted many thousands of miles without problems. I've even done a track day on one.
 
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