3mm is slightly larger than a roofing nail (about 2.6mm) so it is not very big.
Generally if the puncture is greater than 3mm I rather use patch/plug. As you say the slim plugs cause no additional damage like reaming and work well.
Tire plugs, who uses them?
- Thread starter sloinker
- Start date
I think people need to understand that like most procedures, there is a right and a wrong way to install tire plugs. It is very important to properly ream the puncture hole out with the reaming tool.
This tool looks like an ice pick that acts much like a rat tailed file. By pushing it in and out of the puncture several times, it removes rubber and "trues up" the hole to better receive the plug, and give it a larger and better surface area to adhere to.
I also coat both the hole, and the plug itself with fresh tire rubber cement. This allows the plug to be inserted easier, and really helps melt everything together. Then I cut the plug off flush to the tire surface with a single edge razor blade.
The tire should be inflated to 15 or 20 PSI, and be allowed to cure. The longer the better before driving on it. In cold weather it helps to use a hair dryer on high heat to help cure the cement.
This tool looks like an ice pick that acts much like a rat tailed file. By pushing it in and out of the puncture several times, it removes rubber and "trues up" the hole to better receive the plug, and give it a larger and better surface area to adhere to.
I also coat both the hole, and the plug itself with fresh tire rubber cement. This allows the plug to be inserted easier, and really helps melt everything together. Then I cut the plug off flush to the tire surface with a single edge razor blade.
The tire should be inflated to 15 or 20 PSI, and be allowed to cure. The longer the better before driving on it. In cold weather it helps to use a hair dryer on high heat to help cure the cement.
How is it now??.. Did that start leaking again ??
.
I have a slow leak on the outer band of tread .. small tire repair place said they can plug but it will definitely start leaking again .
Any of you plugged OR patched the OUTER band of tread with permanent success ?? .. I have road hazard and they say they can't do a repair on the outer band.
I have a slow leak on the outer band of tread .. small tire repair place said they can plug but it will definitely start leaking again .
Any of you plugged OR patched the OUTER band of tread with permanent success ?? .. I have road hazard and they say they can't do a repair on the outer band.
I'm going on one year since I installed a plug in my left rear tire on my Jeep. No problems, and no air loss.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
No leaks, doing just fine.
I'm a believer of DIY tire plugs when done right and using common sense. I've used at least 7 or 8 over the last 15+ years of driving and never had one fail or leak.
Last one I did was on a Cooper Ultra CS5 that was very close to the shoulder, something no tire shop would touch. I went ahead and plugged it and have kept a close eye on it over the last 2 years and it's as solid as any tire plug I've ever done. If it was genuinely in/or affecting the sidewall, I'd buy a new tire.
Last one I did was on a Cooper Ultra CS5 that was very close to the shoulder, something no tire shop would touch. I went ahead and plugged it and have kept a close eye on it over the last 2 years and it's as solid as any tire plug I've ever done. If it was genuinely in/or affecting the sidewall, I'd buy a new tire.
Good "How To Plug" demonstration.
finally found out why the car was making a thumping ticking noise while driving. i thought it was the front wheel but driving with the kiddo in the car with his head out the window he pinpointed it to the rear wheel. first time plugging a tyre by myself. wont be paying shops to do it again thanks to youtube video guides anything can be done diy these days.
The more time you give it to cure, the better. Especially in cold weather. It's always helps to heat the plugged area with a hair dryer.
It takes heat to vulcanize the rubber plug though, so driving on it will put that heat into the plug and let it bond to the tire rubber. (The normal rope type plugs that is, not the plug/patch versions) The glue is mostly there to lube the plug going in and provide a little bit of sealing. The rubber does the heavy lifting.
That rubber strip is very sticky accidentally rested the tool on the tyre and it sticks to it like some sort of polyurethane adheasive.
Are these plugs permanent or just a temporary fix?
It is winter in the uk outside temps are around 9c. Im in no rush to drive the car, its had 24 hours already just sitting there, can drive it come Wednesday if thats better for the plug. Or can just drive it tomorrow if 48hours is enough cure time.
What are these rope strips made of?
Are these plugs permanent or just a temporary fix?
It is winter in the uk outside temps are around 9c. Im in no rush to drive the car, its had 24 hours already just sitting there, can drive it come Wednesday if thats better for the plug. Or can just drive it tomorrow if 48hours is enough cure time.
What are these rope strips made of?
They are unvulcanized rubber.
Heat cures them and hardens them. That is basically how sticky a tire would be if you could touch it before they put it through the curing process (Which involves heat to cross-link the polymers in the rubber.)
Vulcanization - Wikipedia
I consider it a permeant fix. I've plugged tires over the years and they hold and the repair fixes it like nothing has ever happened in my experience.
Welcome to the world of easy DIY. It's crazy how something that works so well has so many people telling you that it doesn't work well. I see your culprit was a bent screw. 10-15 posts ago some expert said this was almost impossible to repair properly. Maybe he'd seen one chew up a liner, but who knows. I've pulled yea many bent nails and screws out and plugged them.
The hardest thing I've ever had to remove from a tire was a piece of bone. It was really hard to pull out.
A 2 pound repair kit is a solid investment. They cost about 10 bucks US. Next time all you have to buy are the plug strips if they sell them separately.
If you didn't use the bifurcation drill, next time you should. Many people don't. I don't file away like a mad man with mine but I do ream it 2-3 times just to rough up the hole. I've been known to skip it without dire consequences
That has been my experience over the decades.
