Wanting to repair when replace is the only safe option

[Bottom_Feeder]

I have a set of Yokohama AVID Ascend GT's on my Accord. Two years old and 15k miles. I like them quite a bit and would buy another set in a heartbeat.

Our town has a big recycling center nearby. I make weekly trips there to get rid of cardboard, paper, and plastic/metal food containers. Problem is it's also the town dump and garbage collection area. There are construction vehicles in and out all the time dumping waste from job sites, which unfortunately means there is all kinds of debris like screws and nails on the paved surface. I always knew I'd pick up something, it was just a matter of time.

So now I have a screw in one of the front tires, right on the outer tread block as it starts to round off to the sidewall, right where they say it can't/shouldn't be plugged even though it'll take a plug and fix the immediate problem easily. Wonderful. Two new tires are now on their way from Amazon as I write this. It frustrates me knowing that even though I'll soon have two brand new tires on my car, I'll still be making a weekly trip to the recycle center because I have no other options. I guess I'll keep the one good tire as a spare but it seems like a waste to get rid of the one with the screw.

Oh, and also my car is due for inspection by the end of the month, something I wanted to get done days ago but now can't with a big obvious screw head sticking out of the tire so I guess that'll now be happening at the last minute. Awesome.

/venting

 

[RooflessVW]

Yeah, I would have plugged it and moved on with my life.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Yeah, I would have plugged it and moved on with my life.

I've done this myself when tire places say "we won't touch it."

I handle it with a patch it, and zero issues to date.

 

[supton]

Sometimes life just ain't fair. Hopefully it's a cheap repair. Maybe keep the one good one for a spare--in case this happens again.

 

[AZjeff]

Find another way to deal with your recycling going forward? Go every 2 weeks and cut your exposure in half?

I handle it with a patch it, and zero issues to date.

How do you get the tire off the wheel, take it to a shop?

 

[JTK]

It's an expense not everybody understands with AWD / 4x4 vehicles. One un-repairable tire often means you're out all 4 tires.

I had the same thing happen with my 2016 Subaru Forester some years back and I fixed it myself with a plug. Not the best I know.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

That's the issue. I could plug the thing and I'm fairly sure it'll be fine for the rest of the tire's life of which there is a LOT left... but what if not? That's what's nagging me.

It's such a dumb way of thinking. I just spent $400 on a new Canik, a range toy I'll use for only a few minutes maybe once every other month, but I'm having a hard time parting with $400 (two tires plus mount/balance) for something I use and rely on every day. But I'm still tempted to just throw a plug in it and forget about it.

 

[atikovi]

Yeah, I would have plugged it and moved on with my life.

The safety police will be along soon saying that plugging it that close to the sidewall will lead to death or dismemberment in no time.

 

[FowVay]

The liability comes into play when the belt structure is compromised. It is for this reason that legitimate tire stores won't repair damage in such locations. It isn't the fact that there WILL be a failure during future use but rather the possibility that there MIGHT be a failure in the future.

I have personally never seen a tire failure caused by fixing a flat near the edge of the tread pattern. I understand how interruption of the belt layout could possibly cause a problem but at some point you have to play the odds and use your own knowledge to make a judgement call.

Given the probability of failure and the expense of replacement, I'd have a patch/plug put on the inside of the tire and not look back. Just go forward with the knowledge that your tire is not 100% and treat it accordingly.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

How do you get the tire off the wheel, take it to a shop?

I use the T-handle, rubber cement, and patch strip, and jam it home per the instructions without removing the tire from the wheel. Many, MANY miles later, no issues.

 

[Vercingetorix]

I wonder why all the people who have had bad luck plugging tires on the shoulder are not responding? Probably because they are all dead.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

In that case, and depending on how many miles on the tires, how much tread is left, I'd just get a used tire to replace it

 

[CapriRacer]

I wonder why all the people who have had bad luck plugging tires on the shoulder are not responding? Probably because they are all dead.

As requested, my experience is a 50% failure rate for plugs. I'm the guy who breaks the statistics.

Also, I have seen plugs, as well as repairs in the tread shoulder, cause failures. It used to be my job.

 

[eljefino]

Are you sure the screw is going all the way through to air? Pull it and see what's behind it.

 

[Chris142]

The deal with plugs is that a flat tire should be removed from the rim for an internal inspection. If you know that the tire was not ran flat you can safely plug a tire. I do it all the time with great results. Must use good plugs and not the ones from the dollar store.

 

[JHZR2]

If the tire went flat, at speed/with use, then it probably got hot. Then I wouldn’t use it.

The rest is a numbers game. Unfortunately nobody identifies the risks.

Leaker? Ok so what?
Don’t we have TPMS to mitigate risk?

What’s the worst outcome from the belt damage? Tires I’ve had with bad belts you definitely knew there was an issue….

 

[y_p_w]

Once I was dealing with a damaged tire with a screw barely into the outer tread block. I had a set of new tires ordered (would come in after a week) and the tire dealer agreed to a patch (but not a plug) as long as I promised to bring it for the replacement as soon as the new tires came in.