Tire plugs or patch?

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Redright9

Redright9

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Location
Kern Co. California
Hello,

I remember way back when I worked at a full service gas station in Phoenix and we would use plugs as tire repair and don't ever remember a problem with them. I know now plugs don't seem to be the accepted repair method and patches are the way to go.. But I have watched a couple tire stores grind way too much into a tire applying a patch (my opinion). Is there really anything wrong with a tire plug? Are patches really that much better if done by a qualified person?

Thanks.
 
You can't see the inside of the tire for damage with a plug. When you dis mount a tire for a patch you can see any damage.

That's where that comes from. If you find a nail and the tire isn't flat,maybe a little low a plug works well. If there is any chance that you drove on a flat you need to dismount the tire.
 
Agreed, I have dismounted a many tires that have been driven on low, and the inside is filled with tire fuzz.

It takes very little driving on a low tire to ruin a sidewall..
 
Originally Posted by Redright9
.... we would use plugs as tire repair and don't ever remember a problem with them.

I know now plugs don't seem to be the accepted repair method and patches are the way to go..


Don't tell any Texans.... we put tire plugs in EVERYTHING.

I love 'em... done right, they hold air for the rest of the life of the tire.
 
Quote
Are patches really that much better if done by a qualified person?.....
They are. That's what the RMA endorses, and I have no reason to doubt them. And as long as in the RMA repairable area, done FOC at DT/ATs and some other places. Will a diy plug make due, in the repairable, yeah likely. But the former being done for free, other than perhaps a little extra time, no downside.
 
I've plugged tires many times over the years. It works for me. I don't drive a vehicle with 14 PSI in a tire to the gas station to air it up, screwing the tire up in the process.
I'm not wasting a bunch of my time going to a tire shop or freebie tire repair @ Discount Tire when I can do it myself.
 
The one feature of plugging a tire is a rasp or file is sometimes run in-and-out many times.
This prep work is said to be often more damaging than the original hole itself.

Me? I've never had a problem with any tire I've ever had or seen plugged.

Anybody out there ever heard the expression "Russian rope" used for a basic tire plug?
I'd bet the industry invented it to assign a negative connotation to plugs thus fostering internal patching.

I love those expensive patches which resemble intake valves.
You pull the stem through the hole from within. I bet they require hole reaming too.
 
When money was tight during my college days, I got by on plugs.

Now, that I make a decent salary, I pay the shop to use a plug/patch, then they remount the tire and re-balance it.
 
I too have uses countless push through plugs in tires. Inside the repairable area I've never had one fail me, all have lasted the remainder of the tire service life.

However I do feel that the inside out patch plug is a better repair. Especially for tires very early in their service life. For that reason when I picked up a nail in my Michelin tire on my 1987 4Runner with only 8500 miles on a set of 70k tires I had DT repair (free of charge). Just last week I picked up a nail in a tire on my 2019 4Runner, 1647 miles, the tires still have mold marks, so again to DT for a plug patch.

That being said, for a side of the road repair, or repair that is required to get a vehicle to town or out of the woods I still carry a plug kit and small compressor in all of my vehicles.
 
For my last flat I visited my local family owned tire store. I have been going there, same owners for decades. They used a plug to repair my tire. If its good enough for them, it works for me. I don't really see the value add of a patch.
 
I have said before, there is a level of irrational hysteria among some as regards to tire safety. Anything short of a brand new tire with 100% tread depth is thought to be a DEATH TRAP thats about to kill you any any other unfortunate motorist nearby at any moment.

Truth is, plugs are fine for small punctures. Plugs, properly installed, have been used with outstanding success on millions and millions of vehicles for decades now. They still work perfectly fine today.

Don't fall for the hysteria that is peddled primarily by those who sell new tires.
 
Originally Posted by CapriRacer
I see that no one has mentioned that patches "bridge" the damaged area of the tire - something plugs don't do.


Patches alone only bridges the damaged casing,. It does nothing for the rest of the damage, where the puncture went though. Moisture and debris can make its way through the puncture to damage the patch.

The best is a combined plug/patch repair.
 
Last edited:
I've used plugs successfully about 80%+ of the time. I've never seen or heard of a plug causing catastrophic failure, but what's more likely is a slow leak that you never completely get rid of until you get a patch put in.
 
I use plugs as a first attempt. Successful 98% of the time. The only recent failure was a tire that was actually 'sliced' by road debris, the plug wouldn't seal it.

OTOH I've had patches that failed within 100 miles, obviously they were improperly installed. Even on PROPER patch-jobs, I've suffered from balancing issues after a mount-dismount.
 
where i used to work if the tire wasn't properly repaired it would void the warranty like if the plies separated etc.


the only acceptable method of repair was a combination plug/patch where the plug is attached to the patch.

i only ever just plug a tire for a temporary fix, later on i dismount it and use a plug patch etc.


You can buy them at some stores or order them online and i consider them to be the best method to repair a tire getting a good seal on the inside and outside of the tire.
 
I recently plugged mine with a simple plug. With that said, the tires will be replaced before next winter and are pretty much done anyways.
 
Plugged many a tire with no problems. Matter of fact, have one plugged on my Pilot due to a running over a screw last September.
 
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