Tire Plug in a Performance Tire?

[David]

25 years ago when I was in the motorcycle business I went to a Bridgestone tire seminar. They ran a rear motorcycle tire with a dozen plug-patches at high speed without problems. Their advice was don't worry about it.

[Rot 911]

Let's look at it another way, has anyone, anywhere, ever had a plugged tire fail? I've been on this board a long time, and this question has been posted dozens of times over the years. Never once has anyone experienced a failure of a plugged tire. Be it rope or internal plug.

[1990C4S]

I have plugged a lot of tires with the rubber-rope Harbor Freight kits.

I have never experienced a failure.

[911 Rod]

Especially with the repair on the inside I wouldn't worry about it. It's not like it's going to fall off.

[porsche tech]

At the dealership level, PCNA did not want us to plug tires. It was a liability issue with them. I think they felt you never knew if the penetration damaged a ply. I think their concern was after a dealer plugged a tire, if the customer took the car to the track and that tire caused an accident...they did not want to open that can of worms. We referred customers to the local tire shop for plugging/patching.--Dave

[Hugh R]

Its like when I was in college, 40+ years ago, I worked at a bicycle shop, in Northampton, MA, home to Smith College (women's college, a rich school with lots of parents who were lawyers), we did NOT patch inner tubes, the Boss said we didn't need the liability for a $2.00 patch versus a $5.00 new inner tube. Plus labor to take the tire off and on. Same work, different liability.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Iciclehead

I actually do not know, all I know is that in Europe a repaired tire automatically goes to the S rating, so you can't use it on a high performance car.

Not sure if they are just being anal or whether there are known issues with repaired tires at high speed (approaching their speed rating), just would hate to be swallowing a bridge abutment for the sake of a couple of tires....

Dennis

That's news to me and i'm in Europe...
I've done 240kph with a plug, it's really no big deal if you ask me.

Obviously you don't do it right after the plug was done. But you do not get a tire blow out from a plugged minor leaking puncture.

[Otter74]

If it's patched from the inside, I would. If it's plugged from the outside, as long as it is in the center of the tire (which it is) I would for street use, but probably not for track use.

I learned my lesson about tires during my very first track event, at age 18 in the family 320iS at Road Atlanta, when my plugged-on-the-outer-edge left front tire started losing lots of air by the end of the first day. Rotated a good tire to the left front, put the spare on the right rear. Then that one blew in the esses. Minor thrill.

[manbridge 74]

Hole needs to be at least an inch away from sidewall for success.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by porsche tech

At the dealership level, PCNA did not want us to plug tires. It was a liability issue with them. I think they felt you never knew if the penetration damaged a ply. I think their concern was after a dealer plugged a tire, if the customer took the car to the track and that tire caused an accident...they did not want to open that can of worms. We referred customers to the local tire shop for plugging/patching.--Dave

I'm sure they were more than happy to sell a new $500 tire.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

Let's look at it another way, has anyone, anywhere, ever had a plugged tire fail? I've been on this board a long time, and this question has been posted dozens of times over the years. Never once has anyone experienced a failure of a plugged tire. Be it rope or internal plug.

Yes, I have. It was on my truck. It used an internal tire patch. It's a much different application with much higher PSI than you'll see on a street car. Basically, on a truck tire, if you get a nail then the tire is done. Those tires are like 10-ply and a single ply (patch) will not hold air for long. Since heat equals pressure, and heat also softens the patch glue, I would not use a patched tire under high heat conditions either.

[basicporsche]

I have had plenty of plugs in my life. As long as they are not on the side wall or on a "slick" tire/R compound you should be good to go.

[flipper35]

We have a tire plugged on our SUV and I forgot all about it until this thread. Plugged it 3 years ago. This is on our summer tires and we run Blizzaks for the winter so it has had 3 spring, summer and fall cycles on it.

[charlesbahn]

It might be a good tire, but certainly not a great tire.

(someone had to say it)

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Can't tell you how many times I've been back on the road before the wife finishes calling roadside.

Typical car forum BS.

Before calling roadside?
So, you're jacking the car while she's on the phone?
Even if this lie were true, it does NOT take 5 minutes (phone call)
And sorry, no chance in hell you're getting the right leverage with the wheel still on the car.

You need to jack up the car
You need to dismount the tire.
You need to remove the nail (can be a fight when it's flush)
You need to drill out the hole
You need to fight the tire and jam in the plug
You need to repeat this 5 times, since the plug comes out with the tool.
You need to re-inflate the tire.
You need to remount the tire.
You need to jack down the car.

[sugarwood]

I noticed a slow leak the last few weeks.
Jacked up the car today and found the nail.
Got a plug kit and got it done, after several attempts.
I will monitor the pressure over the next few days.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

Typical car forum BS.

Before calling roadside?
So, you're jacking the car while she's on the phone?
Even if this lie were true, it does NOT take 5 minutes (phone call)
And sorry, no chance in hell you're getting the right leverage with the wheel still on the car.

You need to jack up the car
You need to dismount the tire.
You need to remove the nail (can be a fight when it's flush)
You need to drill out the hole
You need to fight the tire and jam in the plug
You need to repeat this 5 times, since the plug comes out with the tool.
You need to re-inflate the tire.
You need to remount the tire.
You need to jack down the car.

I've plugged a hole by the side of the road

Turned front wheel to the side
found the hole with some water
The nail was already gone
ran the hand drill through 5 times
stuffed the plug in
cut it off with a boxcutter blade
re-inflated it with the little compressor
drove it home

obviously the rear can be done as well, it's just more work jacking up the car and getting the wheel off..

But that's not a complicated thing either : you have to do the same thing if you want to put on a spare tire.. Same skill set.

[mattdavis11]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

Let's look at it another way, has anyone, anywhere, ever had a plugged tire fail? I've been on this board a long time, and this question has been posted dozens of times over the years. Never once has anyone experienced a failure of a plugged tire. Be it rope or internal plug.

Not unless you count a another nail and another plug. I must have had 4 or 5 plugs in one tire on my accord. I toss that thing around more than you 997, run on rough gravel roads, sometimes take the green lane, never a problem. When I saw it splitting on the outer edge of the tread, or where tread used to be, I bought new to me used tires.

I lost 20 minutes Saturday morning getting those used shoes. It's a beater. And I beat the hell out of it, more so than anyone else here does with any car they have. I can promise you that.

[GH85Carrera]

I carry a plug kit in my 911 and it is so small it just stays in the trunk. I have never needed it, but I also carry a can of fix a flat that is old enough I may toss it and get a new can. In the 911 as all you likely know it is a royal pain to get a flat in the rear. Jack up the car, remove both front and rear tire, put the front in the rear position, put the collapsible spare tire on the front, and find some place to put the dirty flat rear tire. On a road trip with my wife the car is packed full and I honestly have no idea how I could do that.

I have been lucky in my 25 years, and 41 states of roads trips and I have not had one flat.



This all came out of my 911 and I left the tool bag and car washing bag in the car.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

Typical car forum BS.

Before calling roadside?
So, you're jacking the car while she's on the phone?
Even if this lie were true, it does NOT take 5 minutes (phone call)
And sorry, no chance in hell you're getting the right leverage with the wheel still on the car.

You need to jack up the car
You need to dismount the tire.
You need to remove the nail (can be a fight when it's flush)
You need to drill out the hole
You need to fight the tire and jam in the plug
You need to repeat this 5 times, since the plug comes out with the tool.
You need to re-inflate the tire.
You need to remount the tire.
You need to jack down the car.

I put the plug in a performance tire in the rear without jacking the car up. Your clothes get dirty though. You have to roll it ahead to where you can get to the leak and with it on the car you can push hard and it doesn't go anywhere.