Tire Plug Safety

I noticed my driver rear tire was very low, checked it and had only 8 psi in
it! I inspected the tire and found a wood screw close to the edge of the
tread. I pumped it up and dropped it off at the gas station close to my
work. I got a call a little later and the shop said they won't repair the
tire because the hole was too close to the sidewall. Shucks, I haven't had
these tires for a year yet and can get at least one more good year out of
them. So I thought about tire plugs and got a kit from the parts store. I
never used a plug in a car before but was familiar with the process from
goofing with ATVs when I was younger. The plug seems good enough, I tested
with soapy water and it's held solid for a day now. My question is how safe
is this ?? They are H rated Falken Ziex 512s and I frequently drive
sustained highway speeds of 80 mph. Is my life in danger? Please look at
theses pics and tell me if tire plug is trustworthy especially in my
location. Sorry pics are crappy from PDA cam. Plug photographed untrimmed
for visual purposes. Thanks!

http://home.comcast.net/~marcoat/pluggedtire.htm

 

I tried that before. At best it will last for a few months then leak.
There's too much flexing and heat near the sidewall. The plug and tire
will decompose near the hole.

The plug will probably last you until the next tire sale. Take a look
at the tire before _every_ drive.

 

That sucks man, i had the same thing happen
to a tire on my civic with only 10000kms on it.

But you gotta think! That rubber is all there is
between you and some ashphalt, is it really worth
the risk for $70-100?

If you are intent on keeping this tire, I would
keep it as a spare. And even that would depend if
this plug was on the inside (bad) or the outside
(might be OK). That would be due to the camber
of the tires, I think there would be less stress
on the outside, at least when you travel in a
straight line. When you're cornering, who knows!

t

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35

"It is important to note that speed ratings only apply to tires that
have not been damaged, altered, under-inflated or overloaded.
Additionally, most tire manufacturers maintain that a tire that has been
cut or punctured no longer retains the tire manufacturer's original
speed rating, even after being repaired because the tire manufacturer
can't control the quality of the repair."

Is your life, or those of the family in the minivan in the next lane
killed when your plug blows out at speed, worth the $100 a new tire
would cost?

--Gene

 

I would definitely not have even contemplated using that tire. Anything
within about an inch of the edge of the tire is considered not repairable. I
would not even attempt to use that tire on my vehicle. There is a reason
that the tire place would not repair it and you should not have attempted to
repair it either. If you had purchased your tires through a reputable place
then you should have a road hazard warranty that would have replaced that
tire for you.

Take that tire off.

 

id risk it. its near the sidewall, but not part of the sidewall. keep an
eye on the PSI, tho.

that said, other people might not risk it, and i respect their opinions
too.

 

The big concern is not what you "CAN SEE" but; what you can't see. I would
be worried about side wall damage or belt separation from running the tire with
8psi, more than if it hold air after plugged...
Your life, your choice.

--
Tp,

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--- ( )/ ( ) ---- -\<.
-------------------- ( )/ ( )

 

I have had major chain tire retailers tell me that tires were unrepairable
due to proximity to the sidewall, or size of the hole, and taken those same
tires to other tire vendors and had them repaired.

In one case, the tire was almost new. I got a flat while towing a trailer,
and I happened to be across the street from "Big-O", so I thought I'd have
them fix the flat. Couldn't fix it. Okay, sell me a new one. Don't have
one that size. Okay, put the spare on, and I'll go elsewhere.

I went back to my regular dealer, where I had purcahsed this tire. He said
there was no problem at all in repairing the tire. I put another 20,000
miles on that tire before I replaced the set. I think it was plugged with
a patch on the inside.

I don't think I would plug a tire myself as a permanent repair. One
possibility that close to the sidewall is that the foreign object might
have damaged the sidewall.

 

The OP's account sounds like the tire shop determined that the
puncture was too close to the sidewall. Looking at the picture,
I would agree.

This is not something that should be taken lightly. A weakened
sidewall is not a good thing. The flex near the sidewall is
also bad for any repair.

Check this out:

<https://www.rma.org/getfile.cfm?ID=555&type=publication>

Apparently some manufacturers have different standards about
sidewall repair. That being said, I would just eat the price
of a new tire if it was my car.

 

At a guess, you are outside one steel belt, and at or past the edge of
the other one. I repaired a relatively new $160 Toyo myself with the
same problem, it was even a little further out to the edge. It lasted
fine until the tread completely wore out, some 20,000 miles later.

The chance of catastrophic failure is with you now. I chose to do it
because the car was almost always driven in stop 'n go traffic. No way
would I do 80 mph, or even a sustained 70.

For what it's worth, I once had a blowout at 117 mph and both the car
and I survived. For many seconds that was a very serious question.

Replace !!

 

FWIW, I wouldn't risk it.

 

Thanks to all for the feedback. I will take it easy on the highway as I
shop for a new pair of the same tires, luckily they can be had for dirt
cheap and I have had good luck with the said shop installing my carry ins.
Since the puncture is on the inside of the directional tire, I can't keep
THAT good of an eye on it is my final rational. If I may ask this question:
Whilst doing some online window shopping, I'm considering replacing the
stock tires (as a set of 4) of size 195/60-15 with 205/55-15 mostly because
the tire choices are much more interesting while the prices are not too much
more. By looking at the data and pictograms at the online Miata tire
calculator, the differences seem negligible enough. Can I proceed with such
a tire? I am aware of the speedo variance and probably a slight drop in
milage due to less ground covered per rev and increased contact patch.
Though I am envisioning slightly better cornering and brisker acceleration?
Thanks!

 

Did you try going back to where you bought the tires? Most good tire
stores will have some sort of pro-rated warranty and will repair it free
(if it's repairable), or replace it for a reduced cost.

From your picture, I'd say the garage was right, that's WAY too near
the sidewall and you run a risk of the tire shredding at any kind of
speed... NOT something you want to have happen on the highway!

disallow was right, do you really want to risk your
several-thousand-dollar car and your life for the sake of $100 or so for
a new tire?