Tyre repair

[StevieAus]

I recently had a puncture repaired from the inside of the tyre with a plug that has a rubber washer. 

It was suggested that I should not use that wheel on the front of the vehicle. 

I cannot see how this could cause a problem. 

Interested in other views

[transam]

The front tyres do a lot more work, I personally would put a repaired tyre on the rear....????

[McTavish]

It depends on the location of the puncture and quality of workmanship, the former I can address, the latter would have required me to o serve to repair. 

 

Mushroom type repairs to a simple piercing of the main tread area should last the life of the tyre and be perfectly safe to drive on.

 

Mushroom plugs are sometimes used on the tread to sidewall area which is not always recommended due to the constant flexing of that area which could cause some delamination of the mushroom head.  That may or may not lead to a leak at the puncture site depending on quality of the workmanship. 

 

 

[quake]

Its fine,

Drive it on front or rear.

Technology has moved on.

unlike the diehards.

Had loads of plugs here, never had one fail. 

 

[Kwasaki]

The suggestion is a good one in case of failure.

Rear use or spare on my truck. 

[HauptmannUK]

Plug repairs are quite acceptable so long as the puncture is in the centre 3/4 portion of the tread area and NOT on the shoulder or sidewall - that would be VERY dangerous. Maximum hole diameter 6mm.  Tyres with a speed rating of V or higher should only have one repair in their lifetime.  Some tyre shops in Thailand do 'string repairs' ('string' inserted from outside of tyre) - these are dangerous and illegal in most Western countries.

[KhaoYai]

I buy most of my tyres secondhand on Ebay and the reason many of them are there is because they have been 'plug' repaired - I've done many thousands of miles on them and never had a problem.  Some tyre shops tell customers they would be safer with a new tyre in order to make a sale - they then sell the old tyre. Most car manufacturers also recommend that punctured tyres should be discarded - its rubbish.

 

Most repairs utilise a patch plug - a hole is drilled so that the punctured area of the tyre is clean and symmetrical and a V shaped plug with a patch on the bottom is then glued and pulled through the hole from the inside, its virtually impossible to 'blow out'.

 

There are other types of repair - some are 'screwed' in from the outside - I wouldn't accept anything other than a plug and the maximum size plug I would accept is 6mm. There are also 'mushroom' plugs, not sure about them.  In theory they should be as safe as a standard patch plug but I stick to what I know.  I've also seen holes simply patched like you would do on a bicycle - again, unacceptable.

 

However, I would never ever, use a tyre that has had a sidewall repair - I'm not totally sure but I believe sidewall repairs are illegal in the UK.

 

[quake]

3 strings,  1 in front and one in each rear tyre.

oldest,  is the one in the front about 3 years now.

all fine.

( all done for free at a very nice service center ) good job 

I live in Thailand not the USA  or Europe. 

 

Quick hide under the bed the sky is falling. 

 

 

 

 

 

[HauptmannUK]

2 hours ago, quake said:

3 strings,  1 in front and one in each rear tyre.

oldest,  is the one in the front about 3 years now.

all fine.

( all done for free at a very nice service center ) good job 

I live in Thailand not the USA  or Europe. 

 

Quick hide under the bed the sky is falling. 

 

 

 

 

 

The sky won't fall in, but that doesn't negate the fact that tyre string repairs are not a safe long term repair for road vehicles. People assume that because the tyre holds air the repair is satisfactory.

String repairs are still widely used on plant and machinery and other off-road vehicles. They are also great for emergency repairs when in remote locations.

Just recently some Chinese companies have started selling (through the usual online channels) rubber-coated steel screws to screw into puncture holes. Absolutely lethal.

[quake]

3 hours ago, HauptmannUK said:

Just recently some Chinese companies have started selling (through the usual online channels) rubber-coated steel screws to screw into puncture holes. Absolutely lethal.

Never seen what you are talking about there.

and i doubt any company would use them.

but TIT so you never know.

( not for me that one)

 

But 3 repairs from the outside on 3 Tyre's on my car.

oldest about 3 years.

No issue at all. just like the thousands that are done daily throughout Thailand. 

But if you or any poster are not happy with that way of doing things. go buy new tyre's or get repaired how you like., fine by me.

I chose not to.

Read many stories about brake failure.

Brain failure.

Micro sleep.

But not plug failure done from the outside.

Happy driving good day.

 

 

[Kwasaki]

6 hours ago, quake said:

Never seen what you are talking about there.

and i doubt any company would use them.

but TIT so you never know.

( not for me that one)

 

But 3 repairs from the outside on 3 Tyre's on my car.

oldest about 3 years.

No issue at all. just like the thousands that are done daily throughout Thailand. 

But if you or any poster are not happy with that way of doing things. go buy new tyre's or get repaired how you like., fine by me.

I chose not to.

Read many stories about brake failure.

Brain failure.

Micro sleep.

But not plug failure done from the outside.

Happy driving good day.

 

 

It's a choice for sure and recommendations as always by tyre manufacturers are in the name safety.

Like for high speed highways use. 

 

One of my front truck tyres was pucture repaired after taking tyre off, our tyre shop won't repair any other way, the process is to make the repair as far as possible part of the tyre again. 

 

I was told by Cockpit my Bridgestone tyres are old at 8 years and should be changed.

I said can you point out any damages and tell me that the tread pattern is not deep enough. 

 

Of course they couldn't but as tyres are one of the things they sell I don't blame them. 

[quake]

22 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

It's a choice for sure and recommendations as always by tyre manufacturers are in the name safety.

Like for high speed highways use. 

 

One of my front truck tyres was pucture repaired after taking tyre off, our tyre shop won't repair any other way, the process is to make the repair as far as possible part of the tyre again. 

 

I was told by Cockpit my Bridgestone tyres are old at 8 years and should be changed.

I said can you point out any damages and tell me that the tread pattern is not deep enough. 

 

Of course they couldn't but as tyres are one of the things they sell I don't blame them. 

Fair enough.

And yes companies, do want to sell you a new tyre if they can

even 4,  if they can get away with it.

 

[Kwasaki]

15 minutes ago, quake said:

Fair enough.

And yes companies, do want to sell you a new tyre if they can

even 4,  if they can get away with it.

 

Yeah tyres I find is a funny peculiar subject and a somewhat install fear way of getting into people minds. 

 

I enjoyed watching Utube Vids of guys getting old tyres with just the treads worn down trying to destroy them with over inflation and other way to make them burst. 

It just showed how tough tyres are.

 

[HauptmannUK]

I spent most of my life in the motor industry - both in our family dealership (established by my grandfather back in 1921) and also as a professional engineer working for various automotive companies and as a consultant. Fitted my first tyre at about 12 years old. Have repaired many tyres. Was a VOSA MoT tester (UK roadworthiness test) until 2018.

Believe me that most advice from tyre companies is sound. They are not just trying to scare you into buying a new tyre. Tyres deteriorate with age. The rubber oxidises, UV breaks down bonds in the rubber and the rubber hardens. Less grip, more noise and greater chance of a blowout. An 8 year old tyre is pretty much at end of life no matter how much tread is left.

Unfortunately dealing with the general public is very difficult when it comes to cars maintenance.  Most want cheapest and think you are trying to rip them off. Its amazing how many customers will come in with a fault - they don't know what the fault is but they 'know its not going to cost much to fix'. Sometimes in the retail motor industry you just have to refuse to deal with some customers, they are not worth the bother - 'you can't fix stupid' - send them somewhere else.

In my early years in the motor industry a colleague was killed testing a car. He was driving at high speed and the tyre burst. The car flipped and he was killed. He was a young guy, not long married with a baby. Because it was an accident at work the Health and Safety Executive investigated. It turned out the tyre was virtually unworn but was 'new old stock'. It had come from Dunlop in Birmingham but had been in store for 10 years. No one had checked the date code.

Your car stays on the road thanks to four areas of rubber about the size of your hand. Its really not something to compromise on. 

[quake]

Yes.

I did 14 years in the motor trade, before i got a proper paying job. 

 

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, quake said:

Yes.

I did 14 years in the motor trade, before i got a proper paying job. 

 

But not brainwashed like some here. 

Even old tyres are tough..

 

Edited May 14, 2023 by Kwasaki

[StevieAus]

On 5/14/2023 at 3:42 PM, HauptmannUK said:

I spent most of my life in the motor industry - both in our family dealership (established by my grandfather back in 1921) and also as a professional engineer working for various automotive companies and as a consultant. Fitted my first tyre at about 12 years old. Have repaired many tyres. Was a VOSA MoT tester (UK roadworthiness test) until 2018.

Believe me that most advice from tyre companies is sound. They are not just trying to scare you into buying a new tyre. Tyres deteriorate with age. The rubber oxidises, UV breaks down bonds in the rubber and the rubber hardens. Less grip, more noise and greater chance of a blowout. An 8 year old tyre is pretty much at end of life no matter how much tread is left.

Unfortunately dealing with the general public is very difficult when it comes to cars maintenance.  Most want cheapest and think you are trying to rip them off. Its amazing how many customers will come in with a fault - they don't know what the fault is but they 'know its not going to cost much to fix'. Sometimes in the retail motor industry you just have to refuse to deal with some customers, they are not worth the bother - 'you can't fix stupid' - send them somewhere else.

In my early years in the motor industry a colleague was killed testing a car. He was driving at high speed and the tyre burst. The car flipped and he was killed. He was a young guy, not long married with a baby. Because it was an accident at work the Health and Safety Executive investigated. It turned out the tyre was virtually unworn but was 'new old stock'. It had come from Dunlop in Birmingham but had been in store for 10 years. No one had checked the date code.

Your car stays on the road thanks to four areas of rubber about the size of your hand. Its really not something to compromise on. 

Thanks for your detailed comments but your view on repairing the puncture from inside with the patch and plug

Thanks