To Plug or Not to Plug ? That is the ? : )
To Plug or Not to Plug ? That is the ? : )
[align=center]Flat Tires - To Plug or Not to Plug?
Pat Goss
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Here's something that will ruin you're entire morning, the old screw or nail in the tire deal that leaves you with a flat. Well, they usually can be fixed, but you have to use some precautions here: number one, you're going to have to put on a spare. Your spare is probably a temporary. It's going to have all kinds of writing on it. I would suggest that you follow those directions, because the only way that this can be safe is if it used as a temporary spare and it has the proper pressure in it.
Fixing the tire! That's where the real issue comes in. Remember, number one, that you cannot repair a tire if the damage is outside these lines. No, your tire doesn't have lines like that. You have to envision them on the tires.
The typical way that a tire is fixed, and it's completely improper, is to take a plug and just jam it through the tread of the tire and that's the end of it. If it doesn't leak, everything is fine. But how do you know what the inside of the tire looks like? You don't. So, the tire always has to be de-mounted from the rim for a proper repair.
Now that also leads us to another problem. You get it de-mounted. What do a lot of people do? They put a patch in there. Well, the patch doesn't work either, not by itself. The reason for that is real simple. If you put a plug through the outside it seals the outside, but doesn't necessarily seal the inside. So that's the reason you de-mount the tire and you put a special sealant around the plug that keeps air from migrating into the plies of the rubber in the tire. Now granted, you can put a patch in there, but the patch doesn't seal the outside of the tire, therefore water can get in and rust the steel belts.
So the ideal situation is a plug patch. This is both a plug and a patch, and this goes from the inside of the tire to the outside. It's pushed through and then you grab it with a pair of pliers and you pull it. It has a rubber plug that is built into it, so once this is pulled through, the metal piece comes off, the inside is a patch, it seals the inside, it seals the outside, it's considered a permanent repair.
Do your homework before you have a tire repair, because that's the only way to have that tire safe is to have it fixed properly.
[IMG]local://upfiles/714/D9DE5107458A46B497AB0A901B915ADE.jpg[/IMG]
Pat Goss
[/align]
Here's something that will ruin you're entire morning, the old screw or nail in the tire deal that leaves you with a flat. Well, they usually can be fixed, but you have to use some precautions here: number one, you're going to have to put on a spare. Your spare is probably a temporary. It's going to have all kinds of writing on it. I would suggest that you follow those directions, because the only way that this can be safe is if it used as a temporary spare and it has the proper pressure in it.
Fixing the tire! That's where the real issue comes in. Remember, number one, that you cannot repair a tire if the damage is outside these lines. No, your tire doesn't have lines like that. You have to envision them on the tires. The typical way that a tire is fixed, and it's completely improper, is to take a plug and just jam it through the tread of the tire and that's the end of it. If it doesn't leak, everything is fine. But how do you know what the inside of the tire looks like? You don't. So, the tire always has to be de-mounted from the rim for a proper repair.
Now that also leads us to another problem. You get it de-mounted. What do a lot of people do? They put a patch in there. Well, the patch doesn't work either, not by itself. The reason for that is real simple. If you put a plug through the outside it seals the outside, but doesn't necessarily seal the inside. So that's the reason you de-mount the tire and you put a special sealant around the plug that keeps air from migrating into the plies of the rubber in the tire. Now granted, you can put a patch in there, but the patch doesn't seal the outside of the tire, therefore water can get in and rust the steel belts.
So the ideal situation is a plug patch. This is both a plug and a patch, and this goes from the inside of the tire to the outside. It's pushed through and then you grab it with a pair of pliers and you pull it. It has a rubber plug that is built into it, so once this is pulled through, the metal piece comes off, the inside is a patch, it seals the inside, it seals the outside, it's considered a permanent repair. Do your homework before you have a tire repair, because that's the only way to have that tire safe is to have it fixed properly.
[IMG]local://upfiles/714/D9DE5107458A46B497AB0A901B915ADE.jpg[/IMG]
RE: To Plug or Not to Plug ? That is the ? : )
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[/align][align=center]Do you drive with a Plug ?[/align][align=center]Would you ?[/align][align=center]Do you think it's safe ?[/align][align=center]Space is just full of questions, and full of _______! [/align][align=center]Plug `it Space 
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[/align][align=center]Hey Honey, did you brush ?[/align][align=center]
[/align][align=center]Ok, U can come out & play with us : )[/align][align=center]
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[/align][align=center]Do you drive with a Plug ?[/align][align=center]Would you ?[/align][align=center]Do you think it's safe ?[/align][align=center]Space is just full of questions, and full of _______! [/align][align=center]Plug `it Space [/align][align=center][/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Hey Honey, did you brush ?[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Ok, U can come out & play with us : )[/align][align=center][/align][align=center][/align]
Monte Of The Month -- March 2007
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5,264
From: Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
RE: To Plug or Not to Plug ? That is the ? : )
i've driven with plugs in tires up to about 80 mph and no problems with them, i haven't had to put one in my monte, but if they're done properly i think they can be safe
you just gotta remember to melt them into the tire with a torch
you just gotta remember to melt them into the tire with a torch
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 520
From: iowa city, ia
RE: To Plug or Not to Plug ? That is the ? : )
i drive witha tire plug. so i would. safe... well it's not as safe as replacing it witha new tire, but unless youre made out of money i think it's the best option, the patch/plug combos i've heard of a long time ago but i dont know of anywhere (repair shops) that offers them, and a regualr patch like they said lets water into the steel belts where they can rust where the failure can be tread separation.
Anyway, my plug jobs are still good at 97 MPH. 
RE: To Plug or Not to Plug ? That is the ? : )
All four of the original Goodyear Eagle RS-Atires on my Grand Am GT (the same model tire that came on my Monte) had to be plugged at least twice in each tire. There was a lot of construction around my area at the time.Also the tread pattern seems to like picking up small objects off the road, especially small rocks and pebbles.
Replacing the tire every time is not an option in my opinion. I was never a "sunday driver", and ran my GA pretty fast at times, and never had air leak from one of the plugs. I always had air leaks from the beads not sealing properly against the factory rims that had a big-time corrosion problem.
Replacing the tire every time is not an option in my opinion. I was never a "sunday driver", and ran my GA pretty fast at times, and never had air leak from one of the plugs. I always had air leaks from the beads not sealing properly against the factory rims that had a big-time corrosion problem.
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,986
From: North Fond du Lac, WI
RE: To Plug or Not to Plug ? That is the ? : )
ORIGINAL: Taz
All four of the original Goodyear Eagle RS-Atires on my Grand Am GT (the same model tire that came on my Monte) had to be plugged at least twice in each tire. There was a lot of construction around my area at the time.Also the tread pattern seems to like picking up small objects off the road, especially small rocks and pebbles.
Replacing the tire every time is not an option in my opinion. I was never a "sunday driver", and ran my GA pretty fast at times, and never had air leak from one of the plugs. I always had air leaks from the beads not sealing properly against the factory rims that had a big-time corrosion problem.
All four of the original Goodyear Eagle RS-Atires on my Grand Am GT (the same model tire that came on my Monte) had to be plugged at least twice in each tire. There was a lot of construction around my area at the time.Also the tread pattern seems to like picking up small objects off the road, especially small rocks and pebbles.
Replacing the tire every time is not an option in my opinion. I was never a "sunday driver", and ran my GA pretty fast at times, and never had air leak from one of the plugs. I always had air leaks from the beads not sealing properly against the factory rims that had a big-time corrosion problem.
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 520
From: iowa city, ia
RE: To Plug or Not to Plug ? That is the ? : )
i've found that no matter how bad your rims might corode, if you clean them up before mounting the tire the wont leak from the beadfor as long as they remain mounted, even if theres a huge amount of corrosion when the tires are removed. they would then have to be cleaned again, or anytime the tire is taken off the rim for any reason.... anyways, if theyre clean when they go on they wont leak.
RE: To Plug or Not to Plug ? That is the ? : )
I think filling the tires with Nitrogen Gas will prevent corroding the rims,
thus preventing air leaks : )
Agree ? Dis-agree ?
[hr][align=center]Filling Tires with Nitrogen Gas
Pat Goss & MCF `Space : )
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Tire technology changes at an amazing rate. One of the things that engineers figured out is if you make the sidewall of the tire shorter, it gives better traction, goes around corners better, because it's stiffer. Well, fifteen years ago this was a high performance tire (right). Today we can see that the side wall on this one (left) is very short, works extremely well, handling is amazing and they wear better than older designs as well, but there are some problems when it comes time to have those tires mounted onto your wheels.[/align][align=center]
You have to look for some special equipment. One of the first things to look for is a tire machine that has rubber pads like this Hunter unit has. These rubber pads actually extend out into the wheel, like that, they clamp the wheel from the inside, and they don't damage the wheel. Now, a lot of machines out there, they have little metal points on them, they leave marks in your expensive wheels. Look for the rubber units![/align][align=center]
Now here's something that's relatively new, something you should be looking for, this is nitrogen and nitrogen in tires has a number of advantages, but one of its biggest advantages is that it's dry. Whenever you fill a tire off of a regular air supply there will be moisture in that air. Moisture can corrode the wheels, it can damage the sensors if you happen to have a tire pressure monitoring system on your car, all of these things. Nitrogen is completely dry! [/align]But, a couple of things: number one, if you have nitrogen in the tires, you should have valve stem caps, or something that identifies it, like green markings on the caps, so that anybody knows that there is nitrogen in the tires. Also make sure that the repair shop has a nitrogen tester. This will tell if the nitrogen they're putting into your tires is a proper concentration, without that you might get air.
[align=center]And finally, no matter what you have in your tires, the most important single thing that you can do is routinely monitor air pressure. Use a high quality gauge and do it at least once a month, it makes all the difference in how long your tires wear. [/align][align=center]
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[/align][align=center]If you have a question or comment, write to me. Not `Space
The address is MotorWeek, Owings Mills, MD, 21117.[/align]