Have youhad bad experience with tire plugs?

How do you know if it has been plugged correctly?

How long do plugs last? :dunno:

Thanks!

Ive ben using plugs for atleast 15 years and they work great, never had an issue.

I come from a motorcycle background, and while you can use plugs... patches are better. The main reason for opting to NOT plugging a radial tire is that it is a radial ply construction. This means that the radial ply layout is more likely to separate than a bias ply construction because the ply's all run in the same direction... radially.

Bias Ply's criss cross and support each other... of course none of us run bias ply tires anymore, and plugging is used all the time on auto tires. But if I had a racing tire I would not opt for a plug, I would replace it and this is what I do on my motorcycles

I've never had a problem with plugs, though from what I've read the proper way to repair a puncture is to have the tire patched from the inside.

I had a tire plugged twice on the old Camry and it held up fine until the tire was worn and needed to be replaced.

It seems like most places opt to plug a tire puncture (it's cheaper and faster) instead of patching it.

Can a tire be properly patched later, after it was plugged (ie. dismount tire from wheel & remove plug)?

(I'm referring to tread-area, of-course...)

you will be fine with a plug as long as it isnt on the edge or on the sidewalls of the tire.

Can a tire be properly patched later, after it was plugged (ie. dismount tire from wheel & remove plug)?

(I'm referring to tread-area, of-course...)

I would imagine it to be very difficult to do since the plug would be a self-vulcanizing one (as the tire is driven on, it heats up and the plug melts and fuses with the tire). I just :dunno:

namegoeshere... I thought so too! :(

I carry a compact/lightweight 12v air-compressor & a D.I.Y. tire-plug kit in one of my other vehicles (for weight-reduction purposes, I've removed the spare-tire/tire-mount/jack/tools/etc').

FWIW... I've never had a negative experience on any tires that I've been able to successfully plug myself or at a service-shop, whether in the tread-area or the sidewall-area (:blush:)! My biggest irk is when I/myself can't plug a hole/tear/gouge (of which a patch should fix in most cases). Should be noted that I've never done or solicited a patch for sidewall damage, though. . .

i had my front driverside tire plugged last spring.. had a nail in my tread. i havent had any complaints about it and it hasnt lost air in an unusual way. im getting new tires tomorrow though so i cant say anything about use for more than a year but i cant see why it wouldnt last longer

Bikes are completely different, if you get a flat for any reason the tire needs to be replaced.

I would imagine it to be very difficult to do since the plug would be a self-vulcanizing one (as the tire is driven on, it heats up and the plug melts and fuses with the tire). I just :dunno:

Like I said... it's not that the rubber will not seal. It's that it further seperates the ply's and under extreme conditions can cause failure.

Tire plugs have literally saved my life on my ATV. I've never put one in a road tire, but I would if it was appropriate.

had me right rear tire plugged 2 days before a 1000 mile trip due to a screw and it held up fine and still is

We've had a plug in one tire of our Honda Pilot for a couple years now (15-20k miles). We've gone on countless road trips, and I don't have to fill it with air any more frequently than the rest of the tires.

I have plugged countless tires over the years. The big thing to remember is when you put it in, leave about 3/4 to an inch of the plug hanging out. I don't use the clean out tool nor do I use the glue that comes with them. I just use the plug along with the insertion tool. To this date, I have never had a problem with any of them. I've had the tire wear out every time before I encountered a problem with the plug. They are not to be used for sidewall damage as previously stated. If you have this kind of damage, the tire needs to be replaced. Of course a patch would be better if given the option, but in most cases you are no where near a tire shop when the problem arises. So in that case, plug it, air it back up and go about your business.