Anyone patch their own tires?

[fireandice9008]

Does anyone here have experience patching their own tires from the inside? It doesn't seem like it's that terribly hard to do. The tires are already off the wheels, they'd be spares for the Vic. I know I was overly intimidated by plugging tires at first, but once I learned how to do it all the mystique disappeared from it. Same with patches?

[martyo]

How are going going to remount the tire when you're done?

[Logizyme]

Patch alone is sketchy. Plug is what I would do on my own car. patch and plug combo is industry standard.

Plugs are the best repair, but the industry problem with a plug is that the tire does not need to be removed, so the technician never sees the inside of the tire, so who knows if the tire had bee driven flat and internal damage to the tire has occured. So by installing a patch on the inside your required to remove the tire, and thus see the inside of the tire, which is why patch plug combo is the standard.

[whitey]

I only plug. One time i had a patch put on and it leaked, maybe just bad luck? I found out how to plug tires and never once had them leak on my car or numerous others i have plugged.

[justbob]

I only plug. One time i had a patch put on and it leaked, maybe just bad luck? I found out how to plug tires and never once had them leak on my car or numerous others i have plugged.

^^^this. Plus 1,000 more plugs..


Self proclaimed Builder Of Badassery.

Buy it, Break it, Build it BETTER.
"Since 2004"

[tbone]

I've never had a flat in the MM in nearly 7 years.

[fireandice9008]

This is why I love this bar. I had always been told a patch was preferred over a plug, with the combo being ideal. It makes perfect sense about not being able to see the inside of the tire if it's just plugged.

The reason I ask is because the Vic has the Firestone "Pursuit" tires on it, and in the few thousand miles I've had it, I've grown to love them. Problem being, they are quite expensive, and given that they're a "specialized" Firestone, are probably not available quickly locally. That being said, I've got a lead on a small batch of them off police cruisers, with recent DOT dates and good tread. Problem being, each one has a nail hole, and since in most (maybe all, not sure) states it's illegal to repair emergency vehicle tires, they have to get rid of them. Cheap. And since I have no current plans to pursue anything, repaired tires don't bother me, and it gives me a few good spares to have mounted should the need arise.

[fireandice9008]

I've never had a flat in the MM in nearly 7 years.

I discovered a small nail in one of my ALMOST new 555s on the back of the MM. Luckily it went flat sitting in the garage. When I say almost new, they have less than 1000 miles on them. I'm not fixing that one myself, it's going to a friend who works at a dealer. I'm not even sure it can be fixed with it's proximity to the sidewall

[tbone]

When I had BFG's I always seemed to have a slow leak in one or more tires. Nittos no leaky.

[justbob]

I work construction, therefore a plug kit is a must have on the van..


Self proclaimed Builder Of Badassery.

Buy it, Break it, Build it BETTER.
"Since 2004"

[tmwlch1]

There use to be two types of plugs (well more but most popular ones) a red and a black the red where for radials and the black for belted. The red when used would melt into the radial rubber because of the heat a radial makes. If you used the black the radial belts would cut it and the tire would leak again. But it has been about 20 years since I have had to plug a tire. If you buy a plug kit make sure it says for radial tires. In my younger days I managed a Goodyear shop and The garage shop for Travel centers of America.

[Marauderjack]

I plugged this over 2 years ago and it's still holding!!

BTW....I had to unscrew it to get it out!!

[tbone]

I work construction, therefore a plug kit is a must have on the van..


Self proclaimed Builder Of Badassery.

Buy it, Break it, Build it BETTER.
"Since 2004"

I hear ya bro. When I was a superintendent I had a flat every other day. Then I would pull out the nail, plug it and go hunting for the carpenter, roofer, concrete crew, etc that used those kind of nails. I saw guys spill nails on the road all the time and had to yell at them when they didn't pick them up.