Tire patch
06-11-2008, 12:30 AM
#16
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Also, gas station plugs do NOT protect the cords from elements the tire goes through. Many times, plugs will fill the hole and not let air out, however, water and other elements get into the tire which can cause rusting and other problems with the tire.
If patch/plug combos are done correctly, there is virtually no chance of them falling out. I must emphasize done correctly. There are actually two types of patch/plug combos. One for a puncture angle of less than 45 degrees and one for greater than 45 degrees. The one that's meant for less than 45 degrees comes as a complete piece. It's inserted from the inside of the tire, and is pulled through the puncture and sealed. This has special sealing rubber applied to the patch, so no only does it have the force of the plug through the entire part of the tire (similar but more thorough to a plug) it also has an approximate 1.5" square patch that's sealed which protects the inside of the tire as well.
The greater than 45 degree patch is much harder to use, as it can't be a complete piece. It comes in two pieces, the patch and the plug. It works similar to the single unit, however there are more steps to connect the patch and plug after it's been put in the puncture.
I only worked at America's Tire Co. for a year, however I had to trash so many tires because of junk temporary plugs that people think are a true fix and only bring it in after a few weeks or the tire starts leaking again, which by then is too late to save.
06-11-2008, 12:38 AM
#17
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Where did you read this?
I've never personally heard of a patch failing. I have heard of TONS of leaky plugs. Plugs are TERRIBLE for soft tires. Terrible if you ever heat cycle your tires. In fact I am pretty sure you're not suppose to have plugged tires on a track but patches are o.k.
Plugs are lazy and/or temporary fixes. Like the crap people spray in their tires... fixaflat. Temporary.
Besides the fact that when you plug a tire you can't see what damage was done to the inside of the tire. When you do a patch you can get a look and make sure it's all good. Some tires are not safe to repair and if you just stick a plug in there you won't know until it blows out on you. Plug patches are the best IMHO.
Most of the time plugs work just fine and for a car that just gets commuted on and has high soft sidewalls then sure go plug it. But for a car that sees hard driving, has high performance tires, tires get heated up, I just don't see the point of plugs. You save a whole $5-10 but you risk a massive blow out if any internal damage was done to the tire that you can't see or just risk CONSTANT leaks.
So worthless... no I suppose not but DEFINITELY not the best way to go on cars like ours driven by people like us.
better??
I've never personally heard of a patch failing. I have heard of TONS of leaky plugs. Plugs are TERRIBLE for soft tires. Terrible if you ever heat cycle your tires. In fact I am pretty sure you're not suppose to have plugged tires on a track but patches are o.k.
Plugs are lazy and/or temporary fixes. Like the crap people spray in their tires... fixaflat. Temporary.
Besides the fact that when you plug a tire you can't see what damage was done to the inside of the tire. When you do a patch you can get a look and make sure it's all good. Some tires are not safe to repair and if you just stick a plug in there you won't know until it blows out on you. Plug patches are the best IMHO.
Most of the time plugs work just fine and for a car that just gets commuted on and has high soft sidewalls then sure go plug it. But for a car that sees hard driving, has high performance tires, tires get heated up, I just don't see the point of plugs. You save a whole $5-10 but you risk a massive blow out if any internal damage was done to the tire that you can't see or just risk CONSTANT leaks.
So worthless... no I suppose not but DEFINITELY not the best way to go on cars like ours driven by people like us.
better??
i work at goodyear and we charge $25. we only charge that much because we re-balance the wheel after we patch it. theres actually alot of work (still easy). Take the tire off the wheel, drill a bigger hole where the nail was, buff the inside to smooth surface, clean it, put sealant, let it dry a bit, put patch, pull it, cut it, put tire back on and re-balance the wheel with new weights. So actually $25 is nothing.
It's the easiest thing to do at a tire shop other than air checks.
06-11-2008, 12:39 AM
#18
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Unless they've changed their policy AGAIN (yes, within the last 3 years, it's been changed atleast twice), they do free flat repairs no matter where you bought the tire. Also, I know for a fact, that you do not need to buy certs (aka road hazard warranty) to do anything for free. No matter how they've changed their policies, I know for sure as long as you bought the tire from them, you got free lifetime of the tire repairs. The only thing a cert does, is if the puncture is non-repairable, then they will replace the tire for free, however the cert does not transfer to the new tire, so to get the same protection, it requires the purchase of another cert.
This statement is also false. Gas station style plugs are worthless. First off, a puncture goes in at a certain angle. Gas station techs almost NEVER try to find what angle it goes in, and instead just push the plug into the hole in any angle. This can easily damage the tire further and can cause another hole very close to the original puncture which any legitimate tire company will not repair, because policy states if two punctures are within a certain distance of eachother, it's not safe to drive on.
Also, gas station plugs do NOT protect the cords from elements the tire goes through. Many times, plugs will fill the hole and not let air out, however, water and other elements get into the tire which can cause rusting and other problems with the tire.
If patch/plug combos are done correctly, there is virtually no chance of them falling out. I must emphasize done correctly. There are actually two types of patch/plug combos. One for a puncture angle of less than 45 degrees and one for greater than 45 degrees. The one that's meant for less than 45 degrees comes as a complete piece. It's inserted from the inside of the tire, and is pulled through the puncture and sealed. This has special sealing rubber applied to the patch, so no only does it have the force of the plug through the entire part of the tire (similar but more thorough to a plug) it also has an approximate 1.5" square patch that's sealed which protects the inside of the tire as well.
The greater than 45 degree patch is much harder to use, as it can't be a complete piece. It comes in two pieces, the patch and the plug. It works similar to the single unit, however there are more steps to connect the patch and plug after it's been put in the puncture.
I only worked at America's Tire Co. for a year, however I had to trash so many tires because of junk temporary plugs that people think are a true fix and only bring it in after a few weeks or the tire starts leaking again, which by then is too late to save.
This statement is also false. Gas station style plugs are worthless. First off, a puncture goes in at a certain angle. Gas station techs almost NEVER try to find what angle it goes in, and instead just push the plug into the hole in any angle. This can easily damage the tire further and can cause another hole very close to the original puncture which any legitimate tire company will not repair, because policy states if two punctures are within a certain distance of eachother, it's not safe to drive on.
Also, gas station plugs do NOT protect the cords from elements the tire goes through. Many times, plugs will fill the hole and not let air out, however, water and other elements get into the tire which can cause rusting and other problems with the tire.
If patch/plug combos are done correctly, there is virtually no chance of them falling out. I must emphasize done correctly. There are actually two types of patch/plug combos. One for a puncture angle of less than 45 degrees and one for greater than 45 degrees. The one that's meant for less than 45 degrees comes as a complete piece. It's inserted from the inside of the tire, and is pulled through the puncture and sealed. This has special sealing rubber applied to the patch, so no only does it have the force of the plug through the entire part of the tire (similar but more thorough to a plug) it also has an approximate 1.5" square patch that's sealed which protects the inside of the tire as well.
The greater than 45 degree patch is much harder to use, as it can't be a complete piece. It comes in two pieces, the patch and the plug. It works similar to the single unit, however there are more steps to connect the patch and plug after it's been put in the puncture.
I only worked at America's Tire Co. for a year, however I had to trash so many tires because of junk temporary plugs that people think are a true fix and only bring it in after a few weeks or the tire starts leaking again, which by then is too late to save.
road hazard covers flat repair for free, unless;
nail or puncture on the sidewall
tire has less than 3/32 tread (anywhere on the tire) inside, outside, etc.
if the tire is unrepairable cuz of sidewall puncture or it blew then its replaced for free ONLY if its in the first 25% of the tires life. Everything after first 25% is pro-rated.
06-11-2008, 10:22 AM
#20
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road hazard covers flat repair for free, unless;
nail or puncture on the sidewall
tire has less than 3/32 tread (anywhere on the tire) inside, outside, etc.
if the tire is unrepairable cuz of sidewall puncture or it blew then its replaced for free ONLY if its in the first 25% of the tires life. Everything after first 25% is pro-rated.
nail or puncture on the sidewall
tire has less than 3/32 tread (anywhere on the tire) inside, outside, etc.
if the tire is unrepairable cuz of sidewall puncture or it blew then its replaced for free ONLY if its in the first 25% of the tires life. Everything after first 25% is pro-rated.
Since flat repairs are free with any tire you buy at America's Tire Co. (and I think it's still any tire you bring in whether you bought it from them or not) no road hazard policy needed.
With America's Tire Co. road hazard you get a free tire if there is an unrepairable puncture (shoulder, sidewall, sidewall bubble, or anything else), and has greater than 3/32". Obviously it can't be a slashed tire with that looks like it's been vandalized.
06-11-2008, 10:01 PM
#22
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I've plugged more holes than Ron Jeremy. It works and is very effective. Only one time did I lose air pressure eventually and had to replace the plug (and if you can replace the plug, u did a BAD job to begin with). All of them were clean holes. But frankly, I've learned some things reading this thread that never dawned on me and I am not sure I'll plug again unless I have no other real alternative. Good info!
06-11-2008, 11:48 PM
#23
i work at the Americas tire co. in walnut creek and all flats that come in we fix for free even if tires are not bought from us or have certs. we do that plug patch combo and rebal for free. just have to wait in line. could take up to over an hour depending on how many people are in front and how many techs are in the shop
06-12-2008, 07:19 AM
#24
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i work at the Americas tire co. in walnut creek and all flats that come in we fix for free even if tires are not bought from us or have certs. we do that plug patch combo and rebal for free. just have to wait in line. could take up to over an hour depending on how many people are in front and how many techs are in the shop
06-13-2008, 12:13 PM
#25
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I've patched a handful of my own tires, I wouldn't pay $30 to get it done when the patch kits cost $10. To be fair; I wouldn't take patched tires on a track run, but I never had a patch fail despite having been run for over 10k miles and 'occasional' triple digit speeds.
06-13-2008, 02:02 PM
#26
my wife was on her way down to San Diego this morning with her brother and the patch failed! They left like 5 in the morning and called me at 7 with a flat. I am just glad that they are okay and didn't get a blow out or something (it's a 4Runner).
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