To plug or not to plug? (motorcycle, buy, replace, gas)
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"Anyone have any bad experiences with these?"
never. my Sienna's right front was plugged by me in 2016.
i have done it several times over the years with other cars/tires
and have had no problems.
A family member's car had a roofing nail go through the tread of a tire. I plugged it with one of those darning needle-like tools and three years later, it was still holding air.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Really depends on the tire condition / hole / weight of vehicle / service duty.
I have got 10's of thousands of miles out of plugs, but prefer internal radial patches. (when possible)
for lighter cars if find plugs to be OK in a pinch.
I won't risk it on a heavier vehicle, usually avoid using plugs on front tires. (loss of steering control if going flat / running low air pressure).
I have used plugs for years and years with no issues. I live on a gravel road and pick up lots of nails and other crap. Never a bad experience with plugs. I have had tires with over 10 plugs. One thing that helps is to use rubber cement on the plug before putting it in the tire. If a plug goes bad, it will be a slow leak situation and you will have time to find it and re plug it.
i have plugged tires, and patched them. i much prefer patching as i have never had a patch failure, but i have had plugs fail. that said my failure rate was very small and only ever had one plug fail in a big way when a steel belt cut it up.
I've probably used those plug kits on every set of tires I've owned at some point.
Don't use them if the hole is in a side-wall or too close to a side wall. And they don't work too well if the hole is too big.
But for your typical nail or screw hole? It's a non-issue. Plug it and go on with your life.
YOU can use larger plugs though. I saw a friend plug a pretty large hole in a trailer tire using a 'DIY plug' it was basically a strip of thick rubber, about twice as thick as regular tire plugs, same process, he coated with rubber cement before inserting, it worked for quite awhile.
I'm talking about the tire plug kits now on the market. Some drivers say they are unsafe except for emergencies, while others swear you can drive on a plugged tire from now on. Anyone have any bad experiences with these? I can't see why a properly plugged wouldn't hold air for thousands of miles.
Several tire companies will honor their warranties and speed ratings with up to 1 plug in them. Upon placement of a second plug, it is expected to be replaced. Since mileage is a metric used to determine if a tire is within warranty, it would make sense that 1 plug does not shorten the life of a tire, yet several may.
Plugged tire: just a temporary fix; safe to drive for only a short time.
Not true.
I have been driving around on tires with plugs since the late 70s. I am sure I have put hundreds of thousands of miles on such tires. On occasion I have had them start leaking again. Other than that, no issues whatsoever.
I don't do the job myself (though I have a couple times, just to learn) because it's kind of a pain, but I could and I certainly wouldn't be afraid to.
But, I am an old fart. I know how to change a tire, jumpstart a car, unclog a toilet, do long division, write a proper letter, paint a house, shift a standard transmission (though I have never driven one of those jillion-speed-with-two-speed-rear-axle truck jobs), and all the things that any male and many women who are now over 50 used to learn as a matter of course as part of growing up and developing the ability to take care of oneself.
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