Buzz's Tire plugging 101

[BuzzGun79]

Well nothing worse than coming out to your vehicle to do some errands,only to find that dreaded flat tire....Dont sweat it,in this case by the time you have droped your spare and lossend your lug nuts..ill be back on the road...Ill show you how....First here is what you will need to do the job.Made by Victor.These T handled Tools are the best imo for plugging repairs...The T handle gives you very good leverage compared to the screw driver type tools.Most your common auto parts stores carry them...The initial cost is well less than what a tire repair at the shop will cost you....

first raise the vehicle with a approved jack and place a jack stand under the frame for support,

Next fill the tire with air...with a spray bottle of dish soap and water spray the tread and begin to slowly spin the tire,once you find the culprit remove it with a pair of side cutters...In my case what ever punctured the tire was blown out for i only found the slit....

Next with air in the tire we must work quickly to complete the plugging process. air in the tire keeps plugging resistance to a bare minimum and makes the job a heck of alot easier...OK Take the tool shown below and coat it with rubber cement...

Then insert the tool into the hole with steady slow pressure all the way till the tool bottoms out at the handle...Leave it there for the time being...

Next take a plug and thread into the plugging tool....then coat the plug with rubber cement....

Now remove the tool from tire that we left in...Take the plugging tool and insert the plug into the hole... with a slow steady push insert the plug till there is about 1/16 of an inch of the plug visible...Stop! slowly begin to pull back on the tool...the plug will seat it self no need to worry about pulling it back out of the hole..

Your repair should look similar to the pic below

Now take those side cutter's and cutoff the excess plug down to the tread..cut only and dont pull on the plug....

Then air the tire to recommended pressure....check for leaks with the soap solution...if no leaks are present lower the vehcile,and your ready to roll!

Our repair is complete and we didnt have to remove the tire from the vehicle

Total cost of investment of tools plugs with cement under 15 bucks.....

 

[smokey]

I pack a plug kit and a 12v compressor in every vehicle I own.
They have saved me and other stranded people many times.

 

[DNFXDLI]

I pack one of those on the quad..plus a CO2 inflator.

 

[SuperCab]

Saved me many times. I can have one plugged and back on the road in 15 minutes... I don't even bother to jack the truck up.

 

[BuzzGun79]

Agreed Men!..very valid points....For the illistration...I raised the vehicle for those who may have limited tire repair experience...I to have done it without raising.....

 

[Beach66Bum]

I pack a plug kit and a 12v compressor in every vehicle I own.
They have saved me and other stranded people many times.

I need to do that, I don't even carry a spare

(I do have the jack and lug wrench though)

 

[kiwi f150]

Funny how different countries have different rules ..... it's illegal to use those style of plugs out here in a car/truck but perfectly ok to use them on a 'bike - can't get a sensible answer why that is but we are only supposed to use patche/plugs which have to be pulled through from the inside of the tyre.
Of course that means the tyre has to be removed , spiked like you have done and then the combination patch/plug has to be inserted from the inside - then the tyre has to be rebalanced as well for the consumer but a bonus for me as tyre repairs are part of my business.

 

[m78]

The shops around here stopped using the plugs and went to the patches. I think it was a state law that made them. Not real sure. You can buy the plug and put it in yourself though.

I've got a plug kit that stretches a rubber plug before its inserted then released before pulling out the needle.

 

[Fellro]

I don't know of any shops that plug like that, only the pull-through patch type.
My old man plugs about everything. He tends to hog the hole out a lot though, likely because he is loosing strength. Iit is easier, but it doesn't seal as well plus cuts the wires in the belts, so can cause separation around the plug. I tend to not use plugs until the tire is getting worn down more, mainly because I have seen plenty of failures of the tire by separation around the plug. In emergencies, sure. My main thing is to not make the hole any bigger than you need to . Minimal filing, then tap the installer through if needed to keep from cutting any more wires than you have to. Also, right before pulling the tool back out, twist it to ball up the plug. This helps to pull it out of the tool on removal. I actually have had some pull back out with the tool..

 

[BuzzGun79]

Interesting.....For through my own experiences ive done both types over the yrs on hundreds of tires..for small punctures..nails or small screws ect ill stand behind the plugs...they have even outlasted the life of the tire in all honesty.I recall a situation where one of our regular customer picked up a nail in his brand new Cougar...he just picked up the car no kidding..he pulls in the station very distraught and upset...I pluged his brand new tire 45k later he came back for a replacement set..the plug was still there ...cant say that about the Hot patching....just recently experienced a patch failure on the wifes jeep from the former po...didnt even know it was done till she heard air escaping the tire...Got a call from the garage tire was junk and patch had come off...Bought her new ones..Some of the ones ive done have failed in time seems like the rubber cement will disapate under tire stress hot/cold,moisture ect then fall off...

 

[Fellro]

I think technique has a lot to do with it. I can't say how they installed them, but if you make the hole bigger to fit the plug in, it likely will cause bigger troubles. I keep from adding as much as I can. Typically they last as well.

 

[BuzzGun79]

Agreed Roger Gotta keep the hole size down...for if those belts are compromised by enlarging the hole..the tire usually will develop a Goose egg in that area...