Is this safe?

[reabo]

I had a screw in my tire today and brought it to a shop to get it repaired.

It took them 3mins and i was shocked.

They did this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdyLRdTRN3M

Is it safe? The guy said it would last the rest of the life of the tire. Anyone had this done before?

[csmith12]

I have ridden tires with plugs at street paces, not really a big deal really as a temp fix. Is it safe? That depends on the hole in the tire and how well the plug seals the hole, ymmv. I prefer it to be patched from the inside of the tire.

[Ninjinsky]

I had a tire plugged on the car and it has lasted 4 years so far even with a lot of 70mph cruising. No worries.
It is a tried and tested procedure other wise they would be lining up lawsuits.

There are some areas you can't do it though, like radial sidewalls
But you do need to use a pro type kit with vulcanising fluid like this

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Klondike1020]

As long as the plug was a tight fit it will prbably never be an issue.

But it is wise to pull the tire and put a patch inside.

Dont want it losing air during a ride.

any large holes that could compromise the radial belts would mean its time to retire the tire itself.

But nail, glass, screw holes. Usually are no big deal.

[audi]

I just found a nail in my rear tire a few weeks back. I plugged it myself as a temp fix, but had the tire replaced within the week. I know people say plugs are safe, but my tire was 4 years old, I'd have been replacing it next year anyway. I asked the guy at the dealer who replaced the tire what he thought, and he said they always replace a punctured tire, because if they do plug it and it fails somehow, they don't want the liability.

I've ridden on plugged car tires for many thousands of miles, but cars have more than 2 tires holding them up.

Audi

[Linkin]

I had a piece of steel wire in my tyre (about 2-3mm thick)

They pulled the tyre off, pulled the steel, drilled a larger hole in the tyre, and put in a plug with the vulcanizing fluid and let it sit for 10 mins.

It's been fine ever since.

[capt_bugaloo]

I've had clean punctures through the center of the tread (nail, screw) several times in 20+ years. If the tire is less than say half worn-out, I've had a shop that knows what they're doing apply an internal patch - as opposed to an external plug.

I've always been under the impression that the external plug is meant as a temp fix to get you to a garage, and that a quality patch should be applied from the inside of the tire.

Then again, I've read many claims of external plugs that have lasted for years and thousands of miles without issues of any kind.

[iliveforcurves]

I have had plugged tires with no problems until the last one. It was on the rear tire on my Valkyrie. It worked fine but then I started to have a slow leak that turned out to be the plug. I just got 2 new tires and I'm going to try Ride-On in them. It balances the tires without wheel weights and allegedly seals punctures up to a quarter inch.
As far as is it safe, I've never had a catastrophic failure with a plug, but I kept my speed under 80 mph.

[subxero]

it could be fine but i wouldn't want to find out, besides tires are cheap, medical bills and bike repair are not. Id use it as a temp to get home, then shell out the whole $100 for a new tire and get new rubber and piece of mind.

JMO

[salcuta88]

Originally Posted by reabo

I had a screw in my tire today and brought it to a shop to get it repaired.

It took them 3mins and i was shocked.

They did this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdyLRdTRN3M

Is it safe? The guy said it would last the rest of the life of the tire. Anyone had this done before?

My family has been fixing our cars' tires with plugs for years. They've never failed on us. Considering that a motorcycle is lighter, the plug would hold even better. That's my opinion. People may have different views.

[Proteus]

Originally Posted by subxero

it could be fine but i wouldn't want to find out, besides tires are cheap, medical bills and bike repair are not. Id use it as a temp to get home, then shell out the whole $100 for a new tire and get new rubber and piece of mind.

JMO

I've had plugged tires on cars, but I definitely agree with Subxero here for a bike. It's worth $100 to know that I can count on my tire.

[alex.s]

if you think about it... that rubber cement is what is already holding the tire plys together... and its just more rubber... it probs isn't as strong as it was, but it most likely is very close to what it was. i wouldn't do burnouts on it, but it should be fine for normal use. i think i've plugged 2 or 3 tires.

[fishdip]

my question is if speed can make it blow out? will it do 100 150 200?

[Rifleman]

The Vulcanization process makes it all one piece of rubber...

When properly done the joint between the plug and the tire rubber is stronger then the tire rubber by itself.

the trick is "proper installation" if it's a shop that does tire plugs, they know what they are doing, should be good to go at all speeds

The only problems that I've seen are 1. a steel belt gets cut (not the plugs fault) and the tire goes out of round. 2. original hole not cleaned properly, or moisture, or cold tire... The plug area needs to be clean, dry, and warm.

if you are doing it at home for the first time, by yourself... hummmmm

[fishdip]

Originally Posted by Rifleman

The plug area needs to be clean, dry, and warm.

if you are doing it at home for the first time, by yourself... hummmmm

[coolbreeze]

I got a hole in a brand new tire for my 636. I went less than 3 miles, and when I parked, I seen the nail. I had it patch at a repair shop, and put 5k on it with no issues.

[cookiebug79]

Originally Posted by subxero

it could be fine but i wouldn't want to find out, besides tires are cheap, medical bills and bike repair are not. Id use it as a temp to get home, then shell out the whole $100 for a new tire and get new rubber and piece of mind.

JMO

Originally Posted by Proteus

I've had plugged tires on cars, but I definitely agree with Subxero here for a bike. It's worth $100 to know that I can count on my tire.

What do you think is going to happen that will make it unreliable? Tires don't explode, blow out, or de-laminate from being plugged. The worst case is that it loses air slowly.

Originally Posted by fishdip

my question is if speed can make it blow out? will it do 100 150 200?

It will not blow out.

It will not de-laminate.

It's fine.

[coolbreeze]

I consistently rode mine at 70+, and a few times at 130+, without any issues. The best answer is, if it bothers you or makes you worry, then you should just get a new tire.

[Proteus]

Originally Posted by cookiebug79

What do you think is going to happen that will make it unreliable? Tires don't explode, blow out, or de-laminate from being plugged. The worst case is that it loses air slowly.



It will not blow out.

It will not de-laminate.

It's fine.

I guess I'd just rather err on the side of caution when it comes to motorcycle tires.

[subxero]

Originally Posted by cookiebug79

What do you think is going to happen that will make it unreliable? Tires don't explode, blow out, or de-laminate from being plugged. The worst case is that it loses air slowly.



It will not blow out.

It will not de-laminate.

It's fine.

^

i'd rather just get a new tire, nothing wrong with that. As i stated a new tire is not all that much and 100% worry free.
How much to get a shop to plug a tire for you? Even if it is $20 that is still 20% of a new tire, Odds are your tire isn't brand new to begin with so why not just replace it. Sounds like a good excuse for a new tire, people seem to like new tires... i know i do

[trugracie]

Had a screw on my tire 100 miles after I bought it. Shop didn't want to plug/patch due to liability and said that it was very dangerous. Bought a new tire and 60 miles later, new tire gets a framing nail. Decided to plug it since couldn't afford to buy another tire within a month. 4k miles later, no leaks and plug wearing evenly with tire. From now on if over 30% tread left I'm plugging my tires. Good thing I decided to keep my first flat tire I'll just plug and patch that one before it gets put on.