Plugging tires? Yes/No?

That’s just factually inaccurate. I’ve probably plugged 2 dozen tires over the last few years with only one failure. That same hole got two plugs and held just fine.

 

I use a plug out on the road, if it holds it stays. Usually I don’t have trouble. I will use a patch plug if I’m home and something like a 3/8 bolt went through the #### thing. I have some really thick boots my tire man calls them for bigger holes that are just flat rubber that work really well. On the down side I hate the dismount remount game. Loves, T/A, boss shop, and lots of shop bandits ain’t in the repair business they are in the sales business. Tires are always bad, leaking wheel seals always need a spindle, etc.

 

Good for you.

I could care less.

I know what I watched.

 

This is what I carried when I hauled cattle and then got another one when I was pulling my hopper. I never had any issues with the plugs holding. The only time I’d have a tire broken down was if I pulled out something long or if it was close to the sidewall, I wanted to make sure nothing rubbed and wouldn’t have a failure later on. If it was in the center of the tread I would just keep running it. A lot of the cheaper kits don’t look like the tool is long enough to get clean through to the inside of a truck tire and they probably don’t ream the puncture out good enough.

 

Keep in mind that plug repairs are supposed to be temporary and not RMA approved. If a tire fails and causes damage or accident and during inspection an unapproved/improper repair is found within a 90 degree quadrant of the failure, that repair will be deemed as the cause. So if you have a tire still under warranty and it throws cap and takes out a fender or hood and has an improper repair it will be void. Plugs are good and have a good use, but don’t leave them as a permenant repair if the tire is going to be in service for a long time. They were made back when tires were bias ply or glass belted but they have not been really approved for steel belts. They become a wick and pull moisture into the steel which causes rust and seperations. RMA drill and fills (patches with rubber plug stem fillers ) are the only way.
And a tire shop not patching a small nail hole on @Hammer166 ’s tire is pure laziness and stupid. Those are the easiest repairs to do.

 

If it's anywhere near the shoulder, they won't even look at it. That tire would have likely been trash if the nail had taken an outward trajectory, but it didn't. But with how ridiculous liability has gotten with the bambulance chasers, no one will make the effort, it's instant "We won't touch that." Hence the plug kit.

 

I agree 100% with you. Most is scare tactics in name of safety. I started in the tire biz in 1991. Patching a tire or tube everywhere including a sidewall was common. Liability has gotten stupid. When all that bs started around 20 years ago the higher up’s used to tell us don’t do a repair you wouldn’t let your wife or mom drive on. I have no problems with a patch on the belt edge if done right.

 

This is the same kit I carry along with a cordless drill and 3/16 drill bit to run a pilot hole before I use the auger. I don’t plug anything larger than a nail but I have plugs that lasted 200,000 miles. I actively watch every plug I have done and if there is any sign of air leaking they get repaired at a tire shop. I will not be stranded on the side of the road waiting for road service to put my spare on for $600 when I can plug one and get myself down the road safely. Tire repair folks may get offended by this comment, but I have met very few tire workers that left my tire/wheel/auto inflation system hose or anything related in as good of condition as they found it. Therefore the less people handling my tires, the safer my rig is going to be. I didn’t catch this wheel until I was on the tire shop ramp because they wouldn’t let me in the bay, but you can bet I made them take it off and rotate the wheel one hole position to get the hose out of a bind which would eventually fail.

 

I didn’t know people didn’t carry a plug kit or were scared of plugging? That’s wild