Dude that's wrong, your front tires are your steer tires and if you have a blowout that's when you'll lose control. I'm a trucker and I personal know 2 guys who broke their wrists because they had their arms through the holes in the steering wheel when they had a blowout on one of the front tires. If you look at D.O.T tire rules for commercial drivers the front tires are required to have 4/32 of tread but the rears only 2/32, it because if the fronts blow you have a very high chance of losing control.
Totally right, a blowout in the front can be catastrophic. That link to the Michelin page doesn’t support any argument that it’s easier to steer a front blowout.
I just repaired my 2017 Kia Sedona tire this way. The plug is closer to the tread than yours but it seals fine. I checked for the leak. It was a Sunday and nothing was open but the auto parts store.
Yea man, I’m no pro, but I think I’d rather take my chances with a blowout from the rear. Blowouts can be sudden, sudden jerks in the steering is probably more dangerous. To each their own. I appreciate your efforts.
have a tire with the same kind of shoulder puncture. got it "plugged", and i hope it holds like yours did. if it holds pressure ok, i'm gonna make it my spare; i already ordered a new replacement...
i got a nail in the shoulder of a £140 tire just after i had 4 new ones fitted and was told i need a new tire, so i had another one put on and now that one is like a slick and the others still have great tred left on them. over a year later and now im pissed off all over again. i wish i had plugged it.
Thanks for sharing. I have and am currently living with the same repair. I am mindful that any puncture and plug repair weakens the tire and increases the chance of a blow out. This happened to me once on the freeway with a tire plugged on the face, not sidewall. I think I hit a hole with the plug and it blew, fortunately maintained control and pulled over safely. If you do a plug repair, I highly recommend also putting in Slime to plug the nagging slow leaks and help with the bubbling problem. I noticed some slight bubbling developing around the plug in your video. The air has escaped the inner belts and is blowing a bubble in the outer rubber. When that pops the tire is done.
Thanks for showing us a update, u have used common sense with your repair. Nothing wrong with plug patches if installed correctly they will last the rest of the life of the tire.
It looks like a bubble is forming in that tire to me. I wouldn't run it, but you're going to, so at least you're keeping a close eye on it. If it gets any worse, avoid the blowout and replace the tire.
I got the same repair done on the same spot. The tire is still new. Fuckn road nails. Were you able to drive 7+ hours on a single driving session with it? Any loss of psi? All good?
The laws suggest such repairs to be good for a temporary fix and not permanent. The tire blowout is mostly due to very low tire pressure that can happen due to leakage from a temporary fix. But if the fix is not leaking for sometime, keeping an eye on it for a month or so, it should be good. Sometimes it's very costly to replace a tire, specially if it's low profile winter tires on an AWD. If one tire is bad, all tires have to be replaced to avoid damage to AWD differentials and transaxle, not to mention the vehicle's warranty. Great video showing long term results.
That repair looks safe to me. I wish the tire industry could show me some science regarding why this is so unsafe. Why does one nail hole destroy your tire, regardless of where it is? If one nail can destroy a tire the designs need to change, tires are pathetic! Show me a demo... fill that tire to 90 lbs and crush it, I dare you. That plug is never coming out of there! The valve would pop out first. Show my why I'm wrong...don't tell me the company sales line. I want to see these plugs fail in real life otherwise I will have to continue thinking the whole industry is a scam!
Jay Marion I'd love to see testing like you mentioned! .... 3 years and over 40,000 miles later my plug is still there. These tires recently hit the 6 year age so I will likely be replacing all 4 soon. I'm glad I decided to plug this tire and document my findings.
teppichkopf Thanks for doing your videos, they are very informative. I have a plug for a nail in exactly in the same position. I'll monitor it a let you know how it goes. Thanks again...
“That repair looks safe”, see to me, it doesn’t look too safe. What I see, just below the plug, is a slight bulge in the circular ridge of rubber. When the tire is moved around I think I can see sort of a bulge in the area. So that’s evidence that the tire is starting to distort and to fail. I could be wrong, it looks very subtle. I’m not against driving on compromised equipment, just be aware of the potential to fail suddenly. You just need to drive accordingly and monitor its condition. It’s just $100 or so, just save up for the replacement if need be.
@@Grunchy005 it's the plug, the side wall is thinner. I just did a shoulder repair on a brand new (500 miles) set of tires and it bugled as soon as I plugged it.
I know it's been 4 years but I am pretty sure it's a liability reason. The sidewalls handle all the pressure from the tire. You can repair sidewall damage but there is a good chance that eventually it will fail and pop which could cause you to lose control which could be fatal when travelling at higher speeds. Plugs wouldn't work if the damage is on the actual sidewall and not near the tread.
I don’t understand the logic behind NOT replacing a sidewall hole. “Plugs create a weak point”. But nothing happened when I got the hole to begin with. Just a leak. Now if bubbles and bulging occurred or occurs from that hole, I’d get rid of it ASAP. But after 8 months, no sign of that. Ram1500
I got a long nail in my rear motorcycle tire. Was leaking to much air. Nail punctured through tread and out the sidewall. A couple plugs and was able to ride the rest of day. No leaks patched next day in mexico they will fix sidewall and no leaks its been 3 months. It had less than 300miles on tire when punctured so didnt want to replace 240dll tire. Tire now has 2800 miles after repair.
dude I just had a nail in my sidewall and when I was using the plug tool the plugs were pulling out with the tool instead of staying inside the tire hole like they normally do I had to use my finger and then nailed it was in my tire to hold down over the hole so that the plug would stay in when I pull the tool out I've been running on it for about a week now bubble test no leaking. I'm using one of those kits you buy from Walmart that has the tools the plugs and the rubber cement
just to clarify I had to lay the nail down flat Over the Hole while the tool and the plug we're inside the hole so that when I pulled it out it would keep the plug from coming out with the tool I'm thinking maybe the rubber cement is helping out a lot
I gotta do this to the backup car until the new tire comes in. I'd always advise just replacing, but life happens. The reason for keeping the best tires up front can be explained like this-ever seen police do a pit maneuver? Same concept when you lose a rear tire.
Great experiment. I'm sure a lot (like me) who are curious about this "transitional" area between the steel belt driving end of the tire and the shoulder. I got a nail myself and got a slow leak in the same place. I'm going to take the car in tomorrow to see if they plug or patch it. I'll update once I understand what they say. I'm in cold weather zone (Canada) so I'm sure that will affect the decision of replacing or patch/plugging.
Back in my "poor student days" (many decades ago), I would not replace a tire as long as it was holding air even if the cords / belts were showing... I got pretty good at changing tires on the way to school and had my share of front and rear flats while driving... Back then, my definition of "holding air" meant that the tire pressure did not get *too* low within 24 hours... With the car that I was driving back then, I don't remember a front tire flat being *too* much worse than a rear tire flat... On the other hand, I've had front and rear tire flats on motorcycles and although both can be "interesting", a front tire flat gets "white knuckle interesting" very quickly...
I just got a similar puncture, took it to the tire store, they declined to patch. I don’t blame them because any service or advice they provide, even if free, brings liability. So to be clear, THAT is the reason they have to decline to help. No problem for me, I drove it off their property and used my own plug kit to fix it in 5 mins, including 100 pumps on the bike pump to bring it back to 32 psi. Incidentally my repair needed two plugs to fill the hole, maybe I cleaned it out too vigorously? THE RISK of this kind of repair is (1) blowout due to unnoticed slow leak or (2) blowout due to high speed or other high stress maneuver. The perforation weakens the tire carcass, even more when it’s jammed full of a plug. If the tire is stressed enough it can be ripped right apart, all it needs is such a flaw for the tear to begin. Motorcycle stores don’t repair any kind of puncture anymore, because motorcycles are high performance machines with 100% catastrophic result of any blowout. Motorcyclists have a good chance of keeping records of whoever fixed their flats, so next of kin have little problem initiating wrongful death lawsuits when this happens. So: if you can GUARANTEE that the car will be driven very gently until you can get a replacement tire, that’s the only reason to resort to a plug repair. Just my personal opinion- your tire store may not agree. Use your best judgment.
I Found your Video because I just plugged my Michelin like you. I have over 4 yrs and 40K on my tires. I ordered a new set, but in the mean time this plug will do. The shop would not repair it.
Did he said -he change the tire from side to side? The tire should be change from front to back only. Putting it on the other side of the car will make the steel belt inside the tire run a different direction it is use to and may cause steel belt separating from the rubber. Maybe this is the cause of why it began to leak.
Hello, I have a 2016 Civic EX-T and it picked up a 1" 1/8" screw in the exact location as yours. The Tire is a Firestone F-140 which is standard factory equipment. The tire is the rear passenger side and the screw was on the inside just above the sidewall. It developed a slow leak hence the detection. I took to 2 shops and both refused to plug or patch. My friend who has a tow truck business put in a plug yesterday just like yours. So far it's not leaking. I am scheduled for the car's first service next week where the tires will be rotated so the damaged one will now be in the front. I am happy that you got 2 years, 24K miles with the plug. I have to drive 1200 miles to Biloxi in 2 weeks and am debating to change out the tire for peace of mind. My problem with that is the tire only has 4,500 miles on it. What do you think? Thank you.
very nice- I found a nail in the exact same spot and will take it to the garage to see if they will fix it- hopefully they will:)- if not I will do it myself as tires still have about 10k left on them
This is whats so irritating about evolution.. Most people believe that what use to work does not necessarily still do work because there is quote on quote a much better & in terms of tire repair a safer option. A direct side wall repair is an absolute no no in my book. In this example this one is borderline but yes repairable via the plug technique. But what frustrates me is when the nail is not in the middle but in the middle of the groove closes to but not near the side wall because the new & improve plug patch method does not work ! Question I always ask is why not just simply use the old method that worked. Simple response I get is we no longer use that method based on regulation blah blah blah ,,, I always wonder if patches are not considered a viable option & not used in shops why are they still be sold locally ?? Because the still fin work.. smh.. Great vid I appreciate the update. Very helpful
I know a lawn mower tire would hold if the side wall was plugged. I bought a used riding mower with the back tire with a plug sticking nearly 3/4 of an inch out dead center and it held up for 3 summers until I got another hole in it and ran it flat and finally replaced it.
I plugged my tire couple months ago I'm planning to drive to vegas should I be worried it might explode its around 8 hour drive from we're I live 478 miles away should I just replace my tire
Glad to see it worked out. But I will say, coming from someone who works in a tire shop, make sure that you get warranties on your tires when buying them. Obviously warranties very from tire shop to tire shop. You can also tell that your sidewall is giving out as well. I get you like to experiment and all. But just remember not only do you put yourself at risk but others on the road as well.
I just found a nail, over an inch from where your puncture was (more towards center of the tire). I am really hoping the local tire shop will just patch it. They are brand new tires.😥
@@grumpyoldpotatoes7203 Wow, 2 year old comment lol. I must've watched this when I had a nail puncture in the same spot. I patched it and still have the same tires.
Firstly, thanks for this informative video. I live in Bangalore, India. I have got a puncture in the middle of the sidewall on my Volkswagen. I got it fixed with the same kinda plug from one of a tire repair shops here in Bangalore. It is holding psi pretty well. BUt my fear is can i hit the highway with my family in it? BTW, this tire is on rear left side of my car. If i can hit the highway, how safe would it be? And at what max speed I can drive safely without any doubts??? My car shoes are Bridgestone OEMs. Any thoughts are appreciable.
Hey man. I have the exact same problem in my new Ford. Brand new tyres got a nail stuck in it somewhat near the shoulder. I would appreciate some insight from your experience. Did your plug stay for long. Did you have any issues while high speed cruising? Would really appreciate an update on this. Thanks
@@grumpyoldpotatoes7203 Nope. Rear tires are still more important even on front wheel drive in wet weather. Research it. Ideally you want tread even and deep all 4 corners.
@@grumpyoldpotatoes7203 You are wrong. Look it up kid like I told you. It has zero to do with Front or Rear wheel drive and braking on dry roads and all to do with hydroplane and stability in wet conditions. Learn to read and think. Don't be ignorant. Also we are not talking bald tires (less than 3/32" deep tread) which should not be on the car at all. However bald tires can still grip on dry roads. If your car skids in wet conditions and had a choice, you want the front to skid (understeer) as it is easier to control. Back sliding or oversteer is difficult to control and more unstable than front end washing out. There are many videos proving this. REAR TIRES ARE MOST CRITICAL TO WET TRACTION REGARDLESS OF FRONT OT REAR DRIVE. ALWAYS rotate tires and replace all 4 at same time; however if you wear out front tires and have tread on rear, on a front wheel drive car and only getting two new tires, put the new ones on rear and rotate back tires to front. Go to a tire store. They will insist you do this. This is not a debate. You are wrong and lost. GOOGLE IT. Do you know what Google is? Try it. Again you are wrong. th-cam.com/video/b-W6HQa-BG8/w-d-xo.html
+Justin Eiben So far so good. The first one actually leaked a bit more than I liked so I replaced it and put a bit of rubber cement on it. I dont drive a lot, but it's worked out very well for high speeds and all. Thanks for asking!
They did an experiment with a wet road surface to determine best tires front rear information. In the testing they found that when turning at higher and higher speeds, the car lost control earlier with the best tires on the front. Front wheel drive Ford Taurus was the test subject. I ask myself, "Who if foolish enough to press their luck in turns on a wet road?" IMHO, it would be more important to determine what placement of worn tires produces the shortest stopping distance on wet roads? You the reader do what you think is right. But on my car, I put the best tire up front.
Don't know who "they" is, but according to Michelin, an actual tire company, they don't agree or recommend best tires on front. From their site: "... that your dealer always installs the new tires on the rear axle of your vehicle ... If only two tires are being replaced, Michelin generally recommends they be installed on the rear axle in the absence of a tire service professional's recommendation or consumer's preference to the contrary." True that new front tires will provide better braking distance but overall vehicle stability is better option hence rear axle preference www.michelinman.com/auto/tips-and-advice/advice-auto/tire-buying-guide/mixing-tire-brands
yo bruh , u got it backasswards , YOU ALWAYS KEEP THE BETTER TIRES IN FRONT ! ALWAYS !!! if you have a blowout in front ,YOU LOSE YOUR STEERING , that can also break your wrist/finger , if you have a blowout on the rear , unless you're on a curve , you just slow down/ pull over , whoever told you that is WRONG ! SERIOUSLY DUDE ,PLEASE PUT THAT ON THE BACK ,WHERE IT IS SAFER !
Nope, you are wrong. Google it and you'll see that companies always recommend best 2 tires on the rear. Here's direct quote from tirerack site: "When tires are replaced in pairs...the new tires should always be installed on the rear axle and the partially worn tires moved to the front."
@@teppichkopf you do not want a blowout in the front you should put that plug Tire in the rear your situation is different then what you read. I'll put it this way, you should put you in potential blowout Tire in the rear
My state doesn't have silly inspections. But when I lived on east coast and did live in a state that did, they would have never noticed this. The inspection guys basically just ran a racket to sell you new wiper blades
Keith, the fact is I put over 25k miles on this repair with no problems. I check the PSI regularly. And even if it did fail, that is a long way from killing anyone. Lots of people have flat tires. They all killing people?
Even more obvious is the fact that he doesn't live in fear of some hypothetical make believe world where "could have" and "might have" rule his daily life. Shame on you teppichkopt for living your life according to reality opposed to a fantasy world! haha
Not the case. A lot has to do with laws and liability reasons. For example if I fixed a tire in the sidewall like this was and there were to be a blowout and the vehicle rolled and involved a death I could be held liable. Trust I have been in tires for almost 10 years. Most techs, if not all, just want a simple fix and be done with it. I find it really annoying when I can't fix a tire. I have page the person back there and explain to them why it can't be fixed. Depending on what happens its either buy new tire or warranty the tire if bought from us. That means creating a new work order, grabbing the new tire etc. Where I work we also have pull a manager to inspect the tire so that can approve it for tire warranty. If they want their spare on it that can be a real pain in the ass depending on the manufacturer.
I know all the tire shops in North America will tell you to replace and personally I agree with you trying plug in this case, but you shouldn't put it in the front as they are your steering wheels. I once had a rear tire running complete flat on highway and I hardly notice anything in driving until someone came from behind warned me. If that was a blowout in the front it would be a different story.
The people repairs like this cause dangerous problems for are the type of people who also drive their cars low on coolant, with wildly different tire pressures, and with impending major component failures. If you're the kind of person that is highly aware of the state of your vehicle and mechanical things in general, you will know that you have this patched tire in a high-stress area and to always be vigilant about watching it. Anyone with a very basic understanding of engineering can tell this repair is not unacceptably dangerous in and of itself--it is when a shop does it to an idiot's car and they go ripping around on it, banging into the biggest potholes, not giving a shit, collecting government assistance, probably having 30 kids, etc...
I plug tires one right after the other. I have a lawn cutting business and trailer tires are NOT something that I am willing to replace just because of a nail. I plug them all, lol.
teppichkopf I have never had a problem, ever, and I have been doing this for 30 years. I can't understand why garages switched to patches. The only thing I can think of is that some of them can start to fail and need replacing and maybe they got tired of people coming in and demanding a free fix. That's just speculation on my part. If it weren't for the plug I'd be screwed. I've never had a plug come out. They might leak air at most but never had one blow out.
I can't imagine why someone would risk a blowout and their life and public safety for the price of a tire. I can see repairing or plugging tire in an emergency and limping back at a slow speed like being off road on a remote trail but on the highway? that's just poor judgement.
regbale And in some cases, if an accident does occur and the insurance company finds out about the improper repair (and they will), that can be grounds for invalidating the insurance policy. It may hold for thousands of miles, but it eventually will fail and when it does I can assure anyone that the added costs won't be worth the savings of the cost of a new tire. An accident at highway speeds is very dangerous and certainly no amount of cost savings outweighs the risk of severe injury.
nutsackmania Of course everything will fail eventually. Your point is what exactly? Why take a chance and ensure one of the most important components on any vehicle will fail sooner and potentially catastrophically? An undamaged tire's carcass will outlast several tread lives. Aircraft tires are retreaded as long as the tire's structure is undamaged. Sidewall damage is fatal because of how many times they flex. Any sort of weakness will be exacerbated.
Dont listen to these grandpa TROLLS, I just wish I saw this video sooner could have save $150! I got sold on a new tire SMH! I learned a lot from this video especially how easy it is to fix a tire. My $150 mistake SMH Grrrr! Trolls can suck a big one!
TOTALLY WRONG DUDE, if your vehicle is front or rear wheel drive it doesn’t matter, YOU ALWAYS KEEP THE BEST TIRES UP FRONT as the previous spinster stated, for those obvious reasons
@@teppichkopf Best traction on rear to avoid oversteer. So, for example, if you only use 2 winter tires, they go on the rear. But, the rears are less likely to put stress on the sidewall than the front & you're less likely to lose control due to lack of steering, as long as your 1 rear tire is still on good asphalt.
Dude that's wrong, your front tires are your steer tires and if you have a blowout that's when you'll lose control. I'm a trucker and I personal know 2 guys who broke their wrists because they had their arms through the holes in the steering wheel when they had a blowout on one of the front tires. If you look at D.O.T tire rules for commercial drivers the front tires are required to have 4/32 of tread but the rears only 2/32, it because if the fronts blow you have a very high chance of losing control.
Actually you are wrong & teppichkopf
is correct here is the proof & why www.michelin.ca/CA/en/safe-driving/tire-safety/mixing-tires.html
Totally right, a blowout in the front can be catastrophic. That link to the Michelin page doesn’t support any argument that it’s easier to steer a front blowout.
Wow really. Thanks that makes a lot of sense. I was thinking the same way to keep best ones in the front.
Yep, if you're gonna run a patched tire make sure it's on the rear end. If the front blows good luck friendo
Yep you are right
Identical shoulder puncture. Followed your steps the tire is good as new. Drove 20 miles so far no, no leakage!
I just repaired my 2017 Kia Sedona tire this way. The plug is closer to the tread than yours but it seals fine. I checked for the leak. It was a Sunday and nothing was open but the auto parts store.
Yea man, I’m no pro, but I think I’d rather take my chances with a blowout from the rear. Blowouts can be sudden, sudden jerks in the steering is probably more dangerous. To each their own. I appreciate your efforts.
Exactly correct…
Nice updated, thx man!
have a tire with the same kind of shoulder puncture. got it "plugged", and i hope it holds like yours did. if it holds pressure ok, i'm gonna make it my spare; i already ordered a new replacement...
i got a nail in the shoulder of a £140 tire just after i had 4 new ones fitted and was told i need a new tire, so i had another one put on and now that one is like a slick and the others still have great tred left on them. over a year later and now im pissed off all over again. i wish i had plugged it.
Thanks for sharing. I have and am currently living with the same repair. I am mindful that any puncture and plug repair weakens the tire and increases the chance of a blow out. This happened to me once on the freeway with a tire plugged on the face, not sidewall. I think I hit a hole with the plug and it blew, fortunately maintained control and pulled over safely. If you do a plug repair, I highly recommend also putting in Slime to plug the nagging slow leaks and help with the bubbling problem. I noticed some slight bubbling developing around the plug in your video. The air has escaped the inner belts and is blowing a bubble in the outer rubber. When that pops the tire is done.
Yeah, thanks for the additional thoughts about using some Slime too.
Exactly. Stupid tire shops tell you not to fix it. I think it'll work fine. YOu're a good example of how it works fine ...
It's not that the tire shops are stupid, why risk a 3 million dollar lawsuit over a tire? Insurance and DOT regulations say they can't fix sidewalls
Thanks for showing us a update, u have used common sense with your repair.
Nothing wrong with plug patches if installed correctly they will last the rest of the life of the tire.
Beware everyone. Come on. A blow out in front is worse than in the rear.
it depends on front wheel drive or rear to which you want on the front or rear
I have 43000 miles on a middle sidewall plug. tire is almost bald lol but doesn't leak.
It looks like a bubble is forming in that tire to me. I wouldn't run it, but you're going to, so at least you're keeping a close eye on it. If it gets any worse, avoid the blowout and replace the tire.
I got the same repair done on the same spot. The tire is still new. Fuckn road nails. Were you able to drive 7+ hours on a single driving session with it? Any loss of psi? All good?
Thanks for making this video
Is that a plug/patch or just a plug?
The laws suggest such repairs to be good for a temporary fix and not permanent. The tire blowout is mostly due to very low tire pressure that can happen due to leakage from a temporary fix. But if the fix is not leaking for sometime, keeping an eye on it for a month or so, it should be good. Sometimes it's very costly to replace a tire, specially if it's low profile winter tires on an AWD. If one tire is bad, all tires have to be replaced to avoid damage to AWD differentials and transaxle, not to mention the vehicle's warranty. Great video showing long term results.
That repair looks safe to me. I wish the tire industry could show me some science
regarding why this is so unsafe. Why does one nail hole destroy your tire, regardless of where it is? If one nail can destroy a tire the designs need to change, tires are pathetic! Show me a demo... fill that tire to 90 lbs and crush it, I dare you. That plug is never coming out of there! The valve would pop out first. Show my why I'm wrong...don't tell me the company sales line. I want to see these plugs fail in real life
otherwise I will have to continue thinking the whole industry is a scam!
Jay Marion I'd love to see testing like you mentioned! .... 3 years and over 40,000 miles later my plug is still there. These tires recently hit the 6 year age so I will likely be replacing all 4 soon. I'm glad I decided to plug this tire and document my findings.
teppichkopf Thanks for doing your videos, they are very informative. I have a plug for a nail in exactly in the same position. I'll monitor it a let you know how it goes. Thanks again...
“That repair looks safe”, see to me, it doesn’t look too safe. What I see, just below the plug, is a slight bulge in the circular ridge of rubber. When the tire is moved around I think I can see sort of a bulge in the area. So that’s evidence that the tire is starting to distort and to fail. I could be wrong, it looks very subtle.
I’m not against driving on compromised equipment, just be aware of the potential to fail suddenly. You just need to drive accordingly and monitor its condition. It’s just $100 or so, just save up for the replacement if need be.
@@Grunchy005 it's the plug, the side wall is thinner. I just did a shoulder repair on a brand new (500 miles) set of tires and it bugled as soon as I plugged it.
I know it's been 4 years but I am pretty sure it's a liability reason. The sidewalls handle all the pressure from the tire. You can repair sidewall damage but there is a good chance that eventually it will fail and pop which could cause you to lose control which could be fatal when travelling at higher speeds. Plugs wouldn't work if the damage is on the actual sidewall and not near the tread.
I don’t understand the logic behind NOT replacing a sidewall hole. “Plugs create a weak point”. But nothing happened when I got the hole to begin with. Just a leak. Now if bubbles and bulging occurred or occurs from that hole, I’d get rid of it ASAP. But after 8 months, no sign of that. Ram1500
Thanks for doing the experiment. Did you consider sliming it and then test the sustained pressure ?
I didn't try that. Just wanted to test the plug itself, but some Slime might have helped the slow leak for sure.
I got a long nail in my rear motorcycle tire. Was leaking to much air. Nail punctured through tread and out the sidewall. A couple plugs and was able to ride the rest of day. No leaks patched next day in mexico they will fix sidewall and no leaks its been 3 months. It had less than 300miles on tire when punctured so didnt want to replace 240dll tire. Tire now has 2800 miles after repair.
dude I just had a nail in my sidewall and when I was using the plug tool the plugs were pulling out with the tool instead of staying inside the tire hole like they normally do I had to use my finger and then nailed it was in my tire to hold down over the hole so that the plug would stay in when I pull the tool out I've been running on it for about a week now bubble test no leaking. I'm using one of those kits you buy from Walmart that has the tools the plugs and the rubber cement
just to clarify I had to lay the nail down flat Over the Hole while the tool and the plug we're inside the hole so that when I pulled it out it would keep the plug from coming out with the tool I'm thinking maybe the rubber cement is helping out a lot
I had the same issue I just ended up removing the tire from the rim and patching it from the inside with a patch so far works good no problems
I gotta do this to the backup car until the new tire comes in. I'd always advise just replacing, but life happens. The reason for keeping the best tires up front can be explained like this-ever seen police do a pit maneuver? Same concept when you lose a rear tire.
Great experiment. I'm sure a lot (like me) who are curious about this "transitional" area between the steel belt driving end of the tire and the shoulder. I got a nail myself and got a slow leak in the same place. I'm going to take the car in tomorrow to see if they plug or patch it. I'll update once I understand what they say. I'm in cold weather zone (Canada) so I'm sure that will affect the decision of replacing or patch/plugging.
No update.
Back in my "poor student days" (many decades ago), I would not replace a tire as long as it was holding air even if the cords / belts were showing... I got pretty good at changing tires on the way to school and had my share of front and rear flats while driving... Back then, my definition of "holding air" meant that the tire pressure did not get *too* low within 24 hours... With the car that I was driving back then, I don't remember a front tire flat being *too* much worse than a rear tire flat... On the other hand, I've had front and rear tire flats on motorcycles and although both can be "interesting", a front tire flat gets "white knuckle interesting" very quickly...
I just got a similar puncture, took it to the tire store, they declined to patch. I don’t blame them because any service or advice they provide, even if free, brings liability. So to be clear, THAT is the reason they have to decline to help.
No problem for me, I drove it off their property and used my own plug kit to fix it in 5 mins, including 100 pumps on the bike pump to bring it back to 32 psi. Incidentally my repair needed two plugs to fill the hole, maybe I cleaned it out too vigorously?
THE RISK of this kind of repair is (1) blowout due to unnoticed slow leak or (2) blowout due to high speed or other high stress maneuver. The perforation weakens the tire carcass, even more when it’s jammed full of a plug. If the tire is stressed enough it can be ripped right apart, all it needs is such a flaw for the tear to begin. Motorcycle stores don’t repair any kind of puncture anymore, because motorcycles are high performance machines with 100% catastrophic result of any blowout. Motorcyclists have a good chance of keeping records of whoever fixed their flats, so next of kin have little problem initiating wrongful death lawsuits when this happens.
So: if you can GUARANTEE that the car will be driven very gently until you can get a replacement tire, that’s the only reason to resort to a plug repair. Just my personal opinion- your tire store may not agree. Use your best judgment.
I Found your Video because I just plugged my Michelin like you. I have over 4 yrs and 40K on my tires. I ordered a new set, but in the mean time this plug will do. The shop would not repair it.
Because it's against the law for shop's to do that type of repair close to the sidewall.
Did he said -he change the tire from side to side? The tire should be change from front to back only. Putting it on the other side of the car will make the steel belt inside the tire run a different direction it is use to and may cause steel belt separating from the rubber. Maybe this is the cause of why it began to leak.
Did you use glue/rubber cement on the plug?
Hello, I have a 2016 Civic EX-T and it picked up a 1" 1/8" screw in the exact location as yours. The Tire is a Firestone F-140 which is standard factory equipment. The tire is the rear passenger side and the screw was on the inside just above the sidewall. It developed a slow leak hence the detection. I took to 2 shops and both refused to plug or patch. My friend who has a tow truck business put in a plug yesterday just like yours. So far it's not leaking. I am scheduled for the car's first service next week where the tires will be rotated so the damaged one will now be in the front. I am happy that you got 2 years, 24K miles with the plug. I have to drive 1200 miles to Biloxi in 2 weeks and am debating to change out the tire for peace of mind. My problem with that is the tire only has 4,500 miles on it. What do you think? Thank you.
Do you remember how it held up? If it works for atleast 2 months it’ll save me $622.37 for new rears.
very nice- I found a nail in the exact same spot and will take it to the garage to see if they will fix it- hopefully they will:)- if not I will do it myself as tires still have about 10k left on them
This is whats so irritating about evolution.. Most people believe that what use to work does not necessarily still do work because there is quote on quote a much better & in terms of tire repair a safer option. A direct side wall repair is an absolute no no in my book. In this example this one is borderline but yes repairable via the plug technique. But what frustrates me is when the nail is not in the middle but in the middle of the groove closes to but not near the side wall because the new & improve plug patch method does not work ! Question I always ask is why not just simply use the old method that worked. Simple response I get is we no longer use that method based on regulation blah blah blah ,,, I always wonder if patches are not considered a viable option & not used in shops why are they still be sold locally ?? Because the still fin work.. smh.. Great vid I appreciate the update. Very helpful
Thanks for this
Do you think a lawn mower tire would work if the damage was to the extreme side wall and if I plugged it in?
Yes, I'd imagine a lawn mower tire could be plugged in such a way.
I know a lawn mower tire would hold if the side wall was plugged. I bought a used riding mower with the back tire with a plug sticking nearly 3/4 of an inch out dead center and it held up for 3 summers until I got another hole in it and ran it flat and finally replaced it.
I plugged my tire couple months ago I'm planning to drive to vegas should I be worried it might explode its around 8 hour drive from we're I live 478 miles away should I just replace my tire
If you are really unsure about the repair you should replace the tire.
Glad to see it worked out. But I will say, coming from someone who works in a tire shop, make sure that you get warranties on your tires when buying them. Obviously warranties very from tire shop to tire shop. You can also tell that your sidewall is giving out as well. I get you like to experiment and all. But just remember not only do you put yourself at risk but others on the road as well.
I just found a nail, over an inch from where your puncture was (more towards center of the tire). I am really hoping the local tire shop will just patch it. They are brand new tires.😥
That's a bummer for new tires. Hope they can patch yours.
Spiritisalive1 did they do it?
@@grumpyoldpotatoes7203 Wow, 2 year old comment lol. I must've watched this when I had a nail puncture in the same spot. I patched it and still have the same tires.
Firstly, thanks for this informative video. I live in Bangalore, India. I have got a puncture in the middle of the sidewall on my Volkswagen. I got it fixed with the same kinda plug from one of a tire repair shops here in Bangalore. It is holding psi pretty well. BUt my fear is can i hit the highway with my family in it? BTW, this tire is on rear left side of my car. If i can hit the highway, how safe would it be? And at what max speed I can drive safely without any doubts??? My car shoes are Bridgestone OEMs. Any thoughts are appreciable.
Hey man. I have the exact same problem in my new Ford. Brand new tyres got a nail stuck in it somewhat near the shoulder. I would appreciate some insight from your experience. Did your plug stay for long. Did you have any issues while high speed cruising? Would really appreciate an update on this. Thanks
Worn tires rear. Newer tires in the front. They probably trolled you but keep the plugged one in the rear.
How long did this tire end up lasting???
My last update was over 42,000 miles.
I'm still putting my bad tires on back I'm not trying to steer a flat 😂
That's the thing... in the front, you have control of the flat. If it's in the back, you got nada.
@@teppichkopf I'll take my chances steering good tires backs get pulled behind
The reason you want best on rear is for traction not for blowout. Wet weather test show best to have better tires on rear.
@@grumpyoldpotatoes7203 Nope. Rear tires are still more important even on front wheel drive in wet weather. Research it. Ideally you want tread even and deep all 4 corners.
@@grumpyoldpotatoes7203 You are wrong. Look it up kid like I told you. It has zero to do with Front or Rear wheel drive and braking on dry roads and all to do with hydroplane and stability in wet conditions. Learn to read and think. Don't be ignorant. Also we are not talking bald tires (less than 3/32" deep tread) which should not be on the car at all. However bald tires can still grip on dry roads. If your car skids in wet conditions and had a choice, you want the front to skid (understeer) as it is easier to control. Back sliding or oversteer is difficult to control and more unstable than front end washing out. There are many videos proving this. REAR TIRES ARE MOST CRITICAL TO WET TRACTION REGARDLESS OF FRONT OT REAR DRIVE. ALWAYS rotate tires and replace all 4 at same time; however if you wear out front tires and have tread on rear, on a front wheel drive car and only getting two new tires, put the new ones on rear and rotate back tires to front. Go to a tire store. They will insist you do this. This is not a debate. You are wrong and lost. GOOGLE IT.
Do you know what Google is? Try it. Again you are wrong.
th-cam.com/video/b-W6HQa-BG8/w-d-xo.html
Wow, I got a nail in just about the same spot on my Audi's tire, but on the outside. Let's see how long my plug lasts.
+soulseeka1 how is that plug holding up?
+Justin Eiben So far so good. The first one actually leaked a bit more than I liked so I replaced it and put a bit of rubber cement on it. I dont drive a lot, but it's worked out very well for high speeds and all. Thanks for asking!
+soulseeka1 just got a screw in the same spot. hope everything works out well. the tire still has good tread on it
+Justin Eiben Give it a shot. Put some rubber cement on it if it leaks some.
Hey I’m not chancing a road tripI’m just trying to make it to the tire pump
That isnt really the sidewall. There is chord on that section and plug should hold. I have done it too.
They did an experiment with a wet road surface to determine best tires front rear information. In the testing they found that when turning at higher and higher speeds, the car lost control earlier with the best tires on the front. Front wheel drive Ford Taurus was the test subject. I ask myself, "Who if foolish enough to press their luck in turns on a wet road?" IMHO, it would be more important to determine what placement of worn tires produces the shortest stopping distance on wet roads? You the reader do what you think is right. But on my car, I put the best tire up front.
Don't know who "they" is, but according to Michelin, an actual tire company, they don't agree or recommend best tires on front. From their site: "... that your dealer always installs the new tires on the rear axle of your vehicle ... If only two tires are being replaced, Michelin generally recommends they be installed on the rear axle in the absence of a tire service professional's recommendation or consumer's preference to the contrary."
True that new front tires will provide better braking distance but overall vehicle stability is better option hence rear axle preference
www.michelinman.com/auto/tips-and-advice/advice-auto/tire-buying-guide/mixing-tire-brands
yeah i drove down to the steel for months, this can't be any worse
yo bruh , u got it backasswards , YOU ALWAYS KEEP THE BETTER TIRES IN FRONT ! ALWAYS !!! if you have a blowout in front ,YOU LOSE YOUR STEERING , that can also break your wrist/finger , if you have a blowout on the rear , unless you're on a curve , you just slow down/ pull over , whoever told you that is WRONG ! SERIOUSLY DUDE ,PLEASE PUT THAT ON THE BACK ,WHERE IT IS SAFER !
Nope, you are wrong. Google it and you'll see that companies always recommend best 2 tires on the rear. Here's direct quote from tirerack site: "When tires are replaced in pairs...the new tires should always be installed on the rear axle and the partially worn tires moved to the front."
@@teppichkopf you do not want a blowout in the front you should put that plug Tire in the rear your situation is different then what you read. I'll put it this way, you should put you in potential blowout Tire in the rear
@@teppichkopf I wonder if you are mistaking "worn tire safety" for "patched/plugged tire safety".
You car passed inspection?
My state doesn't have silly inspections. But when I lived on east coast and did live in a state that did, they would have never noticed this. The inspection guys basically just ran a racket to sell you new wiper blades
teppichkopf That's funny. Yeah, Florida doesn't have state inspection either.
Keith, the fact is I put over 25k miles on this repair with no problems. I check the PSI regularly. And even if it did fail, that is a long way from killing anyone. Lots of people have flat tires. They all killing people?
Even more obvious is the fact that he doesn't live in fear of some hypothetical make believe world where "could have" and "might have" rule his daily life. Shame on you teppichkopt for living your life according to reality opposed to a fantasy world! haha
Hell yes, plug em. They just say you can't fix it so they can sell new ones, charge you a disposal fee, fix them and sell them to somebody else.
Not the case. A lot has to do with laws and liability reasons. For example if I fixed a tire in the sidewall like this was and there were to be a blowout and the vehicle rolled and involved a death I could be held liable. Trust I have been in tires for almost 10 years. Most techs, if not all, just want a simple fix and be done with it. I find it really annoying when I can't fix a tire. I have page the person back there and explain to them why it can't be fixed. Depending on what happens its either buy new tire or warranty the tire if bought from us. That means creating a new work order, grabbing the new tire etc. Where I work we also have pull a manager to inspect the tire so that can approve it for tire warranty. If they want their spare on it that can be a real pain in the ass depending on the manufacturer.
Did you waste money on insurance? It's invalid with that fix...
No it's not, but thanks anyway!
I know all the tire shops in North America will tell you to replace and personally I agree with you trying plug in this case, but you shouldn't put it in the front as they are your steering wheels. I once had a rear tire running complete flat on highway and I hardly notice anything in driving until someone came from behind warned me. If that was a blowout in the front it would be a different story.
Plugged them my whole life, never had an issue. Also use camel plugs. Rock !
I just did a very similar repair, I’ll keep everyone posted
20 PSI is low!
glad it's fine for you but one blow out is all it takes
The people repairs like this cause dangerous problems for are the type of people who also drive their cars low on coolant, with wildly different tire pressures, and with impending major component failures. If you're the kind of person that is highly aware of the state of your vehicle and mechanical things in general, you will know that you have this patched tire in a high-stress area and to always be vigilant about watching it. Anyone with a very basic understanding of engineering can tell this repair is not unacceptably dangerous in and of itself--it is when a shop does it to an idiot's car and they go ripping around on it, banging into the biggest potholes, not giving a shit, collecting government assistance, probably having 30 kids, etc...
Your a bigger idiot than the idiot's your talking about just for mentioning the idiot's you moron!
This video is 3 years old. Did you make a video after the blowout 🤓
He had a update, the repaired tire lasted 3 years, over 40k miles till all 4 tires were worn.
Your really one cocky person aidan you don't even know how to drive and your talking shit
I plug tires one right after the other. I have a lawn cutting business and trailer tires are NOT something that I am willing to replace just because of a nail. I plug them all, lol.
Have you plugged on the edge of the tire like I did without problem?
teppichkopf I have never had a problem, ever, and I have been doing this for 30 years. I can't understand why garages switched to patches. The only thing I can think of is that some of them can start to fail and need replacing and maybe they got tired of people coming in and demanding a free fix. That's just speculation on my part. If it weren't for the plug I'd be screwed. I've never had a plug come out. They might leak air at most but never had one blow out.
Just don’t use that butt lube that came with the plugs. Always use a vulcanizing adhesive when installing plugs.
Shop don't want to do it because they don't want to be responsible for it.that is simple.
I can't imagine why someone would risk a blowout and their life and public safety for the price of a tire. I can see repairing or plugging tire in an emergency and limping back at a slow speed like being off road on a remote trail but on the highway? that's just poor judgement.
regbale And in some cases, if an accident does occur and the insurance company finds out about the improper repair (and they will), that can be grounds for invalidating the insurance policy. It may hold for thousands of miles, but it eventually will fail and when it does I can assure anyone that the added costs won't be worth the savings of the cost of a new tire. An accident at highway speeds is very dangerous and certainly no amount of cost savings outweighs the risk of severe injury.
+nigahiga6400 Everything will eventually fail, dumbass.
nutsackmania Of course everything will fail eventually. Your point is what exactly? Why take a chance and ensure one of the most important components on any vehicle will fail sooner and potentially catastrophically? An undamaged tire's carcass will outlast several tread lives. Aircraft tires are retreaded as long as the tire's structure is undamaged. Sidewall damage is fatal because of how many times they flex. Any sort of weakness will be exacerbated.
Dont listen to these grandpa TROLLS, I just wish I saw this video sooner could have save $150! I got sold on a new tire SMH! I learned a lot from this video especially how easy it is to fix a tire. My $150 mistake SMH Grrrr! Trolls can suck a big one!
did you have to replace more than 1 tyre?
Actually you got away cheap
In our country repairing a sidewall puncture is illegal, best tyres need to be the steer tyres.
Wow folks and that's how you play Russian roulette with your car... lets just hope you don't have a blowout and roll your car 10 times
Aidan Alexis so how long u been driving smart guy
It's probably the kids mom in his account
TOTALLY WRONG DUDE, if your vehicle is front or rear wheel drive it doesn’t matter, YOU ALWAYS KEEP THE BEST TIRES UP FRONT as the previous spinster stated, for those obvious reasons
Websites from various tire manufactures, mechanics, and tire vendors that say best tires in back. I'm gonna go with them.
Ass backwards! Put the vulnerable tire on rear! Blowing a steer tire you can’t control anything
Wrong. Go read what tire manufacturers recommend. Best tires always on the rear.
Lol ive had front and rear blow outs I don’t have to ask anyone which was controllable
@@teppichkopf you absolutely put best tires on the front. Who manufactured your tires? China?
@@teppichkopf Best traction on rear to avoid oversteer. So, for example, if you only use 2 winter tires, they go on the rear. But, the rears are less likely to put stress on the sidewall than the front & you're less likely to lose control due to lack of steering, as long as your 1 rear tire is still on good asphalt.
just buy a new tire. are you so poor waO. 😔
Poo