Found this in a tire.

[Sigblitz]

A tire repair shop wanted to patch my plug because it was safer. It leaked. Next time I plugged a tire, I had it patched, for safety. It leaked. I prefer plugging my own, for safety.

 

[Sigblitz]

Plugs, yes, should be free as they are meant to be temporary and last I checked were not supported by tire manufacturers or industry standards. I mean proper repairs with vulcanized patches from the inside. In my short stint as a dealer tech the guy in the bay across from me did a plug as a "courtesy" during other work and didn't tell the service writer much less the customer (that was far from the most unprofessional hack I saw him do).



Like music and management, there are some people that have the knack. In the shop, I saw about a person a year like you that had multiple plugs that that weren't leaking and more power to you. However 99.999% of people do not have the knack and I did proper patch repairs of leaking plugs several times a week. I got out of the arts because I don't have the knack and I tell others when they talk about wanting to go into the arts that hey, kudos if you can do it but it's hard and most ppl don't have the knack, etc.

The difference in the effect on the tire between a plug and a reamed out plug/patch is that the plug is if the user doesn't ream out the hole to be circular, the plug can wedge open the corners. Also that nowhere in the plug's length is it any wider so the only thing holding it in is friction, the vulcanizing goop (if the user used it), and a prayer.

You push the middle of the plug through. The fold in the middle is wider. I've had 100% success with plugs, 0% with inside patches.

 

[ATOMonkey]

I get the $25 per tire warranty. Busted belt from hitting a pot hole $25. Nail through the sidewall $25. The only issue is that I don't run over catastrophic debris with all 4 tires consistently.

 

[KLB]

I do as well. Last tire that went flat ruined the sidewall by the time I got over to the side of the road where I could get out of the car safely.

 

[printcraft]

.......Also take the time to rotate the air in your tires. That really helps!

If you put 15 lbs. of air in each tire instead of 35 lbs. you have lowered your unsprung weight by 80 lbs. overall.

 

[KLB]

If you put 15 lbs. of air in each tire instead of 35 lbs. you have lowered your unsprung weight by 80 lbs. overall.

 

[CPT Nervous]

I'm glad you reminded us! I'm still running with the air from last fall, I need to get it rotated ASAP!

I fill my tires with antifreeze in the fall, right before the first freeze. If you leave the summer air in your tires, when it gets cold the air will freeze, and the tires become rigid. That's really hard on your suspension.

 

[Sigblitz]

Checked the air in the bikes today. I took out the flat, stale air and added fresh summer air.

 

[Thor]

Checked the air in the bikes today. I took out the flat, stale air and added fresh summer air.

 

[russc2542]

A tire repair shop wanted to patch my plug because it was safer. It leaked. Next time I plugged a tire, I had it patched, for safety. It leaked. I prefer plugging my own, for safety.

Clearly not my handiwork... just go back in time and bring it in to me and it'll outlast the tire. Or at least try a different shop. Other guys in the shop sometimes mocked me for taking the time to do things right. I mocked them for their comeback rates. Like I said, I've had plugs come out (someone else's handiwork on a borrowed car) which left a bad taste in my mouth and fixed many that did leak. Those of you that do have the knack, keep right on doing them .

Notice I'm not saying you can't or that it should be illegal, or you're going to hell for it, bla bla bla, just giving a different side of the story based on my experience.

Also, having worked in a shop (and dealership for a bit) and observed who else works there is part of why I put in a lift and do my own work as much as possible

 

[scottka]

My mom picked this up in her tire a couple years ago. Couldn’t believe it. We still have the vice grips around somewhere after we dug them out of the completely obliterated tire.