Tire repair plugs on my daily driver - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

funola · #1 07-13-2017, 08:50 AM

On my daily driver, a 92 VW idi diesel, I've been driving around for a year on a 2 diagonal (F&R) tires with a very slow leak. Last summer I pulled the wheels, submerged in water but saw no bubbles. So I put them back on and just keep putting air in them every 4 to 6 days where it would lose about 5 to 10 psi. These tires have about 30 % thread life left and I did not feel like getting them fixed @ $12 ea at a tire shop or buy new tires just yet. A few days ago I I pulled the wheels again to find the leak and found a finishing nail in each tire hidden under the threads. I sprayed soapy water on it and it showed a tiny bubble approx every 5 seconds, which explains why I did not see any bubbles in the submerged test. (Pic shows nail pulled out a little with dikes).

I learned long ago if you have a nail in your tire, don't pull it out unless you are prepared to fix it immediately otherwise you are guaranteed a flat. Apparently I drove around for a year with 2 nails in the tires with no collateral damage!

So I pulled the nails and put a plug in each, no bubbles per soapy water, inflated and installed the wheels and so far they are holding pressure. The tire plug package instructions says this is a temporary fix and to get a proper patch installed. I don't understand why that is since the patch plug (no leaks) has to be better than the nail plug (very slow leak) that was there.

Anyone with experience driving around with a tire plug?

Some notes:
1. I was not strong enough to push the rasp cleaning tool nor the tire plug tool into the tire. I had to hammer them in with a rubber mallet.

2. Dikes (wire cutter) did not trim the plugs which were tough and springy. I had to use scissors, which made it easier but still tough to cut.

3. If the tire is fully inflated (I keep mine at around 40 psi), if you work quickly after pulling the nail, the tire will not be totally flat and you should have enough air in it to drive to a gas station.

4. I am keeping all tools and parts needed in the car to do a tire plug, which can be done with wheel mounted.

funola · #2 07-13-2017, 08:54 AM

I keep this air tank in the car which is a lot more convenient/ faster than a 12 v pump.

Mike D · #3 07-13-2017, 09:21 AM

Tire plugs as a temporary fix are okay. A patch is a better, more permanent repair.

Part of the problem with plugs is in order to install them, you need to do more damage to insert them. You need to enlarge the original puncture and force the plug though the embedded belts distorting their weave. This can create a weakened spot which MAY or may NOT create a problem later on down the road.

Patching a tire keeps the integrity of the woven belts.

I've used the plugs many times for temporary repairs when I'm out in the boonies but I wouldn't drive for a long distance at highway speeds.

As always, YMMV.

barry12345 · #4 07-13-2017, 10:17 AM

It may not be the absolute best ideal. Yet for a very long time people have just had plugs installed and lived with it. They in general have seemed to both worked and lasted in the bulk of situations.

Mxfrank · #5 07-13-2017, 11:40 AM

Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails while you're speeding down the road. But the punctured tires on the front, and you'll have better control in case the plugs let go.

funola · #6 07-13-2017, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mxfrank

Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails while you're speeding down the road. But the punctured tires on the front, and you'll have better control in case the plugs let go.

Is your statement from personal experience, i.e. has a plug failed on you while driving?

funola · #7 07-13-2017, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike D

Tire plugs as a temporary fix are okay. A patch is a better, more permanent repair.

Part of the problem with plugs is in order to install them, you need to do more damage to insert them. You need to enlarge the original puncture and force the plug though the embedded belts distorting their weave. This can create a weakened spot which MAY or may NOT create a problem later on down the road.

Patching a tire keeps the integrity of the woven belts.

I've used the plugs many times for temporary repairs when I'm out in the boonies but I wouldn't drive for a long distance at highway speeds.

As always, YMMV.

Maybe a patch is better than a plug theoretically. But knowing that I had a nail in the tire for a year which did not cause further damage to the tire, I feel pretty good driving around with the plug. There's a steel belt in there and I'd think it would keep the hole from getting larger and the plug from failing.

rocky raccoon · #8 07-13-2017, 09:07 AM

Plugs are fine. I drove my Dodge Ram for three years on aa self installed plug.

oldsinner111 · #9 07-13-2017, 09:20 AM

last 10 years is all I carry,a professional plug kit,with rubber cement,to inflate I carry a can of sealer for large truck tires.The little cans won,t work for our big cars.

funola · #10 07-13-2017, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldsinner111

last 10 years is all I carry,a professional plug kit,with rubber cement,to inflate I carry a can of sealer for large truck tires.The little cans won,t work for our big cars.

The Slime brand of tire plugs I used did not come with/ need rubber cement, the strips are really gooey and tough. I seem to recall using a tire plug 20 years ago that was more of a rubber strip that needed rubber cement. I think the type w/o cement is superior because rubber cement dries out rather quickly and you may not have any when you need it.

Diseasel300 · #11 07-13-2017, 02:43 PM

So long as the plug is installed in the tread belt, no problem. I've driven for years on self-installed tire plugs with no collateral damage. If the plug is on the sidewall or close to the edge of the tread belt, it's worth considering a new tire or a professional repair.

DeliveryValve · #12 07-13-2017, 04:04 PM

FWIW- Right in the begining of my freshman year in college, I noticed a hissing sound coming from my tire and it was a nail causing it. As a poor and adventurous college kid, I decided to make use of what I had. I took an old used windshield wiper rubber blade I had in my trunk, folded it, and covered it with rubber cement I had for my bicycle inner tube patch kit. Using the folded part of the blade, I put it on a screward driver and shoved it into the hole where the nail had been in.
My tire tread was pretty good then, and those tires lasted another 4 years before getting new one. It held pressure with only adding air with the other tires during routine maintenance.
I had a couple of other plugs put in by tire shops, they held air, but didn't keep the tire or that particular car long.
Usually, if I get a flat, I insist on a patch.

.

nelbur · #13 07-13-2017, 08:55 PM

I built homes for a living for about 16 years. Nails and screws in tires is just part of the job. I would guess I have installed a hundred plugs. I have never had a problem with a plug, however, it can be difficult to get the plug through the steel belt, and a poorly installed plug could fail. I consider plugs as permanent. I believe the mention of "temporary" is a CYA statement for those that have trouble installing the plug properly. A simple patch without a plug, is not a proper repair as water and air can get to the steel belt and cause it to deteriorate. A simple patch over a plug is fine, but if the plug is holding air, I would not bother.

I have a steel plug in my pickup tire that has been there for at least 5 years. Sometimes those nails go straight in and don't cause a leak.

funola · #14 07-13-2017, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelbur

I built homes for a living for about 16 years. Nails and screws in tires is just part of the job. I would guess I have installed a hundred plugs. I have never had a problem with a plug, however, it can be difficult to get the plug through the steel belt, and a poorly installed plug could fail. I consider plugs as permanent. I believe the mention of "temporary" is a CYA statement for those that have trouble installing the plug properly. A simple patch without a plug, is not a proper repair as water and air can get to the steel belt and cause it to deteriorate. A simple patch over a plug is fine, but if the plug is holding air, I would not bother.

I have a steel plug in my pickup tire that has been there for at least 5 years. Sometimes those nails go straight in and don't cause a leak.

After installing the plug and noticed how tough it was to get through the steel belt, I can't see how the plug could fail. I too thought the warning the plug is temporary is just a CYA.

Good point a patch alone can fail with water getting into the steel belt (it's magnetic, I checked) and cause damage.

I bought the plug kit with the 2 tools years ago where the consumables are long gone. The Slime plugs was bought last week and its instructions did not mention using rubber cement. I just watched a few youtube videos on tire plug repair and all of them used cement to coat the tools before insertion, which would make the tools go in easier since the cement acts as a lube. I had a hard time getting the tool in without the cement (had to hammer it in with a mallet) but it sealed fine and did not leak. Good to know both ways work.

Diesel911 · #15 07-14-2017, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funola

After installing the plug and noticed how tough it was to get through the steel belt, I can't see how the plug could fail. I too thought the warning the plug is temporary is just a CYA.

Good point a patch alone can fail with water getting into the steel belt (it's magnetic, I checked) and cause damage.

I bought the plug kit with the 2 tools years ago where the consumables are long gone. The Slime plugs was bought last week and its instructions did not mention using rubber cement. I just watched a few youtube videos on tire plug repair and all of them used cement to coat the tools before insertion, which would make the tools go in easier since the cement acts as a lube. I had a hard time getting the tool in without the cement (had to hammer it in with a mallet) but it sealed fine and did not leak. Good to know both ways work.

The Steel Belts squriming around over time can cut the plug.

The Steel Belts around the area of the hole can rust.

I have only noticed this with the type of plugs I use and the area I worked which was a yard with 40 acres of dirt. I found that the plugs which were made of stringy threads cotton threads impregnated with rubber cement it seemed that the dirt absorbed the cement out of them and dried them out and they would at a later date leak.

I used my own plugs to fix the company vehicles. There may have been another type of plug that would not have dried out. It was just easier for me to use mine and get the job over with.