Question about tire plugging...

[phishstics]

Gotta love when you get new tires, and 5 days later, you find a screw jammed in one of them.

Driving home from work the other day, I heard what I thought was a rock caught in the tread of one of my new Toyo Proxes 4's...the driver-side rear to be exact. I got home and took a look, and sure enough, a huge screw embedded itself in my tire

Today, it is off to the tire place to get plugged (Town Fair Tire). I was wondering what your experiences were with tire plugs and what I should know. A lot of people say they're great, but from what I understand, only if they're done properly, from the INSIDE of the tire. I have a feeling that Town Fair Tire will be doing the repair from the outside.

Can I expect the same performance from the tire? Can I expect to have it replugged in a few thousand miles? I don't want to be left on the side of the road changing a tire in the brutal NE wintertime...should I just buy a new tire??? Thanks.

[Tire Guy]

phishtics, sorry to hear about your misfortune! Where is the hole? In the tread, sidewall or shoulder? Patching is the preferred method and the only one approved by the RMA. There is a combination patch/plug that is supposed to be very good, but not many dealers use it (it's expensive). Plugging a tire is really not recommended.

Once a tire has been repaired, the performance shouldn't be affected (assuming the patch is holding), but the tire is no longer considered speed rated. If the tire is not repairable (hole is in the shoulder/sidewall), PM me and I'll see if we can get you a policy concession.

[grahamb]

For some reason I used to have a knack for getting screws stuck in my tires. In my old civic I had 5-7 plugs in my tires. I would usually just go to a gas station and get a $10 plug....mostly done witht he tire still on the car. Some of the plugs had over 50,000 miles on them with no problem.

i wouldn't worry about it.

[phishstics]

hey toyo...screw was in the tread...not sure if they patched or plugged, or a combo of both, but they did insist the took the tire off of the wheel and plugged it from the inside. everything seems ok to me now, i haven't noticed any pressure loss since they fixed it, and i've done about 300 miles of driving.

[2004SGM]

Take your car to any Discount Tire Co. They do flat repairs for absolutely no cost, and they do it right. Unlike most places where they just stick a plug and some sealant in the tire, Discount Tire uses a plug/patch combo. The plug goes thru from the inside of the tire to the outside. A patch is attached to the plug as it slides through and patches the inside of the tire. You won't have any problems at all with this method.

[Tire Guy]

Take your car to any Discount Tire Co.

That is very good advice, as Discount is a very reputable chain. However, you overlooking a couple of important points.

1. phishtics lives in Connecticut. There are no Discount Tire stores in CT. Taking your advice, poor phishtics would have to drive all the way to Ohio or North Carolina, passing hundreds of tire shops along the way and spend at least $50 in fuel to get his "free" tire repair.

2. phishtics stated he already got the tire fixed!

[Stretch]

NTB, I understand, uses the plug and patch method. I believe they're nationwide. I wonder if Sears auto does too, then, since they're owned by the same people (Sears).