As opposed to doing nothing, that is. (I’m aware that many say tire plugs are only temporary and you need to patch them. That’s not what this thread is about.)
Situation: One of my tires was very low on air (about 15-20 psi vs the recommended 41), so I took a closer look and saw an embedded screw. So I jacked up the van and removed the tire, but when I pulled out the screw the air did not come out. So I assume there was some sort of very small hole which closed up when the screw came out. Question then was if it was worth plugging or not.
On the one hand, it’s possible that a tiny hole with a screw in it is more likely to slowly leak than that same hole with the screw removed, because when the embedded screw makes contact with the ground or pebbles or whatever it shifts in the hole ever so slightly, temporarily leaving space for air to get in. While that same hole with nothing in it would remain in the same condition. And the downside of plugging is that you make the hole much much bigger in preparing it for the plug, while plugs are imperfect repairs.
The flip side is that a hole is a hole, and it’s possible that the prior paragraph is incorrect, and the only thing that will come out of not plugging it is that I (or even worse - my wife) get stuck somewhere with a completely flat tire.
What tipped the balance is that this is an extremely difficult vehicle to jack up. It’s a Ford E-150, and the place to put the jack is under the axle, which means you have to crawl partially under the car to do it. (The instructions which come with the jack warn - as do all such instructions - to “never put any part of your body under a vehicle supported by a jack”, which is completely ridiculous because that’s the only way to install the jack, per those same instructions.) So I wasn’t looking to have to do it again, especially away from the relative convenience of my driveway and junk/work clothing. Plus, I once had a AAA guy try to install the spare tire on this van and he said he couldn’t get it out from where it’s attached under the van, so I don’t have a lot of confidence that I’d be able to do it myself if called upon.
So I plugged it. But I’m wondering if I might have made the hole worse than before , as above.
You did the right thing by plugging it, though it may indeed be only temporary. (Cite: My father was a tire designer of sorts for Goodyear for over 15 years. I heard all about tires every damn night.)
“the air did not come out” Did you put soapy water on it (or whatever) to see if there are tiny bubbles–or did you just put your hand over it–and thus may not have felt the leak?
a) To me even a patch and plug combined are a temp fix until the tire store opens or the next paycheck. I have seen every kind of tire repair you can name fail and usually at really bad times.
b) Unless it was a really short screw (we’re talking snow tire stud short) in the thickest part of the tread and you were 110% sure it didn’t go all the way through I feel you did right plugging it. OK – this may be shaded by the fact that I would even now be shopping for a replacement but air doesn’t need much of a hole to escape as you drive and changing tires on a lot of roads really sucks. Since your truck doesn’t seem to have a low tire warning light from what you describe there is too much risk involved to do nothing and trust to luck.
It may seem silly at first glance, but the car is not being supported by the jack while you’re under there putting it in position. There’s really no contradiction.
When you start jacking it it’s not, but at some point you get the car off the ground and you will still be partially under the van. Ditto for when you take it down. The tire iron is all of about 15 or so inches long.
What is the difference between a plug and a patch? I have American made Coopers rated for 80K miles. They have 25K on them. Due to a recent hurricane I have had two nails and had one before so now three of my four newish tires have plugs. Should I start shopping for more new tires?
A plug is a big rubber string that can be inserted into the tire without removing it from the rim and is glued into place. A patch, OTOH is a big, flat rubber thing applied to the inside of the tire and glued down.
Plugs are considered temporary under the best of circumstances. Patches can be considered permanent but there is a skill level in applying them. Besides the getting the tire on and off of the rim part, I wouldn’t try it on my own.
That’s the official advice, yes. OTOH, I have plugged dozens of tires over the years and have never had one fail. All were driven until normal end-of-life of the tire. Done well, and with good materials, plugs can last a long time.
As always with so many things in life, mileage can vary. I plugged and patched (combo shot) two that I kept driving on. One I finally swapped out at about 4k but it still held air well. The other started being a slow leaker almost right away so I redid both; it failed totally about 100 miles later - midnight in the middle of nothing long before there were cell phones in every pocket. The experiences of friends and relatives are about the same. It can be done but its an assumed risk.
I have rebuilt, and will again, cars from the frame up and motorcycles are a usual thing to find scattered around the house in various stages of completeness; I’m not a professional anymore but I am still a fair mechanic. With AWD and pretty good tires I would consider it rather than swap out all 4 or running around looking for a worn-match. But then again, NTB does know me pretty well at this point so … you just never know.
so you pulled the screw out, no air came out, and you then plugged the tire? did you verify with soapy water it even punctured the tire versus just being embedded in the tread?
I’d be more worried about making my spare tire accessible for future needs than i would about having a problem with a plug in a tire.
i second this. I’ve even had tires that took more than one plug to plug one hole & i never had a problem with them afterwards.
This for sure. The whole “plugs are temporary” thing is bullshit. If you do them correctly they are as sturdy as the tire itself. I’ve never heard of one coming out and never had one start leaking later on. Never put one into a sidewalk though. Other than that truth go ahead and plug.
exactly. sidewalk tire plug installations are ineffective, an eyesore, a potential trip hazard & basically just an all around waste of a good tire plug.
I have had good success with plugs. However, I’m curious about your “recommended” 41 PSI. You do know you should inflate the tires to the pressure stated by the car manufacturer, usually listed on the sticker on the driver’s side door post and not the max number stamped on the tire, right?
It sounds a tad high, but not nearly high enough to be the max on the tire sidewall. I think there is a lot of variation. Our sedan recommends 38 and our small SUV 33. 41 doesn’t seem crazy high to me.
Another vote for letting sleeping dogs lie at this point.
At one point I joked with my wife that she must have a boyfriend at a junkyard, as she seemed to pick up a screw or nail in a tire every four months. I would dutifully plug them, and the plug would last the life of the tire.
Sure, the plugs affect the balance and they can leak and so on and so on. They aren’t perfect–like many things in life they are a compromise.
