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You made it! You got your punctured tire repaired before it became damaged any further. The technician fixed it, filled it, and now you’re on your way. Then a thought clouds your mood over. How long are you able to drive with your tire like this? Is it safe to drive your car on a patched tire?
There are three common ways to repair a tire:
A patch over the puncture hole on the inside of the tire
A plug through the puncture hole
A combination patch-plug that covers the puncture from the inside and plugs through it
The only proper repair is a combination patch-plug. A patch or a plug on their own are temporary repairs at best and the tire should either be repaired properly as soon as possible, or replaced.
A proper repair job with a plug-patch results in a tire able to hold air indefinitely -- that is, unless you get another puncture. It is safe to drive your vehicle like this as long as the tire’s useful life. The one consideration is that tire manufacturers no longer support their speed rating on a repaired tire, so taking your high performance car to a track day on a repaired tire is probably not a good idea.
As a rule, most shops will not patch one tire more than three times. If the proper repair for a puncture overlaps with another repair, or if the tire has already been repaired three times, you will need to replace your tire.
The most popular service booked by readers of this article is Spare Tire Installation. YourMechanic’s technicians bring the dealership to you by performing this job at your home or office 7-days a week between 7AM-9PM. We currently cover over 2,000 cities and have 100k+ 5-star reviews.
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11 years of experience
585 reviews
Request Nicholas
Nicholas
11 years of experience
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by Gloria
Toyota Camry V6-3.
0L - Spare Tire Installation - Knightdale, North Carolina
Nicholas finished an earlier appointment which enabled him to come by earlier than originally scheduled. I'm very grateful he chose to reschedule. While replacing a flat with my donut spare, he instructed me on how to safely drive to the tire shop for the repair. More importantly to have the shop add air to the donut spare. Nicholas did an excellent job. He as very professional. Thank you
by Jairus
Ford E-150 Econoline - Spare Tire Installation - Durham, North Carolina
I was VERY pleased with Nicholas' expertise and was more than delighted that he was so prompt. He was very polite and friendly, and he did a marvelous job. If I ever need any repairs to my vehicle in the future, I would definitely ask for Nicholas.
29 years of experience
91 reviews
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Luis
29 years of experience
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by Saravana
Toyota Prius L4-1.5L Hybrid - Spare Tire Installation - Prospect Heights, Illinois
Luis attended my car today and help in fixing the issue quickly.
He is nice and friendly guy. I will recommend him for any services.
11 years of experience
106 reviews
Request Hugh
Hugh
11 years of experience
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by Laura
Toyota FJ Cruiser V6-4.0L - Spare Tire Installation - Castle Rock, Colorado
Hugh came to change out a flat tire for my spare today. I have to say that I feel sheepish for calling someone to come help because I know how to change a tire but I was at work and on shift until 2 am and he came to my place of work. Instead of just installing my spare, he took the time to evaluate the situation. I had a nail in my tire and he took the tire to get patched and my vehicle drove better on my way home than when I left this morning. It was snowing sideways when he showed up to help me. He was a bit of a godsend in the moment and I would recommend him to anyone. I was just distressed because I did not have enough tip to give this guy for overachieving when I needed it.
Huge five star review. I only hope to pay his generosity forward. He was more than worth the cost and he did a phenomenal job.
26 years of experience
88 reviews
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Jonathan
26 years of experience
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by Adam
Honda Civic L4-1.7L - Spare Tire Installation - Smyrna, Georgia
Jonathan was very punctual, friendly, and transparent. He clearly explained everything he did and provided detail about any additional work he recommended. Great work!
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by Smart Motorist
Your car’s tires are the critical component that connects your car with the surface of the road you’re traveling. When you have a flat tire emergency, what is the solution for fixing it?
No matter when you have a flat tire, it will be one of the most inconvenient things that can happen while you’re driving.
And, unfortunately, it always results in you losing time to fix the problem.
Your tire will lose air because of several reasons. Usually, you have run over an object in the road that caused a puncture and the air began to slowly leak out. Another major reason is driving with too low much or too low pressure.
The damage may not even be noticeable from outside the tire. Here’s a prime example of when a tire is run without enough pressure.
There are 3 common methods for repairing a punctured tire:
Both the patch-only and the combination repairs require a technician to dismount the tire and look at the inside wall to see if there is any damage. As long as there is no damage to the sidewall, a repair can be made.
Plug-Only repairs, however, are much easier and can be done from the outside of the tire with no need for the tire to be dismounted.
When tire rubber is punctured, the accepted procedure is to find the rupture and swab around it with a soapy solution of water, or he may hold it inside a tank of water and look for escaping bubbles of air.
The area is then prepared with a scraper or buffing tool and cleaning solution to make it suitable for bonding with the repair patch.
A vulcanizing cement is then applied under the patch and over the inner liner of the tire and the patch is applied over the puncture. The surrounding area is then stitched or rolled and covered with sealant before the tire is mounted back on the rim.
Once a tire is properly patched, you should be able to drive safely for a fairly long time. However, even though a patch is usually stronger than a plug, it will not work on or near to a sidewall.
The tire industry, however, warns against the patch only repair method. Air and moisture can seep into the tire from the outside tread and enter from around the edges of the patch.
Plug-only repair is much simpler. The technician finds the puncturing object and removes it. An insertion tool with a plug is inserted into the rupture from outside the tire. After it is removed, the plug remains inside the rupture.
Often, this type of repair will use a “string plug” consisting of a short woven cord covered with tacky sealant. String plugs will often be included with automobile repair kits. Both reaming and insertion tools are also included along with an assortment of string plugs.
Occasionally a kit can also contain a tube of rubber cement to add additional sealant to the string plug. These kits can be an alternative for drivers who want to save a little money or for emergencies when it’s not possible to dismount the tire and properly apply a patch.
However, even though tires repaired this way will continue to hold air for a few months, tire manufacturers also warn against its use. A string plug type of repair can allow moisture and air to enter the tire and get between the tire layers.
The steel in the belts can then degrade over time and the tire can corrode and deteriorate. With the belts and the bond between the rubber layers weakened, there is a greater risk the tread will separate while driving.
Another risk of a string plug type of tire repair is that even when a puncture is repaired, there can be additional damage to the tire that is not apparent. The tire must be removed and visually examined to be sure there is no unusual internal damage.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises that the proper method to repair a tire puncture is to use a combination repair. (Download the NHTSA guidelines here.) A combination repair, as the name implies, involves using a tire repair patch and a rubber plug (stem) attached to its center.
After finding the puncture, it should be reamed out so that a clean hole remains for insertion of the plug. The inside area surrounding the puncture should be then prepared for bonding with the patch with a vulcanizing cement.
Apply the cement to the tire surface area and the patch/plug. The plug should then be pulled through the reamed hole from outside the tire so it fills the hole completely and seals it with the tire’s rubber.
The patch will bond to the tire to prevent air loss. The plug seals the puncture and air cannot escape. The plug also will seal the hole and prevent air and moisture from leaking.
Once the process is completed, the remaining rubber stem on the outside of the tire is normally trimmed so that it is smooth and level. If you would like to see how an expert performs a combination type of repair, check out this YouTube video.
One final note if you have a flat tire, don’t drive any further than necessary! Even driving a few hundred yards can damage the tire’s sidewall. Stop and examine the tire closely. If there’s a strip of wear around the tire that is soft to the touch, do not add air to the tire! It may explode or cause injury to you or someone nearby.
Have the tire patched professionally by a trusted mechanic? They will know how to stop the leak and will examine the tire for sidewall damage. If the tire can be patched safely, they’ll advise you how long you should be able to drive on your patched tire.
Thanks very much for checking out our article today, “How Long can you Drive on a Patched Tire“. We hope you have found our directions helpful and have answered any questions you may have about resetting the warning light properly in your vehicle.
There’s nothing worse than being stranded with a car that can’t take you where you need to go when you need to be there. If you have any questions or if you would like to leave some comments about this article, please let us know! We want to be your top source for ideas about anything you need related to your car!
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There is a pump in the trunk (but there is no spare) Inflate the tire to three atmospheres and move off. After 3-5 minutes of travel, stop and check how much the pressure has dropped. At about one, grab the pump again. And so on until you reach the right place.
At a speed of 40 km/h on smooth asphalt with a flat tire, you can safely drive about 2 km. Moreover, most likely, after such a feat, the tire will be able to be pumped up and operated further. nine0003
An extra ten meters will not make the weather. After all, it is not clear how much you have already traveled on an "empty" wheel. So don't stop in the middle of the road. It is better to smoothly turn to the side of the road, and if there is a side platform within sight, slowly reach it.
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For example, a sidewall puncture has occurred.
There is nothing to lose - it will not be possible to reanimate the tire for further operation. But you can stretch 40 km / h from a dozen kilometers to a tire fitting. Be careful: closer to 15 km, the tire will start to smoke, crunch and fall apart. "Debris" can damage the apron, locker or bumper plastic. It's better not to bring it up. nine0003
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The colder it is outside, the longer it will take for the tire to reach critical temperature and the further you will drive.
But in the heat, the tire warms up faster, which means that the range will be reduced.
First of all - from the strength of the sidewalls and carcass of the tire. A thick sidewall will help you get to the tire shop, a thin sidewall will “die” much faster. Therefore, on a crossover (SUV tires have reinforced sidewalls) you will drive further under the same conditions than on a passenger car. nine0003
Photo: Depositphotos
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Driving Zen
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Puncture of several wheels at once on a long journey is a serious problem. In order not to wait for a tow truck for hours, the AvtoVzglyad portal offers several ways out of a difficult situation.
Viktor Vasiliev
Let's consider a puncture of the tread part of the tires, and not their side cut. In the latter case, it is very problematic to “heal” such a “wound” in the field. And if the cut is large, it is completely impossible. You can, of course, take the tires to the masters who specialize in such repairs. They will close the cuts with special patches. However, keep in mind that no workshop can restore damaged cord threads. And therefore, the risk increases that under loads, the patched tires will simply break. The consequences can be the most fatal, because tires with a side cut are best thrown away or scrapped immediately.
nine0003
But the punctures that happened in the tread of two tires can be dealt with in several ways.
After we have changed one punctured wheel for a spare one or installed a dokatka, we proceed to eliminate the puncture in the second wheel. To do this, it must be removed and pumped up, and then poured with water to understand where the air comes from. So you determine the puncture site.
If you see a self-tapping screw sticking out of the tire, do not pull it out. On the contrary, it is necessary to carefully shove it even deeper. Of course, the air from the tire will continue to poison, but this will save you from a hole in the tire and allow you to drive ten kilometers to the tire shop. nine0003
If, nevertheless, there is a hole in the tire from a “caught” nail, it can be temporarily plugged with a screw. The screw can be unscrewed, say, from the lining of the trunk, fender liner or bumper.
Do not rush to pull out the screw in the tire
Tire repair kit is sold in any car shop Using it is quite simple.
If you still do not know how, then the instructions that come with the kit will help you. Well, if there is a tourniquet and glue, but there is no “needle” for repairing a tire, an ordinary slotted screwdriver can replace it. nine0003
A can of sealant is also useful for quick repair of punctures. It is able to seal the place of air leakage with a puncture diameter of up to 4.5 mm. The principle of its operation is simple. The composition, leaving with air through a puncture, forms a vulcanized plug, which stops the leak.
You will spend the least amount of time and nerves if your car is equipped with tires with RunFlat technology, that is, those that are not afraid of punctures. Their "chip" in reinforced sidewalls. Therefore, even if all the air comes out of the tires, you can reach the service on your own, and you won’t have to “smart” anything on the road. It is only necessary to observe the speed limit and not accelerate over 60 km / h, but it is better to keep the speed at 40 km / h.
