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Modern vehicle tires are tough, standing up well to rough terrain and thousands of miles of driving. Trouble is, tires are not invincible. Every so often car tires spring leaks. Air can start leaking from anywhere on a tire, and the location of the leak determines whether or not you can fix it yourself. And if you can't fix it yourself, the location of the leak will also tell you if you need a professional repair or a new tire.
Whether or not your tire is tubed or tubeless affects things, too, because only tubeless tires can be repaired using the technique of plugging that we'll show you here. The good news is that modern vehicles always have tubeless tires, and this means that repairing with a rubber plug is often an option.
Plugging a tubeless tire is only a possibility when your puncture is in the tread area. If the air leak is where the sidewall of the tire meets the rim — this is called a "bead leak" — you'll need to visit a mechanic with a tire machine to dismount the tire from the rim and remount it with sealing liquid applied to the bead. If your sidewall has been punctured, you need a new tire, because damage there can lead to a blowout at highway speeds, even after repair.
Learn exactly how to plug a tire so next time you spring a leak between your treads, you'll be able to get up and running again in record time.
Total time completing the repair is about 15 minutes. Doing the work yourself will save you about $20 and the time spent driving to the garage and waiting.
Steve Maxwell for Family Handyman
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Do It Right, Do It Yourself!
Originally Published: August 27, 2020
There’s nothing worse than getting a hole in your tire. Before you toss the tire, you should know if it’s small enough to patch or not.
In general, a hole in a tire must be less than one inch in diameter in order to be patched; however, the location of the hole must be on the tread of the tire at least 1/4″ away from the sidewall in order to be patched. A tire can generally only be patched three times.
Tires are expensive, and patching them is an inexpensive fix to holes. However, you can only patch a tire so many times before it becomes unsafe. Keep reading to learn more about patching larger holes in tires, as well as why you’re limited to only three patches per tire.
When asking how big a hole you can patch in a tire, you may hear different answers depending on who you ask. Different mechanic shops might only patch smaller holes because of the liability a larger hole poses; meanwhile, others are willing to patch a bigger hole. So what should you do?
First thing first, is the nail, screw, or object that punctured your tire still in it? Second, is any air escaping? If the nail, or whatever the object in your tire is, is holding the air in, you may not need to replace it immediately.
Leave it in the tire until you can plug or patch the puncture.
Cole, a mechanic at CM Automotive in Helena, Montana, patches a tire as long as the hole is smaller than the tip of his thumb. In other words, the hole must be less than an inch wide. He considers anything larger than an inch in diameter a gash, not a hole. Gashes and slices cannot be repaired.
The tire brand and quality could also impact whether the hole is fixable or not. If you’re using fairly cheap tires on your vehicle, a single hole could compromise its structural integrity. This is especially true if the hole is larger than the diameter of a nail.
You should also be aware that it is more difficult to patch or plug angled holes.
With this information in mind, take a ruler or your thumb and measure the hole in your tire. If it’s bigger than an inch, replace the whole tire.
The size of the hole is not the only factor limiting when you can patch a tire. The hole placement plays a major factor.
To patch the hole in your tire, it must be on the tire tread. Additionally, it must be more than a quarter of an inch away from the sidewall. A hole within this limit impacts the integrity of the tire and would be unsafe to patch. Consider measuring the hole’s distance from the sidewall before taking it to a tire repair shop.
Why can’t you plug or patch a hole in the sidewall of your tire? Cole explained that the sidewall of your tire is much thinner than the tread.
“Since it’s thinner, more often than not, the cords will get damaged/broke, which would result in a high chance for a blowout,” Cole said.
Unfortunately, any damage to the sidewall will require the tire to be replaced.
To help you better understand fixing a hole in a tire, you need to know the different methods of doing so. If you plan on fixing the hole yourself, chances are you purchased a plug kit at your local automotive parts store. These plugs are rubber strips coated in adhesive glue. You use a special tool to shove the plug into the hole.
Once the plug is in the hole, you use a razor blade to cut off any extra hanging out. Once the plug sets, you should always test it for leaks. You can do this by pouring a mixture of water and dish soap over the hole. If bubbles start to form around the hole, you may need to redo the plug.
As long as you can find a plug that fills the hole in your tire, it isn’t too big to fix. For example, the CKAuto 30pcs 4″ Black Tire Repair Strings are approximately 0.236 inches wide. Because they fold in half, they have the potential to fill a hole nearly half an inch wide. However, you want the plugs to fit snuggly in the hole. In other words, these plugs would be best for a hole less than half an inch wide.
While tire plugs are cheap, a more reliable option is a patch. Unless you have tire experience, you may need to seek professional assistance.
When patching a tire, you do so from the inside of the tire. In other words, you must remove it from the wheel. You then place the patch over the hole to seal it.
These patches are a bit bigger and can cover slightly bigger holes. However, there is a better option: patching and plugging the tire.
A tire plug and patch combo patches the tire from both the inside and the outside of the tire. This is the best way to ensure your tire is still safe to drive on.
These kits are also better for bigger holes. For example, the ZERINT TP-M13W Combination Repair Unit Kit has patches with diameters of 1.42 inches, 1.81 inches, and 2.36 inches. If your tire has a bigger hole, use a plug and patch combo kit to repair it. However, a patch should cover the hole and some area around it to ensure air doesn’t leak out. For this reason, you won’t be able to patch a hole as big as the patch diameter.
Many tire manufacturers include a warranty with the purchase of a set of their tires. If your tires are still under warranty, make sure you follow the company’s instructions. They may pay for it to be patched or even send you replacements. However, if you attempt to fix the tire yourself, it could void the warranty.
According to Cole at CM Automotive, driving on a patched or plugged tire isn’t dangerous, as long as it is repaired correctly. If the plug or patch isn’t installed properly, they could let air escape. If this occurs while driving, your tire could blow. While you can purchase a plug or patch kit at your local automotive parts store, it is a safer option to visit a professional.
However, if you’re looking to save some money and feel confident in your abilities, then you could always do it yourself. Learn how in the following section.
If you take your tire to a mechanic shop to get repaired, you should know they will only patch it so many times. Cole at CM Automotive explains that after three patch or plug jobs, the tire is no longer safe to drive on. Every hole in the tire comprises its structural integrity.
Compare a hole in your tire to taking out a load-bearing wall in your house. Every time you damage that wall, it could collapse.
The same applies to your tires. Every hole increases the risk that the tire will “collapse.” While patches and plugs help hold the air in the tire, they are not as strong as the original rubber.
While you could patch or plug the additional holes yourself, the wiser option would be to replace the tire.
Over time, the patch or plug may begin leaking air. Unfortunately, you cannot repair this and must replace the tire. Remember, a plug or patch is only a temporary solution.
If your tire tread is fairly worn out, plugging or patching the tire should only be a short-term solution (less than a week or so). Not sure how much tread you have left on your tires? Reach into your pocket and pull out a penny.
Place this penny between two ribs of your tread. Make sure Lincoln’s head points down. So long as the tread still covers a small portion of his head, it’s safe to drive on. However, if Lincoln’s entire head is exposed, you need to replace your tires and should not patch or plug them.
Most mechanics and tire shops will suggest replacing at least two (if not all) of your tires at once. However, Cole at CM Automotive explains that you can replace one tire so long as you meet certain conditions.
First, the new tire needs to have the same tread pattern as the others. If the tires have different tread patterns, you will feel a vibration while driving. This vibration is more than just a nuisance. It could damage your differential or transmission.
Second, if the other tire on the axle has fairly worn out a tread, you shouldn’t put a brand new tire where the damaged tire was. According to Cole, tires on the same axle need to have tread within 2/32nds of an inch of each other. However, this rule only applies to rear-wheel drive or front-wheel drive vehicles. If you drive an all-wheel car, every tire’s tread needs to be within 3/32nds of an inch of each other. If the tires don’t have similar tread depths, it will damage the transmission.
“Tires will spin ‘faster’ if they’re smaller and ‘slower’ if they’re bigger, forcing the AWD transmission to unevenly distribute power to the wheels,” Cole said.
Have a mechanic or certified tire technician verify that your tires have similar tread depths. If you are unsure about your tire treads, play it safe by replacing all four tires.
Now that you know more about the size of hole you can patch, let’s discuss how to use a tire plug or patch kit. Remember, if you don’t have much experience working with tires, it may be wise to take the punctured tire to a tire shop. Keep in mind, plugging or patching your tire isn’t an expensive task. Most mechanic/tire shops charge around $30. Meanwhile, Walmart charges around $10 for this service. However, if you want to save a bit of money, here’s how to do it yourself. The CKAuto 4″ Black Tire Repair Strings mentioned earlier cost less than $10 and provide you with 30 plugs.
Start by removing the nail or whatever the object puncturing your tire is.
Your plug kit should have included a grinder. Put this in the hole and spin it. This will score the hole allowing the plug to seal better.
After scoring the inside of the hole you’ll need to be fast as more air will be coming out. Use the plug tool to push it into the hole. When pushing the plug in, make sure you leave both ends exposed. Inserting them in too far could cause them to slip into the inside of the tire.
Once the plug is in place, use a razor blade to remove the part sticking outside the hole. Let the plug seal for a minute, then test it for leaks. As mentioned earlier, you can use a mixture of dish soap and water poured over the plug to test for air loss.
But what about a plug and tire patch combo? How does this method work?
To patch a tire from the inside, you need to have the tools to remove the tire from the wheel. Mark the outside and the inside of the tire where the hole is and remove the penetrating object.
Like a tire plug, you’ll need to widen the hole using a drill bit or some other tool.
With the hole a bit bigger, spray some buff cleaner on the inside of the tire around the hole. Once the cleaner has dried, buff the surface where the patch will go. This will create a more adhesive surface. Make sure you remove any of the rubber dust left from buffing.
Next, apply some rubber cement to the buffed surface, and let it dry.
Peel the plastic cover off your patch, doing your best to keep it clean. Slowly guide the plug part through the hole from the inside of the tire. Once the plug shows on the outside of the tire, use some pliers to pull the rubber all the way through. The patch portion should rest flat on the inside of the tire.
Roll over the tire patch to ensure it is entirely sealed. Remove the plastic cover and coat with a sealant (on the inside of the tire).
Use a razor blade to remove the portion of the plug sticking outside the tire. Make sure to check for leaks and to properly remount the tire.
Photo: Mikhail Tereshchenko / TASS
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Nail, rebar or sharp stone - sometimes you can damage a tire almost from scratch. First of all, the scale of damage is important, and often rubber can still be repaired. Most often, motorists turn to tire shops for repairs in the middle of autumn or spring - just in the season of replacing summer tires with winter tires and vice versa. In order not to stand in lines, it is worth knowing exactly when to go to the tire shop and when to go to the store.
The most common "injury" to rubber is a puncture, and it can most often be repaired. Professionals in the nearest service will do it much faster, and your hands will remain clean. But if the puncture caught you in a deserted place, and there is a pump and a tire repair kit with harnesses in the trunk, you can patch up the tire yourself. Most often, when repairing the front tires, the wheel can not even be removed, it is enough to turn the steering wheel in the right direction and find the puncture site.
First, the hole is cleaned with a helical awl, the repair harness is smeared with glue and tucked into the eye of the awl, after which it is inserted into the tire hole. With a sharp movement, the tool is removed, and the tourniquet remains inside and securely clogs the hole. The tails are cut with a knife, but it is recommended to leave about 20 mm. After that, the tire can be inflated and the pressure checked.
Repair with tourniquets is not considered long-term, because after some time they dry out and begin to let air through. A more advanced puncture repair method is vulcanization. The hole is sealed with an elastic patch, and the funnel at the puncture site is filled with a special compound. A vulcanizer is put on top, which heats the patch and solders the excess.
Under service conditions, the puncture is also repaired with cord fungus. The puncture site is processed and drilled to roughen. Everything is smeared with glue, after which a fungus is introduced from the inside of the tire, its cap is rolled, and the excess legs are cut off from the outside.
Photo: PA Images / TASS
A puncture can also be repaired with sealant. Many car manufacturers with run flat tubeless tires put compressor repair kits in the car instead of a spare tire - a bottle of pressurized sealant. The car is raised on a jack, after which the sealant is pumped into the damaged wheel through the nipple. Next, you need to spin the wheel and pump it up. After repair, the car should be driven a couple of hundred meters to check the tightness of the tire. If it has not recovered, the procedure is repeated.
It happens that a self-tapping screw or a nail closes the hole in the tire, remaining inside. Do not rush to pull it out - until the pressure drops, you can safely get to the service for vulcanization. Sometimes the wheel begins to blow off a few weeks after the self-tapping screw got into it. Therefore, it is better to check tire pressure periodically, and if the pressure sensor lights up, you should at least visually inspect the tire for a nail head.
A bump or bulge most often occurs on the side of a tire after hitting an obstacle or hitting a hole at speed. From the impact, the sidewall carcass threads are damaged, the tire ceases to hold the load and pressure, swelling appears. Any small bump eventually turns into a larger one, and with such a defect, the wheel can burst at any time. This is a direct safety hazard because a sudden flat tire can cause loss of control and a road accident.
Some bulges can be repaired, but no patch will ever restore a tire to factory stiffness. The ideal option in this case is to replace the tire. If a hernia has appeared on the tread, then you can extend the life of the tire with the help of cord patches - ready-to-use patches with an adhesive layer. But if swelling is found on the sidewall, the likelihood of repair is minimal, the wheel is easier to change. Blisters on low profile tires are generally not repairable.
Only car service professionals can repair a side cut. Cord patches will be needed to repair the damage, but after some time the wheel will still have to be changed.
This method will work only if the gap is not in the shoulder area of the tire, then no one will repair it.
In general, cuts or punctures, unlike punctures, are considered non-repairable, since the integrity of the frame is violated. And breakdowns do occur on the go, when the tire abruptly loses pressure and has time to make only a few turns “on the rims” before it comes to a complete stop. In this situation, the cord breaks and the layers of the tire are destroyed. Even if it is possible to close the hole, it is not recommended to use such a weakened tire.
Photo: Mikhail Pletsky / Russian Look
Cracks, sidewall abrasions and unprofessional tire fitting can also lead to tire problems. Cracks can occur as a result of improper storage of tires. Their danger is that moisture begins to flow to the cord, and this already renders the frame unusable. Air can also escape through cracks. Cracks cannot be repaired and tires will not last long. A tire with cracks is deformed, blistered, and may even break while driving.
Rubbing against curbs or driving on uneven roadsides can damage the tire sidewall. When driving like this, it is worth inspecting the tires for damage regularly. If a slight wear is found, the wheels can be swapped, which will slightly extend their service life and allow you to delay the purchase of new ones.
Improper fitting can damage the tire bead. In this case, the tire will lose its geometry and sit on a disc with a bevel, “eights” will be visible during rotation, and the driver will feel vibration while driving. It is impossible to repair this defect, the wheel must be changed as soon as possible, otherwise there is a risk of damage to the suspension.
How to Tires
Unit/system: Wheels
Fault: How to fix a puncture on the road
Never drive on a flat tire!
Possible consequences of failure to eliminate
Driving on a flat tire or with low pressure can lead to complete tire wear, deformation of the rim, as well as to an emergency!
First of all, you need to try to pump up the wheel and get to the tire shop. In case the wheel deflates very quickly, it is necessary to apply a special Liqui Moly sealant spray.
The use of the Reifen-Reparatur-Spray Tire Repair Spray allows you to quickly and independently repair and inflate tubeless tire punctures when operating the car in places remote from the service. Allows you to get to the tire shop without changing the wheel.
The contents of the cylinder are sufficient for pumping into a tire up to size 215.
Code: 3343
Volume: 0.5 l
Do not use if the tire is torn or comes off the rim. It is not recommended for use in the presence of a centralized tire pressure monitoring system.
