So, you have a flat tire or one that’s leaking air. It’s not the end of the world. Luckily there are safe and cost-effective ways to properly repair most tire punctures. The purpose of this article is to show you the difference between a safe, permanent repair and a temporary string, plug or patch repair.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and the Tire Industry Association (TIA), the only method to properly repair a tire puncture is to fill the injury with a repair stem and back the stem with a repair patch. This is commonly known as a combination repair or a patch/plug repair.
Patch/plug repairs are most often performed using a one-piece repair unit that combines the repair stem and cap (or patch) into one unit. However, special circumstances may require the use of a two-piece combination repair (ex. If the angle of the puncture exceeds 35 degrees). The repair is then permanently bonded to the inside of tire and through the injury channel using a cold, chemical vulcanizing process.
The repair essentially becomes part of the tire, creating an air-tight seal that keeps air in and moisture and contaminants out (more on this procedure below).
Emergency roadside plug repairs are NOT intended to be a permanent tire repair. Plugs and string repairs are designed to get you back up and rolling long enough to get home or to the nearest service center to perform a proper tire repair.
The common misconception with plug and string repairs is that because they hold air, they are safe to use. While it is true that many plug repairs do a great job of keeping air in the tire, that’s only part of the equation. Because they’re not completely sealing the injury, plug repairs may allow air and moisture to penetrate the body of the tire. Over time, this could lead to a dangerous (or even deadly) blowout.
A Patch-Only Tire Repair Leaves Your Tire Susceptible to DamageA tire repair that uses only a patch is also NOT considered proper or safe.
A properly installed patch will do a great job of allowing the tire to hold air. However, similarly to the plug-only repair, the patch does not fill the injury channel. Therefore, air and moisture could seep into the tire from the tread surface and eventually damage the tire.
Only a proper patch/plug repair completely seals the puncture from inside the tire and through the entire injury channel. There are a few extra steps necessary to perform a proper tire repair in accordance with industry guidelines. We’ve developed a simple acronym to help organize and remember the steps: R.E.P.A.I.R.
It can also be determined if the puncture did any significant damage to the cords or belts.
The over-buffed area of the inner liner is treated with a thin layer of rubber sealant, and the excess repair is trimmed to approximately ¼” above the tread surface.There are a number of factors that may determine whether or not your tire is safe to repair. These factors fall into three main categories:
Excessive wear, casing separation, impact damage and other conditions may make it unsafe to properly repair your tire. For a more comprehensive list of repairable vs. non-repairable conditions visit our blog Can Your Tire Be Repaired?The occasional flat or leaky tire is an unavoidable part of life. But, taking shortcuts to repair it can be dangerous to you and your passengers. Take the time and do the research to do the job right and/or find a reputable tire repair shop trained in proper tire repair procedure.
Knowing how to properly repair a punctured tire can save you money, as well as keep you from being stranded on the side of the road.
Luckily, a couple of easy-to-follow methods exist for repairing a punctured tire.
While you should ultimately have your tires inspected and replaced if necessary following a tire repair, the methods below provide a great temporary fix to a punctured tire until you can get to a tire store.
Here's how to plug and patch a tire.
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A tire plug kit helps patch a tire quickly and easily. Considered a safer alternative to patches and sealant, a tire plug actually inserts into the tire. It then expands to plug any holes.
Here are the steps for how to plug a tire.
Step 1: Remove tire. Start by removing the punctured tire.
Step 2: Pull out object. Pull out the object that punctured the tire.
Step 3: Clean hole. Clean the puncture hole using a rasp tool, which you can find at brick-and-mortar stores like The Home Depot and Advanced Auto Parts.
A tire plug kit should contain various tools, one of which is a rasp tool.
The rasp tool can help the plug hold by roughening the tire material in the hole where you want to place the plug.
Step 4: Apply adhesive. Apply the adhesive that came with the tire plug kit.
Common adhesives include rubber cement or some other type of glue.
This glue can initially help lubricate the puncture hole, making it easier to get the plug through.
Step 5: Insert plug. Using the insertion tool, which also comes with your kit, insert the plug into the puncture hole.
While difficult to insert in some cases, you can get the plug to fit by squeezing down one of the end of the plug material.
Once the adhesive has dried, cut away any excess material from the plug using a razor or knife.
Step 6: Place air in the tire. Fill the tire to the recommended air pressure, which you can find inside the wall of the tire or in the owner's manual.
Test the seal of the tire plug by squirting a soap/water mix on the puncture area.
If needed, apply more adhesive or try using another plug.
MORE: How to read a tire
Flat tire sealant, such as Fix-a-Flat, provides a fast and easy way to fix a punctured tire—as long as the puncture is not too large. You should have the tire professionally repaired or replaced if the puncture is larger than one-quarter inch.
The following steps walk you through the process of using sealant to patch your tire.
Step 1: Remove the object. First, remove the object that punctured your tire.
Step 2: Position the tire. Position the tire so that the valve stem rests at the top of the wheel.
Remove the valve stem cap.
Step 3: Attach tire sealant nozzle. Attach the nozzle from the tire sealant can to the valve stem.
Press the button releasing the sealant into the tire.
Step 4: Drive the car. Drive the car around until the sealant has spread evenly throughout the tire.
This step is necessary to keep the sealant from forming a lump in one area and unbalancing the tire.
Step 5: Replace the tire. Make sure to replace the tire within a certain time limit.
Sealants are only meant to get you to where you can get the tire replaced. Most sealants only last for 100 miles or three days.
To minimize the chances of a punctured tire, try to avoid driving over potholes and other rough areas in the street, as well as on the side of the road where debris collects.
Even given your best efforts, a punctured tire is bound to happen. And when it does, you can use one of the above methods to fix it on the spot. Just remember to take your car to a professional tire shop to have the punctured tire inspected for safety, and replaced if necessary. And don't forget to keep an eye out for slow leaks.
If your tires were damaged in an accident or another covered peril, you should contact your insurance company.
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MORE: How to fix a flat car tire with Fix-a-Flat
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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 a self-tapping screw has hit 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
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Car repair,
Each of the drivers may have such a situation when a tubeless tire deflated on the way, but the spare tire was not in the car, or for a long road this is already the second wheel. In this case, there are only two ways out - it's one way or another to wait for help from others (take the wheel to a tire fitting, call to bring a spare tire, call a tow truck, etc.
), or you can repair a punctured tire yourself.
Before moving on to the topic itself, it is worthwhile to carefully study all aspects of the operation of tubeless tires, but their widespread use has unequivocally proved that they have a clear advantage over tube wheels.
The main advantage for the driver is the ease of repair, because if a wheel with a chamber is punctured, it will have to be removed and disassembled in order to remove the chamber, and only then carry out the repair itself, and then you will have to do laborious work (if it is done without special equipment) in reverse order. Tubeless tires, in most cases, can be repaired without dismantling the wheel, and without even removing it from the car.
In addition, when punctured, a tubeless tire deflates for a long time, and sometimes drivers ride with several nails or self-tapping screws in the wheel without noticing the problem for up to several months.
Therefore, if necessary, you can pump up a wheel with a puncture and have time to get to the nearest tire service.
However, there are several nuances that complicate operation. For example, with a strong impact on the edge of a pit or a curb, the tire can depressurize and instantly deflate, or if the wheel is not completely deflated, it can disassemble during a turn, which will lead to an instant descent.
Also, such a wheel is very difficult to inflate with a conventional pump or a mobile compressor, if it is disassembled (flew off the disk), in this case a professional compressor with high pressure is needed.
Usually, this procedure is not too difficult, and the puncture site is easily detected by visual inspection due to the culprit of the damage, which remains in the tread.
Alternatively, a soapy solution of any soapy liquid or plain water may help. By pouring on the tire with our “puncture indicator”, you can quickly find the required place by the emerging air bubbles.
But in the case when there is no soap or water, you have to carefully inspect the tire, while listening to hissing and trying to find the puncture site with your hand. This method helped me repeatedly in deaf and deserted places.
Using a tubeless tire repair sealant is the easiest and fastest way to repair a wheel and get to a professional tire shop. If you do not have such a can, then we advise you to buy it, sooner or later - it will save your nerves, time and mood.
And so, if there is a nail or screw left in the tire, then it should not be removed immediately, first we connect the bottle with sealant to the nipple and if the bottle is new, then we completely inflate the wheel, if there is already insufficient pressure left in it, then before repair will need to pump up the wheel to at least 1 atmosphere.
After the sealant is pumped into the wheel, it is necessary to remove the foreign object, and the sealant under air pressure will seal the puncture site from the inside, but remember that this method of repair is temporary, and it will last for about 100 km, which is enough for a visit tire fitting.
It should also be remembered that the use of sealant disturbs the balance, and you cannot drive fast on such a wheel, the safest speed will be about 60 km / h.
This method is the most correct for emergency road repairs. Similar kits are sold in any automotive store, and even in any large supermarket. The kit usually includes a special awl to expand the puncture, a hook for the lace, the laces themselves with bituminous impregnation and, in some cases, glue.
Before carrying out repairs, in order not to spoil the integrity of the cord (the inner hard part of the wheel made of steel wire and nylon thread), it is worth reducing the pressure to 1 atmosphere. Then you should use an awl to clean and widen the hole, without which you will not be able to insert the lace. But you should not immediately remove the awl from the hole, otherwise the tire will release all the pressure and insert the lace will not work.
Then you should put the cord into the eye of the hook, distributing it equally on each side, after which the awl is taken out and the hook with the cord is put into the hole formed, here you should treat the action carefully and not overdo it. The lace should go into the tire about half or a little more (the sealing harness should be folded in half).
After that, it is necessary to pull out the hook with one sharp movement, while the tourniquet will remain in the tire. Repair can be considered completed after cutting off excess pieces of lace and pumping the wheel to the required pressure.
It is worth noting that when using high-quality sets, this repair is considered to be complete and the puncture will be securely closed until the end of the wheel's service life. The only thing that may be required is balancing.
However, if the damage to the wheel is serious, then you will have to take care of buying a new tire.
