How to tell if a tire can be patched


When Can a Tire Be Repaired?

From potholes to stray nails and screws, your tires can encounter a lot of hazards on the road. And when they become damaged or go flat, you might be wondering whether you should purchase a new set or get the tire repaired professionally. 

Not every flat or punctured tire can be fixed, but there are other instances where you can get the tire — and your entire car — back on the road with a quick repair. Read on to learn what kind of tire damage can be repaired and when you should get a replacement. 

What Kind of Tire Damage Can Be Repaired?

Can You Repair a Punctured Car Tire?

Puncture location and severity of damage can often be the deciding factors between getting a tire repaired vs. replaced. If you've got a tire that's been punctured in the tread area and it doesn't measure more than 1/4 of an inch (6mm) in diameter, a simple repair may do the trick. 

If the tire has two punctures, getting a tire repaired may still be an option as long as the punctures are at least 16 inches apart and the maximum number of repairs does not exceed a total of 2 in the tire. Any more punctures than that, and you should consider getting a new tire. Punctured tires will likely need to be replaced if:

  • The puncture is more than a ¼ inch in diameter
  • There's a puncture in the sidewall or shoulder of the tire
  • You have multiple punctures that are less than 16 inches apart

Can You Repair a Run Flat Tire?

Durable run-flats, such as Bridgestone DriveGuard tires, can often buy you a little more time in a flat tire situation. But if driven on with less than 15PSI, they may not be repairable. To prevent this issue on run flats and otherwise, avoid driving your vehicle if you have a flat or are low on air.

 Can Tires with Side Bubbles Be Repaired?

If you notice a bubble in your tire's sidewall, this has likely been incurred by high-impact damage. Factors like driving on a flat, hitting a pothole or curb the wrong way, riding over speed bumps or railroad crossings too quickly, or overloading your tires can all lead to this issue. Although this tiny bulge may not seem intimidating, tires with side bubbles are not repairable, and you should have the tire replaced as soon as possible. 

Can You Repair Tires That Have Existing Repairs? 

Repaired tires can often be mended again if the damage doesn't compromise a previously repaired area. For example, if you have a nail-in-tire situation, you may be able to do a quick repair if the puncture location doesn't overlap with a previous tire injury and the repair was done properly. If it does overlap, you will likely need a replacement. 

Can You Repair a Tire After a Car Accident? 

Oftentimes, affected tires will need to be replaced following a major incident. If the tire has sustained serious damage in a crash, such as significant cuts or tread separation, it should be replaced, not repaired. 

 

Tempting Tire Repair No-Nos 

You might be tempted to do a quick fix when you do have a flat or damaged tire. Here are two that can be used in emergency or short-term situations but shouldn't be considered long-term tire repairs:

Should You Use Sealants or Emergency Inflators?

These fast fixes are a double-edged sword. They'll help you get your car to a local Firestone Complete Auto Care, but don't count on them to keep you on the road for very long. Tire sealants can freeze in cold weather, damage your tire pressure monitoring system, and prove ineffective at repairing any tire damage that's more serious than a slow leak or small hole. It's also important to note that our technicians will not be able to fix punctures in tires with emergency temporary sealants. 

When Can You Patch Up a Flat Tire?

Again, these are quick fixes that aren't meant to enable long-term use of a punctured or damaged tire. When considering a flat tire patch or replacement, remember that a patch doesn't fill in the hole left by a puncture — while a plug doesn't offer a permanent seal. In short, patching or plugging alone are never adequate long-term solutions. That's why at Firestone, our technicians can use a patch-plug combo to provide an adequate long-term solution for some tire punctures. 

 

Taking Care of Your Tires

To ensure your tire is safely repaired or replaced, it's best to have it inspected and serviced by a trained technician. Visit your local Firestone Complete Auto Care and ask about our tire repair services. Your safety is our priority, and we back all of our work with a triple promise that guarantees your repair will be Fixed Right, Priced Right, Right on time. 

Now that you know when to repair vs. replace a car tire, schedule your appointment today!

When Can A Tire Not Be Patched? Beginner's Instruction

Patching is a measure to be taken when the tire has a flat condition. The causes of the above damage are due to being punctured by a sharp object, or the wall is not well resistant to friction from both sides of the body and the road surface, causing the thing to be worn away. 

In such cases, instead of replacing a new one, many people choose the economical repair and still ensure good quality.

So, when can a tire not be patched?

  • The hole is too big
  • Your puncture is in the shoulder area
  • It got stuck by a meteor
  • Run-flat tires
  • Other problems

The article will analyze each case in detail. Let’s check it out!

How Do You Repair Tire Punctures Properly?

The damage often is a hole, a leak of air, these are all minor injuries, and most are thriving. A common way to finish them is to thread a gas carrier wire inside through the leaks found. 

If the gap does not fit the hand, the worker will expand and stretch the wound with hot crude oils. Although the repair technique is quite simple, if the artistry of the mechanic is not good, the fixation is not in the correct position, it will affect the life of the whole wheel.

The plugs and straps support many risks of breakage during the airflow leading to bulging and misaligned conditions in the product.

So the correct way to repair the process is:

  • Altogether remove the wheel from the rim for a good look
  • Remove dangerous objects
  • Seal open mouth with a rubber
  • Fill gas, and finish firmly with supporting tools.

When Can A Tire Not Be Patched?

Depending on the case, the repair method is also different, but your tire cannot be patched anymore when you encounter the following conditions.

The hole is too big.

If the hole exceeds 6mm, you can never patch it. The larger the wound length, the higher the expansion problems; besides, the body structure is also gradually breaking down when the tearing of the air outlet is prolonged. 

Next is the wear indicator that touches the 2/32 inch; danger will happen at any time because the traction is no longer adequate when you drive.

Your puncture is in the shoulder area.

The tire’s sidewall is flexible and can be to a certain extent. When moving, the wheel is impacted by many objects such as gravel, etc. 

So in terms of structure, the internal body design is more solid. When cracks appear in the tire’s sidewalls, the stickers during the move will peel off, weakening the air cushion between the repair contact surface, causing air to continue to leak.

It got stuck by a meteor.

Damage from hitting a meteorite is actual. It was through the owner of the car. It looks pretty similar to commonly worn rocks, but the areas around the impact are melting because of the meteorite’s heat. So patching the damage is not possible.

Run-flat tires

With this type, the process of releasing air pressure at the beginning of a puncture is slow, so you can continue to run to the repair shop.

But this is not too recommended because while moving, the body pressure has inadvertently eroded the wheel’s surface, solving the problem by multiplying.

Other problems

Besides the signs we have outlined above, there are many other reasons why you can not repair the wheel. Specifically:

  • The tears appear too much, and the wear cannot be covered, making it impossible to repair.
  • The wear index reaches an alarming level, so it should be instead of a patchwork
  • Buy an older one, and if you don’t know the information, you can’t repair it
  • Metal pieces appear all over the sidewall of the tire.

Why Can’t A Tire Sidewall Be Patched?

There are many reasons given, but the main one is that the damage occurs too severely, or lasts a long time, causing many other tire factors. 

If you try to patch it up to repair, the air seal will not hold because the running wires will push the rubber sheet away from there, returning to the original condition.

When Can You Repair Tires?

When the tire has damaged problems such as holes or wear on the wheel, it’s time to have it repaired. For common punctures, depending on the location determines the injury’s severity. 

Regardless of exceptions, the hole is in the center of the tread, and the diameter exceeds 6mm; it is easy to fix. The patching method is also quite simple, but it requires an experienced professional to determine the correct position and force of the glue in the most accurate way.

Ideally, the tire should be complete from the rim for easy viewing, and the air outlet must fill, the wound mouth fixed from the inside.

Besides, you should regularly pay attention to the condition of the wheel to control the wear rate most surely. Driving to a service center is an effective way to protect both the tires and the body. Note that if the wear reaches the threshold of ⅔ inch, do not try to patch it but choose a new one.

For details, let’s see the video:

Can Bubble Tires Be Repaired?

Bubbles in tires can be caused by many factors such as road conditions, lack of air pressure or weight overload, or manufacturing defects. The result of bubbles is the stretching of the layers in the wheel wall. 

This situation can be re-filling it with air, preventing the delamination process. If you want to be sure, you should go to the center for effective maintenance.

Conclusion

Detecting a wheel in trouble is relatively easy, but determining the tire’s extent is quite tricky. Although this problem occurs quite often, it also has aspects to pay attention to avoid, such as unrepairable cases to help save time and money. 

In this article, we have given specific knowledge related to this issue. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach us to solve them as soon as possible.

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Most often, we ourselves are to blame for the fact that tires become unusable. But this can be avoided.

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In the process of using a tire, a variety of damages can occur, most of which are the fault of the driver. As a result, rubber is wasted, and since the law prohibits the use of different tire models on the same axle, you have to spend money on replacing the second tire.

The most common damage is puncture . This is the most harmless type of damage, but only if you notice it in time and repair it right away. It is absolutely impossible to drive on a flat tire, even a couple of meters! The damage caused by running on a flat tire or with low pressure is catastrophic. This causes the sidewalls to deform more than they should, which causes the tire to overheat, delaminate, and the carcass becomes unusable due to broken cords. As a result, the tire will have to be thrown away. In addition, the edge of the rim can also be damaged. nine0003

Punctures are of two types: with and without cord damage. To determine this, it is necessary to remove what pierced it. If the edges of the puncture tightly converge, then the cord is not damaged and it will be possible to repair the tire without removing it from the disk. Otherwise, if the edges do not converge, you will have to disassemble the wheel and make repairs with strengthening the frame from the inside. Alternatively, in the field and in the absence of a spare wheel, such a puncture can be repaired without removing the tire from the disk, after which you can carefully drive to a tire fitting or garage and make a full repair. nine0003

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When repairing, the puncture site should be cleaned and marked. Further, it all depends on what kind of repair kit you have - as a rule, instructions are attached to them. There are sealants that are poured into the tire through the nipple, after which the wheel turns with the puncture down and the substance seals the hole. Repair using a tourniquet or insert is somewhat more complicated, but also more durable: the edges of the hole are polished with a special tool, after which the tourniquet treated with a special compound must be inserted into the tire through a puncture with a special awl, pulled out (not completely) out and cut flush with the surface. nine0003

In case of damage to the cord due to a puncture, the tire must be removed from the rim in order to install a reinforced patch with an additional cord on its inner surface. One of the sides of such patches has an adhesive layer that promotes cold vulcanization. After such a repair, wheel balancing will be required. To seal punctures from the inside, patches in the form of a mushroom are also used, with a leg that goes into the puncture. Such patches are also covered with a special adhesive for cold vulcanization. nine0003

Cuts or holes , unlike punctures, are not repairable, as they violate the integrity of the frame, which can no longer be strengthened. In addition, breakdowns are always sudden and occur on the go: the tire abruptly loses pressure and before the car comes to a complete stop it has time to make several revolutions “on the rims”, which breaks the cord and destroys the layers. It is not recommended to use such a weakened tire, even if it was possible to repair and strengthen the place of the rupture or cut, in the future.

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Incorrect storage of tires can cause cracks . The danger of such damage is that moisture enters the cord through cracks, which renders the frame unusable. In addition, air can escape through cracks. Unfortunately, cracks are not repairable, and tires with them will not last long: sooner or later they will deform, become covered with swellings due to rusted and torn cord or because of driving with pressure below the recommended one. nine0003

Blisters or bulges can appear on a tire for a variety of reasons - it always happens due to a broken cord or delamination in the carcass. In the first case, an obstacle was hit and the impact broke the cord or the cord was cut through with a sharp object. In the second case, there is no damage on or near the hernia, which means that it appeared either due to a factory defect, or due to frequent driving with pressure below the recommended one. The danger of hernias is that they can explode at any moment and provoke a skid, which will lead to an accident. If there is nothing to replace a tire with a hernia, then it is better to rearrange it to the rear axle and drive very carefully. Like cracks, a hernia cannot be repaired. Sometimes small blisters resulting from impacts or cuts are reinforced with reinforced patches, but there is no guarantee that the tire will not explode. Therefore, tires with hernias are recommended to be replaced immediately. nine0003

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Tire sidewalls can be damaged by rubbing against curbs or the asphalt edge when pulling over. If you are prone to such a driving style, then it is recommended to inspect the inner and outer sidewalls from time to time and, if abrasion is found, swap the wheels in order to prevent the cord from being exposed - the rubber thickness on the sidewalls is small (1. 5–3 mm), and it can be rubbed to the frame very quickly. nine0003

Often the cause of tire damage can be poor-quality tire fitting , during which the bead ring was damaged. In this case, the tire loses its geometry and “sits” crookedly on the disk - it writes out “eights” during rotation, and lateral vibration appears during the ride. It is impossible to repair such a tire - you need to replace it with a serviceable one as soon as possible before it damages the suspension: rods, hubs and bearings.

You can find out whether you are using tires correctly and what invisible damage they have received by the characteristic wear of the tread, the varieties of which are collected in the table for convenience:

Double side shoulder wear

Driving with lower than recommended tire pressure.

Inflate the tires to the pressure recommended by the automaker (a plate with recommendations is attached in the driver's door opening) and find the cause of the fall: puncture, cracks, hernia, nipple, rust on the disc rim in the place where the tire fits, etc.

Center wear

Tire pressure too high.

Reduce the pressure to the recommended (indicated on the tablet in the driver's doorway)

In the form of rings and furrows

can be found on trailers or rear wheels of pickups and vans due to vibrations and vibrations and vibrations due to vibrations and vibrations bouncing at high speeds.

Changing wheels on a loaded axle to equalize wear, driving with a heavier load. nine0003

Chipped wear with cuts

Frequent wheel spin on rocky surfaces.

Move the wheels to a non-driving axle, use the gas pedal more carefully when starting to move.

  • A tire may be unusable for a number of other reasons, which can be found here.

Photo: Petr Urbanek / Unsplash

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Articles about the operation and maintenance of tires

Category: Operation and maintenance

Article reading time: 5 minutes

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A car tire has a complex structure and a specific rubber compound that protects the tire from impacts and retains its shape under high loads. The design of the wheel consists of several strength frames - metal wire and nylon thread, they keep the rubber on the trajectory during intense and dangerous driving.

Any type of damage can result in negative consequences that affect driving safety and road safety. And if the majority of punctures can be repaired in the service or repaired by oneself, then the side cut of the tire often forces one to resort to a complete tire replacement. Riding on damaged tires in the usual mode is extremely dangerous. How to fix a tire so that you can ride comfortably without consequences, and is it possible to seal or repair a cut tire? We will answer these and other relevant questions for motorists in this material. nine0003

Sizes and types of side cuts

Modern service centers can repair a tire after a front or side puncture. You can repair a tire, thanks to the universal set of a motorist, with your own hands. It is enough to seal the hole with a special tourniquet.

Is this type of damage dangerous and should it be replaced? Only the master can unambiguously answer the question, having studied the lateral damage. The specialist will determine the nature of the puncture that needs to be repaired and offer a complete tire replacement or repair. It is inexpedient and dangerous to close up a large puncture, due to which the tire is deformed. nine0003

To determine how to close a side cut, you need to study the type of damage:

  1. Longitudinal cut that can be repaired and sealed if the seam does not exceed 35 mm.
  2. A cross section that can be effectively repaired if the joint is not larger than 25 mm. Such restrictions are associated with severe damage to the threads. It is more difficult to seal and repair a tire with your own hands.

Sealing a cut on a tire is much more difficult than a normal repair, so it is often necessary to perform an involuntary replacement of tires. Repairing the wheel is impossible due to side wires and threads that break under side load. Taping and repairing lateral damage will not help repair the threads. Any obstacle or potential contact with a bump at high speed will have the adverse effect of bursting the tire due to the load, resulting in a dangerous loss of control. nine0003

A side puncture is less dangerous than a longitudinal cut. However, not every defect requires replacement. Masters will be able to repair tires if the deformed area placed along the carcass threads does not exceed 50 mm. The possibility of repair is also available if the side cut located across the tire threads is less than 30 mm. However, we do not recommend doing repairs in this case with your own hands. To preserve the protective properties and avoid possible negative consequences, it is necessary to use professional equipment. nine0003

Side cut hazard

Should cuts be repaired? A popular question for motorists who are faced with a choice is whether to seal a defect or replace a wheel. The possible consequences of cuts scare car owners, but do-it-yourself repairs are more attractive because they are cheaper than buying fresh tires.

To avoid dangerous consequences, sealing small and large side cuts is prohibited if more than 10 cords are to be repaired and a hole larger than 30 mm is to be patched. It is possible to repair tires for passenger cars with a side cut of the tire if it is a shallow scratch. nine0003

Driving with a cut in a tire is not safe. The degree of risk depends on the nature of the damage and the experience of the specialist who will seal the seam. Before sealing the hole with your own hands or entrusting a restoration to a specialist, you should examine the lateral damage. Manufacturers recommend replacing tires if it is necessary to seal 20 mm or more. However, if it is possible to change a wheel, the opportunity should be taken as soon as possible. Since even a small defect is dangerous during the trip. During operation, a hernia is formed, which explodes if timely replacement is not made. If you drive on a tire with a side cut for a long time and do not do repairs in the service or with your own hands, there is a high risk of getting into an accident. nine0003

In order to strengthen the structure of tires, manufacturers add several layers of metal cord to models. Also on the market there is a fabric cord, which includes fibers from nylon, which allows you to increase the strength of rubber. Therefore, in order to seal the tire in the service or repair it yourself in case of a puncture, it is necessary to use high-quality materials. If the recommendations for replacement are not followed, there is a high risk of dangerous and unpredictable consequences.

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How to determine if a tire can be repaired

To accurately assess the effects of tire deformation, before repairing a tire, contact a specialized center. The masters will figure out whether it is possible to continue driving a car or whether it is worth replacing the rubber. The main inspection criterion is the width of the seam that needs to be repaired. It should be borne in mind that it is dangerous to close up and seal holes with a width of more than 40 mm with rubber mixtures. nine0003

If the craftsmen decide to restore the tire and make a patch, then the restoration process includes the following steps: