I got a nail stuck in my kumho mx tire on the tread block next to the sidewall; it was more to the inside. The tire place said they couldn't patch it because of sidewall flexing. The thing is, it wasn't right on the sidewall. Am I getting my leg pulled? And would "fix a flat" work? it's just a nail puncture. Thanks.

 

If the hole is in the curved section between the sidewall & flat portion of the tread your probably screwed. If its in the flat portion, you should be OK. If theres a lot of miles left on the tread, it may be worth a shot. I'd put it on the rear to make sure its OK.

 

fix a flat is a temporary solution for when you're stuckon the road.
don't use that as your regular tires. i would suggest taking it into
another tire shop for more input ... otherwise, would consider buying
a new tire anyway.

 

I would NEVER put a can of fix a flat or by any other name in my tire. If you do be SURE to tell the person that has to take that tire off the rim as it can be dangerous.

Earl

 

>>If the hole is in the curved section between the sidewall & flat portion of the tread your probably screwed. If its in the flat portion, you should be OK. If theres a lot of miles left on the tread, it may be worth a shot. I'd put it on the rear to make sure its OK.

The hole is not in the curved section, but it is on that thread block. One place said they could patch it while the other said i'd need a new tire. Both places are shaddy looking, but i'll go back to the place that said they could do it and see what's going on. $17 to fix a hole (hopefully) is better spending $125+.

 

One other note about having a hole fixed at a tire place. Make sure they take the tire off and patch the hole from the inside. If they say they're going to just ram a plug in from the outside in – take your tire to another place. Usually if a place will do it for 17 bucks they're more than likely just going to ram a plug in from the outside. The only reason I know this is because I got to go to the Michelin tire school in Greenville for my job. They taught us a bunch of stuff and this was one of those things. Good luck.

 

A lot depends on the type of plug used. If they have mushroom type plugs that are self-vulcanizing,(IMHO) they will work fine. I have been using them for yrs in motorcycle tires with no problem. Just make sure you have some tread left to vulcanize to! The other type is a patch with a plug attached in the center, but you have to break down the tire to install. Ride safe and fast, Tim

 

>>One other note about having a hole fixed at a tire place. Make sure they take the tire off and patch the hole from the inside. If they say they're going to just ram a plug in from the outside in – take your tire to another place. Usually if a place will do it for 17 bucks they're more than likely just going to ram a plug in from the outside. The only reason I know this is because I got to go to the Michelin tire school in Greenville for my job. They taught us a bunch of stuff and this was one of those things. Good luck.

Dismounting andf patching is the ONLY way to repair tires. If there is not enough steel in the regoin you got punctured in, do not try to seal - repleace. Your mini's worth more than the possible failure damage.

Alex

 

I've got 6,000 on my Yoko's that I bought from TireRack and found a small metal object in one of my tires during rotation. It's loosely embedded, but firm enough I can't just pull it out by hand.

Since I don't have any tools to repair it, I was going to take it back to the place I had them originally installed. I've been reading all over about the correct procedures and just wanted to clarify.

Is the correct repair job a Patch or a Plug And Patch?? My tire installer only does a Patch, so I'm not sure.

Thanks!

Richard

 

Just take a pair of plyers and yank it out. wear safety goggles just in case your plier slips and it shoots into your face.

If it doesn't leak, chances are you're okay...but have the tire place take a look at it just in case if you're worried.

The reputable tire shops use a T shaped plug/patch. It is mounted
inside out with the flat part of the T as the patch and the straight part
fills up the hole. Those patches can fix up to about 1/4" diameter hole.

 

A patch is ideal, remove the tire and patch with vulcanizing glue and a mushroom plug from the inside.

Alex

 

Hi Alex! Thanks for the call. I understand now. A patch isn't just a patch but also has plug (mushroom plug) that's inserted from the inside--that's where my confusion was--where as a standard plug is just inserted from the outside only.

Thanks!

 

Just a small update. Turned out that piece of metal didn't go completely through, so there was nothing to repair. I took my car to the place I had my Tirerack.com order installed, and they put it on the lift, grabbed some pliars and pulled out the piece of metal, and put soapy water on it. Seems that my Flat Tire warning light wasn't related to this metal, but more likely related to the fact I had just rotated my tires.