proximity of tire plugs?
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,169
Likes: 1
From: Dallas, TX / Boston, MA
proximity of tire plugs? got a flat on my 88GTA (my DD), went to have it fixed. they said i actually got TWO new nails in my tire, and there is already another plug in there.
they stated that one of the two new nails is too close to the existing plug and they cant fix it. i forget the actual distance, but they said they cant fix anything within 90 degrees of an existing plug.
tires still have 5/32" on them (out of 10/32") so they still have 62% of the tread. its probably not a good idea to replace one half worn tire, and i cant afford to replace two tires right now. I ask them what is worse, leaving the nail in it or doing a plug thats too close to another plug. they say that the plug breaks the belts and i'd be better off throwing a can of fix-a-flat in there to seal it up until i can afford to replace it... i dunno about all that.
is this 'proximity of plugs' a legit concern, or are they just being excessively cautious for liability reasons?
they stated that one of the two new nails is too close to the existing plug and they cant fix it. i forget the actual distance, but they said they cant fix anything within 90 degrees of an existing plug.
tires still have 5/32" on them (out of 10/32") so they still have 62% of the tread. its probably not a good idea to replace one half worn tire, and i cant afford to replace two tires right now. I ask them what is worse, leaving the nail in it or doing a plug thats too close to another plug. they say that the plug breaks the belts and i'd be better off throwing a can of fix-a-flat in there to seal it up until i can afford to replace it... i dunno about all that.
is this 'proximity of plugs' a legit concern, or are they just being excessively cautious for liability reasons?
Can't they repair it from the inside by taking the tire off of the rim? I was told many years ago by a tire place that plugs aren't a good thing because they are wedged into the tire causing the radial belts to separate. He said that many places like to put plugs in because it is quick and easy for them to do.
not sure if they were talking about doing a plug or a plug/patch. plugs really aren't good for a tire that's going to see any decent amount of speed but are fine for lawn tires etc. a plug/patch is basically a circular patch with a round stem in the center that is pulled from the inside of the tire out, and the excess is trimmed off of the outside (like a traditional plug). these seal much better and dont significantly affect the strength of a tire. assuming they are using the plug/patch, as long as the diameters of the patch portions arent overlapping (about 2.5 inches a piece) they shouldnt be too close. a lot of times tire places will just tell you this kind of thing to sell you a tire (used to work for a goodyear place), but the 90 degree thing is a load of crock. i've patched a brand new GSD3 tire with 3 in one shot after a tornado went through my town and its been fine for 20,000 miles.
sorry for the long post, hope i helped!
sorry for the long post, hope i helped!
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,169
Likes: 1
From: Dallas, TX / Boston, MA
I went to a different tire store (same chain), and they fixed it, no questions asked. the 2nd new nail never even punctured the tire, it was just a small piece of metal... so i only actually had to have one repair done.
