Is it ok to plug a dr?
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Is it ok to plug a dr? Ok guys one of my bfg drag radials had a small hole in it and they are almost brand new. So i called the local Firestone to see if they would patch/plug it for me and they said no they don't patch drag radials. So here i am with almost brand new dr's with a hole in it. It was late in the evening and this car is my dd so i had to do something to get to work in the morning so i went to the store and bought a plug and plugged the hole. Now the tire is fixed and doesn't leak anymore. But i am worried about having a plug in my dr. Is this safe or should i try to buy a new one?
Go to Discount Tire, get the plug removed and get an RMA (Rubber Manuf. Assoc.) approved patch put in it's place. Much safer.
Yes you can patch DR's, they have steel belts and an inner-liner just like every other radial tire out there so it really is no different other than the rubber compound. I've patched DR's before plenty of times with no issues.
Plugs that you buy from the store are no good because they are made of a material that soaks up water. Water then gets into your steel belts inside the tire, and water does not mix well with steel.
Yes you can patch DR's, they have steel belts and an inner-liner just like every other radial tire out there so it really is no different other than the rubber compound. I've patched DR's before plenty of times with no issues.
Plugs that you buy from the store are no good because they are made of a material that soaks up water. Water then gets into your steel belts inside the tire, and water does not mix well with steel.
Thread Starter
TECH Veteran
iTrader: (10)
Joined: May 2006
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From: Bay Area, CA (Pittsburg)
Go to Discount Tire, get the plug removed and get an RMA (Rubber Manuf. Assoc.) approved patch put in it's place. Much safer.
Yes you can patch DR's, they have steel belts and an inner-liner just like every other radial tire out there so it really is no different other than the rubber compound. I've patched DR's before plenty of times with no issues.
Plugs that you buy from the store are no good because they are made of a material that soaks up water. Water then gets into your steel belts inside the tire, and water does not mix well with steel.
Yes you can patch DR's, they have steel belts and an inner-liner just like every other radial tire out there so it really is no different other than the rubber compound. I've patched DR's before plenty of times with no issues.
Plugs that you buy from the store are no good because they are made of a material that soaks up water. Water then gets into your steel belts inside the tire, and water does not mix well with steel.
Yes you can patch DR's, they have steel belts and an inner-liner just like every other radial tire out there so it really is no different other than the rubber compound. I've patched DR's before plenty of times with no issues.
Plugs that you buy from the store are no good because they are made of a material that soaks up water. Water then gets into your steel belts inside the tire, and water does not mix well with steel.
Plugs that you buy from the store are no good because they are made of a material that soaks up water. Water then gets into your steel belts inside the tire, and water does not mix well with steel.
im kinda a tire geek so its nice to see good knowledge spread
My MT DR's had a patch in the right rear ... had them on brand new for like a week ... picked up a screw. I ran them at the track with no issues, however, IMHO if you drop the tire pressure too low, it could cause the patch to distort if you car has a lot of power and hooks really hard. I don't think it's dangerous ... just would make sure you have your jack and donut if you venture far from home.
I just had one of my Hoosiers patched. One place straight up wouldn't do it lol.
Discount ended up doing it using a patch with a plug in the middle. They ream out the hole and stick the patch on the inside with the plug poking out through the hole. I've always had my DR's fixed at Discount with no problems.
Discount ended up doing it using a patch with a plug in the middle. They ream out the hole and stick the patch on the inside with the plug poking out through the hole. I've always had my DR's fixed at Discount with no problems.
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From: Bay Area, CA (Pittsburg)
Thread Starter
TECH Veteran
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Joined: May 2006
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From: Bay Area, CA (Pittsburg)
ok guys i just talked to my friend that mounted and balanced my dr's. He works at discount tire/american tire and he told me that my plug would be fine and i should not take the plug out and get it plugged again
I have done it to promod slick tires 
granted a patch plug is best, but ive been pluggin steel belted tires for over 15 years and have never had one come out, burnout after burnout, pass after pass, no issues ever, yes i have seen the belts rust from water getting to them, but more so from a regular patch than a plug. a regular patch (not a patch plug) leaves the hole wide open to the outside for water to lay in. i had to plug one of my MT's DR's yesterday. if its not broke dont try and fix it more.......... 