What are my option with a flat tire?

[juniormint]

I have a screw in my Pilots (drivers side front) I have a total of maybe 4000 miles, get a new or have them patch it...can the local tire shop do a good job or not?

 

[Supercharged Vipermad]

I would have no trouble with a plug....if it is not a track tire. Everyday, weekend type driving should not be a problem. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

If I sold tires I say buy four new tires. Never patch and never mix and match.

But I don't sell tires.

Patch it.

 

[carguy07]

If you don't run at high speeds like over 100 or go balls out on curves enough to really work them hard I would just plug it and forget it. Flame suit on.

 

[big-n-italian]

<< If you don't run at high speeds like over 100 or go balls out on curves enough to really work them hard I would just plug it and forget it. >>

I agree with Keith. I have had plugs and patches put in tires in the past, and have never had any problems, or were ever reminded that they were put there.

On the safe side though, I certainly wouldn't go racing with that tire or do any high speed cornering.

 

[94RT10Ohio]

Alot has to do with where the screw is, if it is towards the edge of the tire a plug or patch is a bad idea. Heat collects more at the edges, resulting in failed patches. If not at the edge pull the tire and patch.

 

[SNKEBIT]

it's only flat on the bottom, if you drive really fast,,, you don't even notice the flat spot

 

[juniormint]

Its about a inch and a half to 2 inches from the edge, I rarely go fast around corners but straight aways.......when it clear of course 125+, I guess that would be a no-no with a patch?

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Buy two new front tires. Driving 125 on a tire with a hole? Not me! Chuck beat me and again we are on the same page. Scary!

 

[CitySnake]

Don't plug. Have a tire shop do a proper patch on the inside and you'll be fine for street use.

 

[cgmaster]

For street use a plug and patch should be ok but I would not drive it hard. When they plug a tire they push a rasp through the hole this can cut the belts and severely weaken the tire. I have a repair in one of my right rear tires I use for cruising I would never use it to go over 100 mph. It is just a safety precaution for me. Why risk it?

 

[747Capt]

I picked up a small screw in the right rear. Took it to local Firestone dealer they installed a patch/plug combination. Then ran hard at Willow Springs, 140+, no problems. Would not do it again. Why take the risk. Tires are cheap.

 

[KERS-VPR]

Use the plugs that look like a mushroom. Michelin actually recommends this type of fix, as they stated in Road & Track a few months back. I have plugged 2 tires for a friend of mine on his Vipers and he has never had any problem doing excess of 150 mph after they were fixed. He asked if it was safe, my answer to him was, you drove that fast with a screw in the tire. The rasp that is used to clean the wound actually separates the belts, not cuts them.

 

[big-n-italian]

<< when it clear of course 125+, I guess that would be a no-no with a patch? >>

<< Buy two new front tires. Driving 125 on a tire with a hole? >>

Ya know, the more I think of it after reading "125+", buy new tires. If this were a honda accord we were talking about here, fine. But I think sometimes we forget that we are talking about a very expensive/rare/exotic/etc automobile here. Not to mention your safety at "125+". Buy new tires - call Tire Rack now.

 

[Vic]

I don't think plugging a tire weakens it much at all. The steel cords are extremely tough, and there are more than one of them. It more like a lattice work of cords. Even if it were possible to cut thru one single steel cord, the tire wouldn't just suddenly disintegrate. Now if we were talking about a gash, or a hole in the sidewall, that would be very different, in that case, replace the tire. But a small hole in the rubber, in the middle of the tread, that doesn't threaten the strutural integrity of the tire much, in my country-boy estimation.

One thing to think about, is that as the tire tread wears, the plug wears with it, and eventually the plug gets very short, and might come out, or be disturbed by road forces and high temperatures. This may result in rapid air loss, that might surprise you. Thats probably why Michellin recommends mushroom shaped plugs that have some grip on the tire from the inside.