So I was driving the other day and got a flat tire. I apparently drove over a nail or something that punctured my tire. Yeah, I haven't had good luck with my car lately. I have roadside assistance coverage on my car, so I got them to plug my tire on the side of the road. I am just wondering how reliable these plugs are. I have read conflicting things online, so I am thinking of taking the car in to have the tire looked at, just to make sure it's safe. Just wanted to get some opinions.
I had a tire blow on the interstate once after riding around for a month or two with a plug in it. If i were you I would just go to a used tire place and replace it with a tire that has a similar tread life as your other tires
They are illegal in the UK, following a number of accidents in the 1970s, but most of these were with DIY plugs not pushed fully home or used in the wet or without preparation and fresh adhesive. People also used them on the side walls of the tyre, where they soon failed due to the flexing Although yours was fitted by a competent mechanic,the garage can fit a 'patch plug' from inside the tyre. I would advise you to get this done for a more permanent repair. The plug is shaped like a mushroom and is fully glued on the inside, so it cannot fly out.
A plug in the tread should be fine. You can't plug a side wall. I've had tires plugged a few times....I've done it myself with a plug kit and never had a problem. If you're worried rotate the tire to the back. Check your thread depth, if the tire is about shot then replace it.
i've plugged a few tires on my old work vehicle, never had a problem with it. but i mostly just drove that around town, it's not like i was taking trips down the highway with it or anything.
I'd mostly take it to get a spare tire, and keep it as a spare. Maybe better than a donut, but I wouldn't want to drive around on the freeway. I say this after blowing a couple tires before appreciating tire maintenance. Your milage may vary.
The tire blew out this afternoon.... not from the plug, but from the back sidewall of the tire. Luckily it happened in a parking lot and not the highway. These tires are not even six months old and are good tires purchased directly from the Toyota dealership. I can only assume "roadside assistance" over-inflated my tire or somehow mounted it wrong, since this should not have happened to such new tires. The blowout did not occur even remotely near the site of the plug, which was in the tread of the tire and near the front. Guess I will need a new tire now.
An over inflated tire shouldn't fail in that manner. Under inflated yes, as the side wall overheats. Look for chunks of burnt rubber on the inside of the tire. If over inflated it should just wear out faster in the center, unless they put in over a hundred pounds of air or something. Check out the tire on the web to see if it's been recalled for defects. You should get a prorated discount if you go back to Toyota, unless it was under inflated. Sure you didn't hit the side wall on a curb and break the chords? Or a bad pothole?
There's a chance there was an additional leak which caused the tire to deflate which can cause higher sidewall stress and heating. When a tire gets damaged, it's good to examine the rest of the tire for other damage. Sometimes more debris might be stuck in it, such as nails or wood screws. The sidewall is particularly vulnerable. Keep a pressure gauge handy to make sure others have inflated it properly and check the pressure after the damage incident a few times. It's good to check the torque on the lug nuts after someone has replaced a wheel. They should be retorqued after driving a couple hours as they tend to loosen after a remount especially if rust is present. On older cars it's good to remove the rust on the hub and wheel before remounting the wheels. Roadside people probably don't match up the wheel-to-hub rust pattern which can cause the lug nuts to loosen later. Cleaning off the rust provides a flat mating surface, reduces chances of lug nuts coming loose, and makes the wheel spin more true with less vibration which is good for the bearings and brakes.
