Do you repair tires?

[bainbridge]

Has anyone seen sticky string being used as a temporary repair?

I watched it being done on a friend's car and was so impressed I'm considering putting together a little kit for the boot as an alternative to the can of Tyreweld which I have instead of a spare tyre.

 

[jsmoke]

Has anyone seen sticky string being used as a temporary repair?

I watched it being done on a friend's car and was so impressed I'm considering putting together a little kit for the boot as an alternative to the can of Tyreweld which I have instead of a spare tyre.

That's what I'm planning trying, you ram the sticky rubber strip into the hole.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

If you do this be really careful and only drive slowly.
A sudden depressure of any tyre will cause a reaction

If you are caught driving like this I would expect the police and any insurance company to class your car as unroadworthy

 

[Steampunk]

That's what I'm planning trying, you ram the sticky rubber strip into the hole.

Those string fixes are notoriously unreliable and unsafe.

A professional fix at a tyre garage will be good for the life and speed rating of the tyre.

 

[jsmoke]

Those string fixes are notoriously unreliable and unsafe.

A professional fix at a tyre garage will be good for the life and speed rating of the tyre.

How do the pros do it?

 

[Kenai]

How do the pros do it?

Plug it and then patch it internally

 

[Ryan-3]

Used a repair kit on a neighbours car (he wasn't sure how it worked) as a temporary fix so he could drive it to get a new tyre.

 

[Steampunk]

How do the pros do it?

Well for a start there are quite a few limitations on where the puncture can be if it is to be repaired (how close to the shoulder, not in the wall, where on the tread, etc), and you're not allowed to have two repairs in the same quarter of the tyre. The tyre is removed, the hole is filled, and the inside is patched before the tyre is put back on the wheel. So instead of a bit of sticky string pushed through from the outside, a plug with a patch is glued from inside the tyre.

The pressure keeps the glued patch in place, the plug is part of the patch, so the plug can't come out of the tyre. It's rated for the same speed as the tyre and is expected to last as long as the tyre does. That's quite different from a string repair.

When I had one done last year, I think it cost me about £20 on a £100 tyre (those are London prices), they were busy when I dropped it off without an appointment, and I picked it up a few hours later. If they were not able to repair, they would have put on a replacement tyre instead.

Really, it's such a small amount of money over buying a string repair kit, I'd rather have a much better and safer job done by someone taking the tyre off and doing a proper patch/plug. Don't skimp on your tyres, especially with winter coming up. They are the only thing holding you on the road.

 

[bainbridge]

Those string fixes are notoriously unreliable and unsafe.

A professional fix at a tyre garage will be good for the life and speed rating of the tyre.

I meant using sticky string as a temporary fix and emergency alternative to Tyreweld.

 

[Lopéz]

How do the pros do it?

They remove the tyre, bore out the hole, prime the area, place a rubber plug into the hole from the inside, and then vulcanise it into place.

It's an extremely durable and effective method.

 

[RandomMonkeH]

If it is a proper patch and not in a dangerous region of the tyre there is absolute no good reason not to have it repaired, it would be just wasteful to replace the tyre IMO.

I got a nail in a brand new tyre, plugged it, ran it for a couple of years and when I took them off at about 1.8mm of tread left, the patch was still perfect.

I wouldn't trust the string plug, although they may work in a pinch as a get-you-home.

 

[jsmoke]

If it is a proper patch and not in a dangerous region of the tyre there is absolute no good reason not to have it repaired, it would be just wasteful to replace the tyre IMO.

I got a nail in a brand new tyre, plugged it, ran it for a couple of years and when I took them off at about 1.8mm of tread left, the patch was still perfect.

I wouldn't trust the string plug, although they may work in a pinch as a get-you-home.

Well there's a kit on the bay for £3.25 so can't hurt to have a go. I know, that's cheap, but it seems to have all the pieces.

 

[geekman]

Do you have a driveway made of upturned nails or something?

Do about 30k miles per year across two different cars, mostly in industrial areas in Mexico. That total isn’t even counting the tyres I’ve had to replace completely due to pothole damage / nails in the sidewall etc.

More likely bullet holes being repaired than nails in mexico

Knowing Mexican tyre shops, they’d be perfectly happy to “safely” repair bullet damage

 

[vanpeebles]

Well there's a kit on the bay for £3.25 so can't hurt to have a go. I know, that's cheap, but it seems to have all the pieces.

My Dad has used those kits load and never had a problem. They have a sticky rubber strip plus some tools etc.

 

[IAmATeaf]

Weren't the stick type repairs the way repairs were previously done? I remember years ago I had a tyre plugged on my wifes Micra and it was plugged by the tyre place with some sticky string.

 

[Bug One]

I've repaired a couple with those sticky rubber strips you poke through / add glue to and trim.

They take a hell of a lot of force to get into the hole, and then they're glued on top of that. I can't see how you'd ever get a rapid deflation from using one. Only problem I've had is you can tell the tyre is a little unbalanced - not enough to worry about though.

My wife gets loads of nails in tyres. She works for the council and I swear some oik thinks it's funny to throw nails and screws all over their car park.

 

[red eye]

Plug it and then patch it internally

The plug and patch are one.

 

[jellybeard999]

If repairable, at a tyre fitters - yes.
DIY - no!

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I've plugged motorcycle tires, car tires, truck tires, then used them until they wear out. People are iffy on motorcycle tires but I've shredded them on corners and done 175mph and they are always fine.

Plug it and forget it.

175 mph on a motorbike?

What's the survival rate should you hit a pot hole and go off?

 

[eviled]

never used to, now I do all the time

don't like to but if I didn't I would be spending an extra £600 a year on tyres