Discussion
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    AndrosZDavid Tracy
    9/21/16 12:03pm

    This whole article seems like it’s just one big plug...

    Touché.

    Reply
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      Margin Of ErrorAndrosZ
      9/21/16 12:44pm

      I don’t even wrench and knew about these ever since I had a car back in the 90's. It,s like writing an article on washing a glass table with Windex and Scott towel and then recommend Windex to everyone, as it if it was the next big thing.

      Reply
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      AndrosZMargin Of Error
      9/21/16 12:47pm
      Illustration for article titled

      Not sure if you meant to reply to me...

      Reply
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    MasterMario - Keeper of the V8sDavid Tracy
    9/21/16 12:04pm

    Hold the horses...you actually got rid of parts!? I thought parts in David Tracy's possession just got eternally re-used and repurposed until they rusted into oblivion.

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      David TracyMasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
      9/21/16 12:12pm

      There was an intervention.

      Reply
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      Seat Safety SwitchDavid Tracy
      9/21/16 12:22pm

      Rival Jeep guys will sometimes dress up like “Hoarders” producers in order to liberate your most desirable spare parts. Don’t trust them!

      I wrote about this phenomenon here.

      Reply
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    zingDavid Tracy
    9/21/16 11:59am

    Those work ok in a pinch, but you’re gonna want to go get a proper patch unless you like intermittent loss of tire pressure or coming out to a parking lot and finding flat tires. They aren’t really great permanent solutions.

    Reply
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      55_mercuryzing
      9/21/16 12:01pm

      I used one of these things 6 months ago on one of my tires. The tires on the car are on their last legs so I figured screw it. So far its been holding up fine.

      Reply
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      zing55_mercury
      9/21/16 12:03pm

      I’ve used them a bunch of times. Sometimes they work better than others. I’m just saying, I think they’re intended to be a short term emergency repair solution, not long term.

      And if your tires were on their last legs 6 months ago and you’re still driving on them, I think its clear where you stand on potential safety issues.

      Reply
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    SethersmDavid Tracy
    9/21/16 12:02pm

    Pro-tip: Re-inflate, or slightly over-inflate (don’t exceed the tire’s maximum rated pressure) the tire prior to reaming or plugging. It makes it a ton easier since the tire is then “hard” rather than flexing when you put your muscle into it. Of course, adjust to the proper pressure as the last step.

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      StuntmanDanSethersm
      9/21/16 12:14pm

      Good tip. Also, if you can, get a kit with the metal handles. I’ve broken a couple of the plastic handles trying to get a plug in.

      Reply
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      gcodoriSethersm
      9/21/16 12:25pm

      How does one reinflate or overinflate a tire that has, um, you know, a hole in the tire? I understand that a hole this small would allow air to slowly leak out, but wouldn’t putting pressure on this tool force the air out faster?

      Reply
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    Karfreek (Rides a Full Dresser)David Tracy
    9/21/16 12:01pm

    I used this exact kit on my 2013 Accord 2-months ago and my first time fixing a flat this way. 5,000mi later its still good. I did not take it to the tire shop because I did not want to spend $20 on a summer only tire that is at 2.5/32nds and will get replaced in the spring when I take my snow tires off. Plus get the “this tire is too worn to patch” run around.

    Clif Notes: Its a good kit, and not hard to do. Do it.

    Reply
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      mike78033Karfreek (Rides a Full Dresser)
      9/21/16 1:07pm

      Legit just dropped off two tires less than an hour ago in the exact shape you described :( $22.50 each but at least they patch (not plug) from the inside and remount and balance. Still, sigh.

      Reply
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      CitronCKarfreek (Rides a Full Dresser)
      9/21/16 1:33pm

      Used these kits countless times, even if I can’t get a full stop (odd shaped cuts/holes) it usually will be slow enough to top off occasionally for a few days until I can get a proper fix or replacement(instead of the replace it now for $$$$ runaround when they think you’re desperate). The vast majority lasted the rest of the tires life though. Not perfect but these kits are great to keep in the trunk especially on newer cars that don’t have spares and you don’t want to deal with the annoying spray can stuff.

      Reply
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    Justin CulmoDavid Tracy
    9/21/16 12:15pm

    No rubber cement?

    These kits usually come with a small tube of rubber cement, and you should douse the plug with a good bead before you insert it.

    For those claiming this is not a permanent solution, I use these plugs all the time, I have no trouble with air leaks over time, of course, any good car owner who is competent enough to plug a tire, should also be competent enough to check their tire pressure at least once a month and expect that you will lose about 10% per month, even on a brand new tire.

    These plugs are only good for round holes caused by nails and bolts, if you end up with an odd-shaped piece of metal in your tire, you’re pretty much stuck getting a patch or a new tire. Otherwise, plugs are SO MUCH easier than swapping out your spare and then having to repair and swap out, again.

    I keep a kit in my Truck, which got 3 nails in the last 2 months, and I keep a kit in my M5, which doesn’t have a spare tire, at all.

    Reply
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      Karfreek (Rides a Full Dresser)Justin Culmo
      9/21/16 12:19pm

      That Slime kit does not need it. The plugs have some sort of...well...slime on them that seals it up.

      Reply
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      fawgcutterJustin Culmo
      9/21/16 12:26pm

      They’re permanent for you because you do douse them with rubber cement before insertion. I’ve met some people who’ve inserted multiple plugs in irregular punctures with varying degrees of success. The only place where they don’t work well is on sidewall punctures, as sidewall flex would enlarge the puncture, but the repair should be good enough for someone to get to a service station as the tire would be trashed anyway.

      Reply
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    MathnerdDavid Tracy
    9/21/16 12:04pm

    The grease, while likely reducing the effort required to ream the hole, was probably not such a good idea. Those rope plugs have a self vulcanizing goop on them and I would suspect the grease may interfere with that.

    Can I come in from the grey? It’s cold out here.

    Reply
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      DMANbluesfreakMathnerd
      9/21/16 2:47pm

      Usually those kits come with ‘grease’, which isn’t actually grease at all - it some caustic goop that actually helps clean the rubber for the vulcanizing process.

      Reply
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      MyTVNeverLiesDMANbluesfreak
      9/21/16 7:17pm

      Usually those kits come with ‘grease’, which isn’t actually grease at all

      I thought that’s what he must have meant (cause using actual grease just sounds insane), but since this seems aimed at beginners, it should really be spelled out, lest someone misunderstands.

      Reply
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    HammerheadFistpunchDavid Tracy
    9/21/16 12:21pm

    Goina leave this here

    4:12 if it doesn’t skip to it.

    Reply
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      InWayOverMyHeadHammerheadFistpunch
      9/21/16 1:25pm

      That dude is kind of irritating.

      Reply
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      HammerheadFistpunchInWayOverMyHead
      9/21/16 1:27pm

      Many people think so, I like his no-nonsesense attitiude. So little drama.

      Reply
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    DarylDavid Tracy
    9/21/16 1:52pm

    David, how did you get the insertion tool (heh heh...you’re an insertion tool...) out of the hole with both ends sticking out of the tire? I would think that there’d be too much tension on the plug and tool from the tire to slide the tool along the plug, then out. Would it be easier to have the plug “uneven” in the tool, allowing you to push the shorter end all the way into the tire, then sliding the tool out, leaving only one end sticking out of the tire? Would that fill the hole sufficiently to seal the hole?

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      plaerzenDaryl
      9/21/16 2:46pm

      The tool has a little slot at the very tip of it for the plug to slide out of.

      Reply
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    protodadDavid Tracy
    9/21/16 1:04pm

    Love the comments from the folks who used them once and “it held up fine” so they must be safe to use long term. Having worked on tires for years I can happily provide 100 stories of how these failed for every few that swear by them. Do they work in a pinch? Of course. So does a can of fix-a-flat. But they aren’t designed to hold up long term. If you are lucky the plug just deteriorates and you get another flat (pulled about 1000 of these out just to repatch them). If you aren’t, forcing a tool wider than the hole through the tread and belts can cause damage to the structure of the tire. Many, many blowouts have come through the door with signs of these kinds of plugs.

    Don’t be cheap, use this as a temp solution, drive reasonably while it is in your tire, and have it fixed or the tire replaced as soon as feasable.

    Reply
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      zingprotodad
      9/21/16 3:02pm

      Thank you! Judging by the replies to my post, these things are beyond reproach as a permanent, never-fail solution. I’ll admit to having used them and probably kept them in for the rest of the life of whatever tire I used it in, but I never thought it was responsible or a good idea, and I’d never do it now.

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      protodadzing
      9/22/16 8:22am

      If its all you have, its better than being stranded. The same folks who drive on them as a permanent fix probably put their spare on the front and hit the freeways.

      Reply