#182307 - 09/15/09 09:20 PM
Re: Tire Repair Kit recommendations
[Re: Wheels]
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Addict
Registered: 01/07/09
Posts: 475
Loc: Birmingham, Alabama
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Regarding using a plug to fix a sidewall puncture. I've never done it and I know it's verboten but my son bought a old Firebird with a plug in the sidewall and drove it for many months (probably way too fast) before selling it - with the plug still in the sidewall. I warned him about the plug before he bought the car but he's rather pig-headed. So, if you're in a bad situation (wilderness/disaster/danger) with no way to go except plugging the sidewall, wouldn't it be better to do that and carefully drive to a repair place as soon as possible? In a pinch (out in the woods) we've actually sewn up a tire with wire and covered the tear with patches on the inside. I wouldn't drive it on the road like that. But I've seen many a sidewall plugged, shops just don't do it for liability reasons.
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#182308 - 09/15/09 09:23 PM
Re: Tire Repair Kit recommendations
[Re: jcurphy]
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Addict
Registered: 01/07/09
Posts: 475
Loc: Birmingham, Alabama
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The best kit is a full size spare, giving you adequate time to have your punctured tire properly repaired at a tire shop  How many people on here have replaced their donuts with full size tires? I'd strongly suggest doing this, if you haven't already. Mine came with a full-size spare (Jeep Wrangler), but I'd have to have one even if it didn't. Offroad vehicles with locking differentials can't run different size tires on the same axle.
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#182313 - 09/15/09 10:27 PM
Re: Tire Repair Kit recommendations
[Re: RayW]
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Addict
Registered: 07/04/02
Posts: 436
Loc: Florida
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You beat me to it. Been using Safety Seal kits since about 1986. Have purchased probably 15 commercial kits and given them to family & friends.
After Hurricane Andrew in South Florida, I had to patch my service truck tires ad naseum due to the road debris. Between the Safety Seal kits and the cans of air (which I bought by the case after Andrew) I have become a firm believer in the plugs.
Yes, I've heard and read a lot about why you should use the patches, however I've never heard of any issues with a properly installed Safety Seal plug. No affiliation, just a VERY HAPPY Safety Seal customer. YMMV
Regards, Comanche7.
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#182320 - 09/15/09 11:51 PM
Re: Tire Repair Kit recommendations
[Re: Comanche7]
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Addict
Registered: 03/20/05
Posts: 410
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I've used the Walmart cheapies with great success over the years. I once developed a slow leak when I didn't have any glue to use. They have generally lasted the life of the tire with no problems.
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#182325 - 09/16/09 12:48 AM
Re: Tire Repair Kit recommendations
[Re: sodak]
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Addict
Registered: 12/06/01
Posts: 601
Loc: Orlando, FL
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Several posters have brought up a good point to know what is recommend for your car. If you have all wheel drive or limited slip differentials, usually on jeeps, suvs, trucks, and sports cars. You may need to use a full size spare or use the spare only on one end of the car.
One of my cars has a doughnut spare, the spare can only be used on the front axle. The rear axle has a limited slip differential and it can be damaged by using different size tires on that axle. And it is an expensive repair.
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#182515 - 09/18/09 08:37 AM
Re: Tire Repair Kit recommendations
[Re: Basecamp]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 03/08/07
Posts: 2208
Loc: Beer&Cheese country
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Timely thread, as I just bought a new truck and decided to get a patch kit. Glad the "cheapie" from AutoZone is probably good enough around town. And glad my truck has a full size spare  Sue, my dad once used the Slime in the tire. It worked OK, but I hear the tire repair shops hate it. Plus, I've got my own concerns about how how it affects cars with tire sensors. For the rest, when sewing a tire, do you plug inbetween the stitches then? Or do you actually tie it tight enough to block leaks? Are you just bringing the tire together, or actually overlapping rubber? What kind of needle, as I figure a regular sewing needle is a bit thin for this task?
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#182521 - 09/18/09 11:21 AM
Re: Tire Repair Kit recommendations
[Re: MDinana]
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Veteran
Registered: 11/01/08
Posts: 1530
Loc: DFW, Texas
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Timely thread, as I just bought a new truck and decided to get a patch kit. Glad the "cheapie" from AutoZone is probably good enough around town. And glad my truck has a full size spare Sue, my dad once used the Slime in the tire. It worked OK, but I hear the tire repair shops hate it. Plus, I've got my own concerns about how how it affects cars with tire sensors. For the rest, when sewing a tire, do you plug inbetween the stitches then? Or do you actually tie it tight enough to block leaks? Are you just bringing the tire together, or actually overlapping rubber? What kind of needle, as I figure a regular sewing needle is a bit thin for this task? "Fix-A-Flat" was one of my favorite products, until I had a job repairing tires in high school 22 years ago... Then it became my arch nemesis (sp?) TPM (Tire Pressure Monitor) devices in the wheels are replaceable, and "Slime" is one of the biggest reasons why.
_________________________
I do the things that I must, and really regret, are unfortunately necessary.
RIP OBG
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#182595 - 09/19/09 01:02 AM
Re: Tire Repair Kit recommendations
[Re: Lon]
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Stranger
Registered: 09/18/09
Posts: 10
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I have used the Blackjack kit many times and it is a superior tire plug kit. I keep one in each vehicle with a small hi pressure low volume dc compressor and have used them both in the woods and beach. Usually easier to plug the tire on the truck than to jack it up and remove and replace with spare tire.
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#182608 - 09/19/09 02:19 AM
Re: Tire Repair Kit recommendations
[Re: MDinana]
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Addict
Registered: 01/07/09
Posts: 475
Loc: Birmingham, Alabama
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For the rest, when sewing a tire, do you plug inbetween the stitches then? Or do you actually tie it tight enough to block leaks? Are you just bringing the tire together, or actually overlapping rubber? What kind of needle, as I figure a regular sewing needle is a bit thin for this task? This was a 49" tall Interco "Irok" offroad tire, in the sidewall, which is extremely thick on them. We punched small holes (maybe 1/8") in the tire and stitched it up using bailing wire. Just to bring it together, then patched the inside up with regular patches, then a piece of inner tube glued over that. This was an extreme case, but the tire cost a lot of $, and the rip in the tire was about 3" long. It made it through the day, then he had it vulcanized before the next time he took it riding. When you're running 49" tires, like my buddy, you don't bring a spare tire.
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