Technical Anyone Have Any Experience With These Tire Screw/Plugs?

I hate the cheesy website graphics, but the videos I've seen make these look like they might be good to have along with you on a drive somewhere. If they work as advertised they could change a bad day into a brief repair stop.
https://lookfirstye.com/products/ti...4xWuRu553n-oPPRjXo_aem_MpX9-89cUq8DOhYL4TtlQA

 

Be fine for a " get ya' home repair. ....

 

Not a plastic , But I have used a sheet metal screw with Silicone.
Been in tire know for 2 years .
I have used this style plugs
For $30ish on drag radials & others tires

 

Tire plugs can get you out of a middle of nowhere situation, but they are temporary and the tire should be replaced ASAP. Just like a can of Fix A Flat.
Yes, this group is comprised of the companies that are selling new tires, but they also have a lot more experience with the product.
https://www.ustires.org/tire-care-safety/tire-repair-basics

 

I have never used those threaded plugs, I assume there is an actual metal screw in there?
I have used the kits that come with a rubberized string (?) and glue. these are not temporary. I keep a set in my glove box but have never had to use one on the road. did the repair at home
plug it, air it up and drive it.

 

I usually keep one with me on road trips, just so I won't need it. Of course my luck always get the screw in the tire right at the edge of the tread, where tire shops are not allowed to repair them.

A spare tire is better, if you have wheels/tires that are about the same size, and you have room to carry it.

 

The type that 49ratfink shows, works very well, and is not hard to do. As long as the hole is not on or near the sidewall. I’ve used them many times, with a 99% success rate.

 

If you get the T handle style best to
get/ use the Commercial Round metal T handle ,The None Commercial plastic one's most time snap off in your hand.

 

Yep, my choice also. Even the cheapo HF kits work.

 

I've taken the tire to a tire shop later after getting home safe and had them place a patch on the inside over the plugged hole, that seems to be a permanent repair. In fact I believe I have that situation on the right rear tire on my 47 coupe right now, been that way for half a dozen years at least.

 

Back in the very early '70s when I first went to work for Standard Stations (the company-owned stations as opposed to the independent dealer owned ones with Chevron signage) I was sent to school for training. One of the things they covered was tire repair. If you came into a Standard Station, you got a patch installed inside the tire; no plugs allowed. Their reasoning was that tubeless tires differed from tube tires by having an inner liner (acting as the tube) and a plug may or may not seal to that liner. This could allow air to get between the liner/carcass/tread, possibly causing a blister or tread separation. Now FWIW, I personally never saw a plug cause that, but I have seen a few develop leaks as the tire tread wore, lending credence to the idea that the plug didn't seal to the liner. But patches had their issues too. Steel belted tires started appearing at that time and if a puncture bent any of the strands 'in', these could eat a hole in the patch as the belt flexed and it would start leaking. Had a customer with Michelins, it took multiple attempts to seal that tire. We finally 'layered' three patches over the hole to get it to seal.

 

... I used to bring my tires to the tire store for punctures, I sure hope they were patching the tire from the inside. got many flats when I worked construction. there were screws and nails everywhere for some reason.

 

I never felt confident using those things. I always have a good spare in the trunk and make sure it has air in it. There are so many people on here that worry about the age of tires, I am surprised that they would not worry about something like this.

 

I don't think very many places are using patches anymore. Too time consuming.

 

in the 3 years I worked construction I bet I had 4 or 5 of those plugs in my tires. never had an issue. had a few others since then. I'd say in today's society if there were issues with those plugs they would have stopped selling them long ago due to liability.

 

There are also the patches that have an extended plug attached. Like a T shape cross section. So you get both a patch on inside plus a plug going through the tread. I do agree an inside patch is better than a plug, but plenty of tire plugs fix the hole form a screw or nail and last for years.

 

tire plugs work for me...

 

What @38Chevy454 said ^^^^^

Having worked for a major tire manufacturer for 30 years, we had only one APPROVED method to PERMANENTLY repair a puncture. This was AFTER the temporary plug from the outside was done to “get you home”, by a knowledgeable tire shop.

Use an umbrella or mushroom type repair. Anything else is temporary.
Those shown may be self adhering, so cement is not used.

• Use a rotary drill rasp to clean out the puncture, and remove any frayed steel belt material. The plug diameter should be the next size up from the drill rasp’s.
• Lightly buff the liner in the area around the puncture with a small buffing stone.
• Clean the liner where you buffed with rubber solvent to remove any contamination like oil, mold release agent and rubber dust left from the buffing. Very important. Make sure the solvent dries completely!
• Apply rubber cement to the clean buffed area, and let dry. Remove the protective film from the patch plug. Apply rubber cement to the stem of the plug.
• Using the proper tool pull the stem through the puncture from the inside of the tire.
• Stitch or roll down the inner patch to the liner.
• Pull out on the plug that is protruding through the tread and trim off flush.
• Put the tire back in service.

Why all this, you ask (or not)?
The liner repair portion obviously seals the tire and prevents air loss, and strengthens the liner.
The stem plug seals the puncture and prevents air/water from being injected into the puncture as the punctured area comes in contact with the pavement, which will be at the pressure equal to the load per square inch on the area.

WHEW!!
Long winded, complex, but the ultimate, permanent method to keep the tire in service until it wears out. Used in all repairs on commercial tires seeing 100,000’s of miles of service.

 

I haven't bought that style but have seen the adds. I did buy the kit for these "mushroom tire plugs" a while back to use on my riding lawn mower tires that get too many flats with the goat heads we have around here. I haven't put them to the test simply because when I went to plug the tire I couldn't find the leak but the damned tire goes flat.

When I was visiting family in Kansas a few years ago and had a flat after running over a board with nails in it the Goodyear store in Wichata plugged the tire with a patch/plug that goes in from the inside that worked quite well. The tire has to come off the wheel to do it though.

 

How do these different patches affect the warranty of a tire. I seldom pay attention to warranties, but am interested.

 

That ad raises suspicions. The language is definitely "English is not my first language" Also they didn't proof read the specs. Some places state the small one is 1-3mm and other places state 0.01-3mm.

 

Those look OK for a perfectly round hole of the right size, anything other then that I can see them not working. If they're made of rubber then you won't be able to screw them into a small tear or hole. Also you needs some sort of sealer around the plug or it will still slightly leak.

I've been using tire plugs as a permanent repair for several decades, thousands of vehicles and they wear until the tread is gone IF installed properly (and no hot sticky burn outs). I have a kit at home that goes with me on trips (and a spare). The quality of the tire plugs matter greatly, I've used the crappy thin black one, cheap copy red ones and these are the best. I've added multiple plugs in the same hole and plug the sidewall to get me home (both VERY incorrect use).

https://safetyseal.com/

 

Project Farm needs to test them. lol!

 

Got a slow leak a week ago. Haven’t looked into it much, but I’m assuming there is a nail or something, so was going to get a can of Fix-a-Flat, but just as I was about to leave the aisle, I Googled it, and the AI response warned against using it due to the possibility of buggering up the TPMS sensors, so back on the shelf it went. If I can plug it, I will. Have had no issues with plugs yet.

 

At work we don't use plugs, we tear down the tire and use patches. We also have the type with the steel cone in the center of the patch for bigger holes.

With the cone type you set up the tire just like using a regular patch, cleaner, glue, then force the metal cone thru the hole, inside to out. Once it comes thru the tire tread and seated then use the wheel roller and work the patch against the tire. Once your happy grab the outside of the cone and work it back and forth until it comes off and out. That cone is filled with rubber so it patches the layers of the tire too.

Once we do a patch and it's mounted solid we finish by applying a coat of rubber liner sealer over the patch itself and surrounding area. Our tire guy says on small fixes that the rubber liner is much over kill. But we don't like doing things twice...

...

 

I have been using the plugs for over 25yrs. I keep a kit in my pickup truck and in my shop. I have used them in 17" and 18" tires on my truck. I have used them on our daughters 2016 Equinox. I have used them on my tandem car hauler trailer. I have used them both as emergency get home repairs and .....it's a great fix permanent repair until tires are replaced on vehicles and trailers.
I often have a small air tank in my truck or on my trailer, so I can inflate after repairs. I get all the materials laid out on a piece of cardboard or tray......I have a side cutters to grab the screw....nail...metal shard etc. I put the patch rope in the insert tool.....slather it with the glue.....pull the offending shard.....run the rasp tool in to clear the hole and if needed expand the diamete......jam the rope filler in.....trim it even with tread....all done. There are at least two maybe three sizes of the repair rope available. I high recommend having several sizes in your kit.
As someone else mentioned......I would stay away from any kind of "slime" material if at all possible for a variety of reasons.....except maybe in my wheelbarrow tires. Have fun....stay safe

 

Just had a tire repaired lol last week , they use a "patch-plug" , $15 & out the door . My old dump truck we used for hauling remodeling &roofing debris , bet there was 15 or 20 plugs in those tires ..

 

Years ago the simple plug kits were sold at our Canadian Tire stores with the ad copy "Quick, Permanent Repair" and the usual related fluff. One day I went to the store and the exact same package now read "For Emergency, Temporary Repair Only".

I've used them successfully for many years, but agree that it is only a temporary repair. They only last until the tread is worn off the tire.

 

Nope never saw this style
Have used literally hundreds of string plugs over the years.
Never near the side wall, ( time for a new tire ) and never a complaint.

 

The corporate lawyers were practicing CYA ...