New tyre or stick with plug?

[Millhouse]

Hey there, I received a wood screw into the middle of my back tire last season. I plugged it and seems to be holding. Should I keep going on the fix or replace the rear tire. The tires are recently new, possibly 3,000 miles on both front/back. I am not sure if I should go to radials or bias when I do replace. Any suggestions?

 

[Mellow]

It's a personal preference. Some will say any puncture is a reason to replace them and some will say plug it, watch it and see if it holds and use it up. I'm in the plug it category myself.

 

[ST1100Y]

One argument would be possible risk of broken carcass thread/wire or partially peeling...

Which is why we have warning signs on those products to not exceed 80kph/50mph and only head to the nearest workshop with such temporary fix.

I use a slime can (they actually hold up well) to make it home (even if that's across Europe...), and get the rubber replaced first thing there.

 

[RIDEMYST]

Someone once told me that money you may save in not replacing the tire could be spent in the first 5 minutes in the emergency room.

I plug a tire to get home and then always replace the tire.
I know that's hard to do on a low mileage tire but it's an associated cost to riding.
Just my 2-cents. -JEP-

 

[Throttlejockey]

I'm with Mellow. I do use the mushroom type plug though, not the gummy worm. It's highly unlikely for one of those to come out.

This is the one I use. http://www.stopngo.com/products/Pocket-Tire-Plugger-%2d-For-All-Tubeless-Tires.html

The rear tire on my ST has had one in it for the last 5K miles.

 

[Uncle Phil]

If it is on the rear, I tend to ride it with a plug until it wears out (I use red gummy worms). If a rear goes flat, it is normally not a big deal. A front going flat while in progress is real big deal! ;-)

 

[nhdiesel]

If it is a hole (round- from a nail, screw, etc) than I always plug them and don't lose sleep over it. In my profession as an auto tech I've plugged thousands of tires, mainly due to the heavy commercial use of our roads (lots of flats). I use my judgement about when its safe to plug a tire, and have never had ONE FAIL that I put in. Some will try to plug a tear (elongated hole, rip) but that isn't a good idea. The tear will continue to spread and cause a leak.

As the others said use your own judgement. I plugged the rear tire on my ST last summer and ran it another 10k miles until the tire wore out.

 

[Mellow]

and have never had anyone come back with a leaking plug

LOL... you probably should have worded that differently

 

[970mike]

You have to do what you are comfortable with. I have plugged several tires with the red gummy worms and have worn out the tires.

 

[T_C]

I did the gummy thing on the road side... got me home that day and a week later took it to a shop and had them do a proper style plug with abraiding it from the inside and patching. Ran that rear another 8k or so more before she wore out. But out of the whole St. louis area... I only know of one shop that would plug a tire. Almost all calim they can't due it because of liability issues. They could be sued... it's BS. the tire industry has them scared so they sell more tires. but do what you feel confident with. But in my opinion, a well patched tire is just getting broken in and ready for some more miles.

 

[ST1100Y]

My mech once showed me the inside of my rear tire where I'd suffered a puncture due a darn drywall screw...

Seeing the inward bend ends of the 3 cut steel wires was kinda convincing for me...

I wouldn'd even plug a car tire, where the replacement hits you worse as you'll need to get two new rubbers...

...and have never had anyone come back with a leaking plug...

LOL! I wonder why...? I think you might want to rephrase that :-D

 

[nhdiesel]

My mech once showed me the inside of my rear tire where I'd suffered a puncture due a darn drywall screw...

Seeing the inward bend ends of the 3 cut steel wires was kinda convincing for me...

I wouldn'd even plug a car tire, where the replacement hits you worse as you'll need to get two new rubbers...


LOL! I wonder why...? I think you might want to rephrase that :-D

Fixed it...LOL

Broken belts obviously shouldn't be plugged, but that is very rare with a straight puncture (unlike a tear). That is where experience and judgement come into play.

 

[Louie Louie]

My puncture occurred after a recent purchase of a PR3 with less than 400 miles. I plugged it with a mushroom plug, and its maintained its pressure and performance.

 

[schlep1967]

Hard to say until you or someone else pulls the tyre to have a look at the inside. No damaged cord, patchplug from the inside is the way to go. Damaged cord, new tyre.

 

[Digger1]

I'm a "plug and monitor" man myself. Have plugged lots of rear MC tires over the years. I've used all kinds of plugs, but I like the mushroom-type the best, all else being equal.

If I ever had a front flat on a big road bike, however, I'd need to think on it some before committing to long-term reliance on a plug....

 

[Highrider]

I make a judgement call depending on the location and type of the puncture. If it is near the center and clean, I plug it and monitor it for leaks or unusual wear. I once had to put 3 plugs in a new tire at the start of a trip and ended up running that tire for 7800 miles (1/2 highway, 1/2 twisties) without a problem.
I don't base my decision on the plug, I base it on the type of puncture and my ability to plug it to my satisfaction.

 

[Millhouse]

Very good, thanks for everyones imput. Any ideas or preference on bias ply vs radials?

 

[ST1100Y]

Broken belts obviously shouldn't be plugged, but that is very rare with a straight puncture (unlike a tear).

The chances possibly vary with the puncturing object... plywood/drywall screws are a bugger, whilst a 'smooth' nail probably goes in/out without much damage.

The most odd punctures I'd ever seen were on a Metzeler rear tire... pebble splinters caused like 5 leaks at once in the, admittedly very thin tread surface on my friend's ST up in Scotland.
Poured a slime can in, bubbles just everywhere, but at the end it sealed so we topped up the pressure and the tire held all the way back home to Austria, even at motorway speeds...

 

[Tom Mac 04a]

As to industry accepted plugs... they are patch - plugs,... that are installed from the inside and have a rubber shaft to fill the void left by the object to prevent delaminating of the tire layers.

That being said, ... many plug and so do I ( with a mushroom type plug ). The major diff, is now tho I use a stop/go mushroom type, I went and bought plugs that have the red gummy shafts. These seem to seal better than the orig all black rubber mushrooms.


sold here;
http://patchboy.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=P&Category_Code=12-3-9

 

[Monty]

I also used a mushroom type on the rear wheeel of my st1300 (Screw hole) that was about 2500 miles ago no probs, but hey its your choice )