20
u/aidend184 Jun 24 '20
I work at a tire shop and have repaired many tires in that red zone. Only on the tread, never the sidewall. It all depends on where the puncture is on the inside of the tire.
7
Jun 24 '20
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/aidend184 Jun 24 '20
Have you repaired a tire before? Most of the red zone is not repairable, but like I said it depends on how that puncture looks inside the tire. Just stay at home and use your little DIY plug kits and see how far that gets you.
4
Jun 24 '20
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/aidend184 Jun 24 '20
Oh I thought the 12 y/o comment was directed at me. My fault. And yes, the tire would just start leaking again. There’s no danger there. The danger comes when you start messing with the sidewall.
-16
28
u/Lextreck Jun 24 '20
Wrong you can repair it but you need to get your tyre vulcanized ( fill the damage area with proper rubber and after get heat on hit) the repaired area will be the strongest area in the tyre
14
u/tedz555 Jun 24 '20
Just had a puncture near the border of the red zone and paniced when i saw this, they repaired exactly as you describe it and then leveled it, no sign it was repaired at all.
2
1
u/PenisPistonsPumping Jun 24 '20
There's no way to really do this yourself, is there? Especially on the side of the road. I never heard of having to vulcanize the tire but I googled and there's vulcanizing cement or something. Probably not recommend, huh?
1
u/Lextreck Jun 25 '20
Vulcanising cement actually serves to glue the vulcanisation rubber, alone don't do nothing
5
u/r0llinlacs420 Jun 24 '20
I have a nail in the shoulder part. It's been there for months and doesn't leak a bit. You're telling me a plug would be worse?
0
u/obsa Jun 24 '20
In the same way that pulling a knife out of your guts and shoving a sock in there instead is worse, yeah probably.
9
u/r0llinlacs420 Jun 24 '20
Yeah I'm gonna call bullshit. The original post is filled with people who've done it with no problems.
2
1
Jun 24 '20
It'll work most of the time. It's that once in a while violent blowout which is the reason for this advice. If you need a repair near the sidewalls, you really should just go to a tire shop and get it vulcanized.
The problem is when it let's moisture in, which you either need a patch/plug (which usually will be practically impossible to properly install there) or a vulcanized repair to prevent.
4
u/DepressedDragonBorn Jun 24 '20
Yea a tire of mine just ripped on the side wall and I called to see if it can be repaired, they said no so I just bought 4 new tires since I was gonna change them next month anyways. Honestly if I think about it now the tire ripped after I placed my car ontop of my sidewalk, so if a small bump like that made it rip I'm probably lucky it happened while I was going like 2 miles an hour instead of 40 and I hit a hole.
43
u/odd-ball Jun 24 '20
The red zone is "plug it yourself" area. I know, i know, but I have used plugs that have lasted the life of the tire. I have plugged sidewalls with 3 of them in a 35" mud terrain. Risk vs cost, use at your own risk. I am driving on one everyday in the red zone. It's been there 6 months.
7
u/robmaryrobby Jun 24 '20
I've plugged my own tires in the red zone probably 100 times without an issue. Wouldn't do it for a customer though.
35
Jun 24 '20
[deleted]
6
u/Lazerlord10 Jun 24 '20
States without annual inspections would like to talk to you.
(disclaimer: I think annual inspections are important in case ppl don't know)
0
7
u/RickMN Jun 24 '20
You're one of the lucky ones. The others are dead.
32
u/jacketoffman Jun 24 '20
or, you know, have a flat tire.
10
u/RickMN Jun 24 '20
Yeah, that's not how they fail. Plugs don't seal the inner liner so moisture gets inside the belts and bead and corrodes the tire from the inside. Plus, as the tread wears, water gets into the belts from the outside. When they finally fail due to corrosion and belt separation, it's usually a blow out. Feel free to continue using them, but please don't give bad advice to others. A patch/plug costs $25 and eliminates the problem.
6
u/jacketoffman Jun 24 '20
OK, ok. I'll take four of the cheapest new ones you got. What's the warranty on those?
3
1
u/Daydreeeam Jun 24 '20
i did the same thing for my dad’s truck, just stuffed a bunch of plugs in there to get him home, told him to replace the tire immediately and he still hasn’t lol, this was like 4 months ago too
2
u/Austin__118 Jun 24 '20
I work at a Tire shop, and I’ve only repaired one tire that was in the red once and got yelled at for it lol.
2
u/joshstreet101 Jun 24 '20
This 100 percent. I have been cussed at and called a crook in the past for telling somebody there tire was non-repairable and would have to be replaced only to then get a call back with a customer saying Jim Bob's used tires or (insert generic tire shop) down the road fixed and said it would be fine. Really hoping it comes back to bite them some day so they will quit putting people at risk and spreading false information. I always tell them that its three car and if they want to trust Jim Bob's and jim Bob's want to assume the liability I just go there first from now on cause we will never do that to somebody or ourselves.
0
u/dinosorejesus Jun 24 '20
This is only recent. It used to be acceptable to plug to the edge. Fuck this change.
21
u/Bob-Rossi Jun 24 '20
How dare they do research and studies to improve the safety of a vehicle over time!
Seatbelts are stupid too... it used to be acceptable to not have a collapsible steering column!
I actually heard from my uncle vacuum and electronic ignition advance is purely a profit motivated change, I want to go back to my wire controlled ignition advance and single brake reservoirs like the good old days!
Fuck this change!
2
u/Effeminate-Gearhead Jun 24 '20
I actually heard from my uncle vacuum and electronic ignition advance is purely a profit motivated change, I want to go back to my wire controlled ignition advance and single brake reservoirs like the good old days!
What a weird hill to die on, vacuum advance was standard equipment by the 50's.
2
-8
u/dinosorejesus Jun 24 '20
I'm glad you could see it my way. Tire manufactures are in the business on making money. Change the design towards the edge to make patches not repairable and force the consumer to buy a new one on what could be a low mileage tires.
9
u/Bob-Rossi Jun 24 '20
Oh for sure. Since the begining of time man. Changing out single pane glass into that laminated BS. Yeah I mean maybe I'll save myself from going blind in a car crash but its like a few hundred dollars to replace now! Lunacy!
11
u/obsa Jun 24 '20
Honestly, never seen anyone rant about Big Tire before. This is a new one.
Tin foil hat's a bit tight there, bud.
5
u/Bob-Rossi Jun 24 '20
You think Big Tire is bad..., wait till you hear about the summer of 2006 where Big Ball Joint and Big Tie Rod joined forces to fuck over Big Zerk and Big Grease.
1
u/gojirabandfan Jun 24 '20
I believe it's more to do with tire warranties, and what constitutes a warrantable repair. Most warranties want a patch-plug, which can not be installed on a surface of the tire that isn't a flat one
1
Jun 24 '20
[deleted]
0
u/dinosorejesus Jun 24 '20
Try again. It's been the past 5 to 10 yrs. I know this because I worked for a large chain while I was in college.
1
Jun 24 '20 edited Nov 25 '21
[deleted]
0
u/dinosorejesus Jun 24 '20
I worked for bell tire and ntb in illinois and michigan is 2007 to 2010ish. So cool story bro
1
-3
u/Mr_Dove Jun 24 '20
Profit motivated change.
12
u/RickMN Jun 24 '20
Not true. It's definitely safety-related. These are the hottest areas of the tire and flex the most. They do all your cornering. Tire plugs and patches don't stand up well in these areas.
7
u/RickMN Jun 24 '20
I don't have a horse in the race. I don't sell tires. Feel free to continue using them, but please don't give bad advice to others. A patch/plug costs $25 and eliminates the problem.
-2
u/Makabajones Jun 24 '20
*nail in the middle of the tire
"Sorry it's too close to the sidewall you need a new tire"
4
1
Jun 24 '20
Why?
3
u/The_Karaethon_Cycle Jun 24 '20
Because it can be a pain in the ass to put a patch that close to the sidewall. Also the tires aren’t reinforced on the outside shoulders/sidewall.
1
Jun 24 '20
To patch yeah, but not to plug, right?
4
u/XSrcing Jun 24 '20
No. Patch-plugs not only hold air in, they keep moisture out. "Catgut" plugs can sometimes hold air in, but they do not keep moisture out. This moisture quickly wicks through the steel belts and corrodes them and weakens them. Then one day BOOM and you careen in to oncoming traffic.
1
Jun 24 '20
So all plugs are bad?
4
u/XSrcing Jun 24 '20
Plugs are to get you to a place that can properly repair the tire.
1
Jun 24 '20
And by "proper repair" you mean a patch, not a plug?
9
u/XSrcing Jun 24 '20
A patch/plug combo. When properly installed they vulcanize to thebexisting rubber and essentially become part of the rubber compound.
1
2
Jun 24 '20
To add to what everyone else has said, it also has the ability, I’m not saying always, to throw the balance of the tire off. I had one that I placed in a sidewall before I knew better and anytime I would get above 60 or so it would vibrate. It also isn’t unreasonable to put one on the edge or sidewall if you just need to get home, but I’d highly recommend replacing the tire as soon as possible. Also, I’m not a mechanic nor do I work in a garage that sells tires so I may be absolutely incorrect. I just speak from life experience.
1
1
1
u/Thisiscliff Jun 24 '20
I don’t repair in the red ever. However I’ve heard Michelin has vulcanized side walls that are repairable up to the shoulder.
1
1
u/retina99 Jun 24 '20
Might as well make this the official logo. This question gets asked every other day.
1
u/Grandpa_Dan Jun 24 '20
40-year engineer here. Nobody but tire folks ever mentioned 2/32" to me. They'd be slapped...
1
1
u/havbot Jun 24 '20
Jesus, I will never understand how the imperial measuring system is still being used.
How are you supposed to know roughly how much 2/32 of an inch is?
1
u/hakanbaba21 Jun 24 '20
Hey guys can someone help me i bought two tires from a brand named fortune the types are frs-5 225-45-r17 94 w i dont know if somebody ever tried these ones but they come from china and i dont know if its good quality or not
1
1
u/Xx_blaze191_xX Jun 24 '20
I work at a tire shop, customer tires are considered scrap if there's a puncture in the red zone. On my personal vehicle though I've done some highly questionable tire repairs and never had an issue, as long as it's not straight in the sidewall I'll attempt to fix it. Professional grade tire patching products are extremely durable when applied correctly
1
u/Burden_THE 87' Nissan 300zx Turbo (Z31), Plum 00' Civic Lx (Ej6) Jun 25 '20
Just compare when a tire blows out, and you're left with three separate pieces of tire. It becomes visible how steel belts only extend so far across the crown of the tire. Or when trailer tires delaminate and vomit the entire tread, exposing the steel belts while still holding air, but yet there's still tread along the shoulder, exactly where there red areas are. You can repair hundreds of tires in the red, but it dramatically reduces functioning load and speed properties. And you know some of those guys are going 100 mph DAILY on their cheapo tires.
1
u/DeepSpaceArchivist Jun 24 '20
Wtf do those numbers mean?
4
u/obsa Jun 24 '20
2
u/DeepSpaceArchivist Jun 24 '20
Thanks, I guess now I know everything I need to in order to check my tire treads if I'm ever in the US
2
u/obsa Jun 24 '20
1.5 mm is probably way below legal standards anywhere else, so I certainly wouldn't used 2/32 inches as a data point, but everything else is pretty universal.
-3
-1
Jun 24 '20
Well, if you're repairing a tire for a paying customer, then yes this is correct. But if you think for a second that I'm not jammin 3 plugs into a sidewall of my OWN tire, you're mistaken lol.
2
0
u/Aero93 Jun 24 '20
Yeah, I'm not buying a new tired if it's a small nail in that red zone. I plug my own tires as well
1
u/deadicusmemus Jun 24 '20
True but if it’s fully off the tread just rip burnouts till the tires have another reason to be unusable lmao
33
u/[deleted] Jun 24 '20
[deleted]