fishfirst

Hi guys.Brought my 2005 to the dealer for maintenance and a slow leak I rear left tire.They plugged it instead of a patch.Should I patch it? Thanks.

MikeMaj82

Why? We've been plugging tires since the 1950s and never had an issue. I've plugged up 3 holes myself in my '05's stock run-flats as well and they were fine. Unless you plan on going to the track where you'll be driving 100+mph for long periods of time I don't see why you'd patch it.

silver74vette

If the plug was in the tread and not the sidewall (where no repairs should be done) I would not worry about it. I have plugged everything from Vettes to Motorcycles and never had an issue with one.

I would even use one on the track.

CodyC6

For me, I'd prefer it be done right. Patch/plug From the inside, not just a plug.

VET4LES

Plug is the way to go. I've used them for many years and never had a problem.

cclive

Plugging is just fine...even though we have a member here (Wolfdogs) who is a retired tire engineer, who says it is absolutely wrong and dangerous. It's fine in spite of the fact that there is no tire manufacturer that says it is OK. Besides, it is just a tire and not really that important, safety-wise. We have lots of forum members who have done it for years and, to quote: "never had a problem".

If you sense sarcasm, it's just that I don't understand why, on a forum where some people treat their Corvettes better than children, there is a resistance to repairing tires the correct way. Honestly, I just don't get it. But no matter how many times Wolfdogs explains it, the concept is just not sinking in. It's genuinely funny.

Here's a good, simple post from Wolfdogs:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1586741860-post19.html

MikeMaj82

I guess it's because whenever I think of a patch I just think of when we used to patch up holes in our above ground pool and how they always leaked lol. That and the fact that we never used patches for 60 years and have been perfectly safe.

Tire manufacturers don't want you to use plugs because you can do it yourself in your driveway in 5 minutes for under $5. They want money.

87SAM

Don't understand it either

87SAM

really?

Boomer111

Plug and patch, do it right!

MikeMaj82

To the OP, you're gonna get the guys that use nothing but plugs and the guys that use nothing but patches and they're both going to argue their sides to the death. If it were up to me and I had the money, I'd buy a new tire every time I ran over something. If you want to preach safety, that's really the only way to go.

87SAM

It's not a plug or patch thing, it's a use both thing. Even Goodyear recommends repairing their run flats this way (at least on the somewhat older gen tires, haven't checked the last couple of years).

owc6

For street use, plug AND patch is perfectly fine, and safe. I have probably 100K mi. on tires such as these (on C6s). I would go broke if I replaced a tire every time I picked a screw or nail.

Don-Vette

Repairs are limited to the tread area only

Puncture injury cannot be greater than 1/4 inch (6mm) in diameter

Repairs must be performed by removing the tire from the rim/wheel
assembly to perform a complete inspection to assess all damage that may be present

Repairs cannot overlap

A rubber stem, or plug, must be applied to fill the puncture injury and
a patch must be applied to seal the inner liner. A common repair unit is a one-piece unit with a stem and patch portion.

A plug by itself is an unacceptable repair


http://www.rma.org/tire-safety/tire-repair/

dvilin

I had one repaired at Pepboys and they said their policy is to patch it. I have also had the AAA come when I had a flat in a parking lot and they plugged it right there and all was fine. Should point out both of these were on an SUV not my Vette.

GOLD72

The correct repair is an integral plug-patch. For the OP, unless you watched the repair, how do you know it is a plug only??? If the dealer never removed the tire from the wheel, then it is a plug job only. Discount Tire takes the tire off the wheel for proper inspection and uses the integral plug-patch to do the repair.

FortMorganAl

except I don't find it funny . I find it funny We have a lot of misinformation here and some of it just costs money but some could cost lives. I'm surprized someone hasn't recommended just duct taping it.


A good tire shop will plug AND patch for free thinking you will come back when you need to buy tires. It doesn't take much longer to apply the patch because you already have the tire dismounted if you are inspecting for damage. I've had a small hole on the outside but broken steel cord protruding on the inside that wouldn't be seen if the tire was not dismounted.

BTW, OP, that's why you go to a tire shop for tire work rather than a dealer. The tire shop lives or dies by the way they handle tires and alignments. The dealer lives or dies by selling cars and maybe does a tire repair occasionally.

GOLD72

[QUOTE=FortMorganAl;1586849342.........A good tire shop will plug AND patch for free thinking you will come back when you need to buy tires. It doesn't take much longer to apply the patch because you already have the tire dismounted if you are inspecting for damage. I've had a small hole on the outside but broken steel cord protruding on the inside that wouldn't be seen if the tire was not dismounted.

BTW, OP, that's why you go to a tire shop for tire work rather than a dealer. The tire shop lives or dies by the way they handle tires and alignments. The dealer lives or dies by selling cars and maybe does a tire repair occasionally.[/QUOTE]

BINGO!!!

unixcorn

Until Monday of this week, I would have agreed with the "just plug it" group. I had a slow leak in a rear tire on my winter car about a month ago. I took it to the dealer and they "fixed" it along with rotating that tire to the front and an oil change. At the time they told me they removed the tire and patched it, not simply forced a plug into it. Fast forward to Monday morning. I am in Minnesota (a seven hour drive from home) and I am planning to drive home. I get in and the TPMS is telling me I have a low tire. It's the front and the tire that was plugged. I take it to the dealer in MN and they show me that my dealer simply plugged the tire. My winter car was new in October and had 5000 miles on it when I had the tire repaired. Had that tire gone flat at 80mph on my way home, leaving me in the middle of Iowa, or worse, I would have been pissed. The dealer in MN patched it and so far so good but I am super annoyed at my dealer for plugging and not patching a nearly-new tire. I won't be using a plug again, ever.

Richard Ames

Mentioned a slow leak when I got the Corvette serviced and they did a "preformance" repair: removed tire from rim and did the inside patch remounted and rebalanced. Cost was $40 and I have peace of mind if I go a bit fast.