Explain plugging from inside the tire
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,683
Likes: 265
From: New York
Explain plugging from inside the tire
I took my car to a HPDE in West Virgina. When I got home my new Michelin PS2, size 335X35/17 in the rear was leaking.
I asked a friend which is safer, patch or plug. He replied:
You can plug it safely off the rim with a plug that has a backing.
I was confused. I worked at a gas station and repaired may tires. So I asked he to specify. He replied:
You want plugs that are inserted from the inside not outside. The tire has to come off the rim, takes about 45 mins to cure before remounting.
Never heard of this. Anyone know what the process is for this? Plug inserted from the inside with the rim off?
I asked a friend which is safer, patch or plug. He replied:
You can plug it safely off the rim with a plug that has a backing.
I was confused. I worked at a gas station and repaired may tires. So I asked he to specify. He replied:
You want plugs that are inserted from the inside not outside. The tire has to come off the rim, takes about 45 mins to cure before remounting.
Never heard of this. Anyone know what the process is for this? Plug inserted from the inside with the rim off?
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 13,010
Likes: 2,248
From: Corsicana, Tx
2020 C2 of the Year - Modified Winner
2020 Corvette of the Year (performance mods)
C2 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
2017 C2 of Year Finalist
It's a plug where what you'd think of as a patch is attached to the plug. You pull it through from the inside and the patch glues down over it. Same concept as installing a plug from the outside and installing a separate patch on the inside to cover it after cutting it off flush on the inside.
The plug seals the tread area from wicking moisture into the belt package and rusting it. The patch actually seals the air chamber. The two combined do a good job that won't cause issues if done correctly.
JIM
The plug seals the tread area from wicking moisture into the belt package and rusting it. The patch actually seals the air chamber. The two combined do a good job that won't cause issues if done correctly.
JIM
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,683
Likes: 265
From: New York
It's a plug where what you'd think of as a patch is attached to the plug. You pull it through from the inside and the patch glues down over it. Same concept as installing a plug from the outside and installing a separate patch on the inside to cover it after cutting it off flush on the inside.
The plug seals the tread area from wicking moisture into the belt package and rusting it. The patch actually seals the air chamber. The two combined do a good job that won't cause issues if done correctly.
JIM
The plug seals the tread area from wicking moisture into the belt package and rusting it. The patch actually seals the air chamber. The two combined do a good job that won't cause issues if done correctly.
JIM
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,798
Likes: 4,420
From: Virginia
Did you buy your tires from somewhere (like Costco) that will repair them for free?
Is it a hole or a tear? I've plugged tires myself and have gotten thousands more miles out of them, but that was for things like nails, where it was obvious where the problem was, and it was a tiny hole.
Is it a hole or a tear? I've plugged tires myself and have gotten thousands more miles out of them, but that was for things like nails, where it was obvious where the problem was, and it was a tiny hole.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,040
Likes: 109
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!
Michael S. Palmer
5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!
Joe Kucinski
7 Bolt-On Upgrades From Extreme Online Store to Level Up Your C6 Corvette
Pouria Savadkouei
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,068
Likes: 7,678
From: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
2025 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
This is the ONLY repair that is legal in Australia. The only way we repair motorcycle tires.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 1,564
Likes: 569
From: Wisconsin
This thread jogged a memory for me. Anyone else remember back in the 70’s, patching tubes with “monkey grip” “vulcanizing” patches where you lit the patch on fire and it sorta melted onto the inside?
Kept our Schwinn Stingrays rollin when we couldn’t afford new tubes.
Good times.
Kept our Schwinn Stingrays rollin when we couldn’t afford new tubes.
Good times.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 388
Likes: 117
From: Tacoma, Wa
Ive always wondered why the tire would be textured on the inside
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,358
Likes: 1,782
From: Apple Valley, MN
Make sure you go to a reputable tire shop. A shop assumes some liability when they perform a tire repair so they need to do it correctly. That said, if you take it to a “do it all” repair shop, they will likely be less proficient than a tire shop that does these repairs all the time. Ask them to explain their process. You should be able, with the information supplied in this post, to determine if they will be repairing it correctly.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 862
Likes: 150
From: Massachusetts, North Shore
We call them patch plugs. They are the only repair my dealership uses and can only be used when the
leak is on the tread, not the sidewall. Here's a link, hope this helps.
RMA_TireProc_2p_5 (ustires.org)
leak is on the tread, not the sidewall. Here's a link, hope this helps.
RMA_TireProc_2p_5 (ustires.org)
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,683
Likes: 265
From: New York
This post has been a great help to me. Thank you for all that replied!
For the future, I wanted to purchase some of these plugs. I have learned NOT to trust Amazon reviews. For those with more experience than me, if time allows, could you look at the links below and see if one strikes you as superior.
Let me know your thoughts.
For cement, I guess this should work:
For the future, I wanted to purchase some of these plugs. I have learned NOT to trust Amazon reviews. For those with more experience than me, if time allows, could you look at the links below and see if one strikes you as superior.
Let me know your thoughts.
For cement, I guess this should work:
Old Pro Solo Guy
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 7,939
Likes: 4,298
From: Marlton NJ
The typical plug from the outside type of plug-patch I have seen it leak air into the tire plies and cause egg sized bubbles in the tire tread. Not good.
The T-shaped style do not alter the speed rating of the tire, they are that good.
The T-shaped style do not alter the speed rating of the tire, they are that good.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 1,564
Likes: 569
From: Wisconsin