Is it OK to use patched/plugged tire on truck?

[David and Jo-Anna]

When I was in the tire shop yesterday getting my Mission tires replaced, I also had the tire guy check one of the tires on my F350 that has had a slow leak for the last week or two. Turns out there was a small nail driven up into the tire. He didn't have a replacement tire in stock, and we couldn't get the spare tire off (he couldn't get the mechanism that holds up the spare to lower it down--another issue to deal with Ford on), so he removed the tire, patched and plugged it from inside, and remounted it.

My question is--is it safe for me to continue using that tire now that it has been patched and plugged? Is it feasible to make that tire my spare and start using my previously unused spare as one of my four regular tires? Or should I trash the patched tire as soon as I can find a dealer who has the same tire in stock?

P.S. The tires are OEM originals with 20,000 miles on them and are Continental LT 275/70 R18 tires with load range E.

[Wiarton William]

I had a front tire with a nail in it "patched" in Mesa two years ago..I inquired about its integrity at the time..the repairman advised that the tire was as good as new...if he had "plugged" it he would not give me that assurance,"the patch is on the inside and its near impossible break or come out".....the tire is still on the truck and has caused me no grief..I mentionned this to a local tire dealer who stood by the other guys advice and added...if it were his truck he would keep the patched tire on the front end only becasue of the fact that a rear blow out is far more inconvenient than a front one....

[noneck]

A good patch should last the life of the tire. When I was working for my dad (tire guy) he believed in patches applied inside the tire as long as the puncture was small and in the tread area it was considered a permanent fix. I'm sure one of the other Monty Tiremen will provide good feed back as well as my info is from my childhood days...

[mgdg]

David I`ve never had a problem with a patched tire, and have put many miles on them. We use to patch the Executive leases all the time in Chrysler pre-service. As far as getting the spare down did you find a silver extension that goes on the end of the lowering rod. Check to see if you have it. I did that and couldn`t figure out why it wouldn`t lower and I forgot to put the extra rod in the end. At work the tool was always together and was automatic. Check under the passenger side front seat(Dodge keeps it there) or wherever the jack is stored. I`d use the patched tire no problem with that here.

[mtheo]

I had a very good freind with a tire shop 20 years ago, at that time I would not use a plug, he assured me that they were as safe as new. To this day I have used them dozens of times with never a problem. I have had one on the Monty for over a year now. pick up a nail out in the desert and I always carry a patch kit, have thought about put it on the spare but just haven't got to it.

[Snownyet]

Ive used plugs and patches for years, as long as its not on the sidewall I dont see an issue. In fact I carry a plug kit a small air compressor in my truck. Very handy when youre in the middle of nowhere.

[Waynem]

The plug will get you to your next fix-it place as far as I'm concerned. I have never had a slow leak that when putting in a plug you have to make the hole bigger. The tool they provide rasps the tire and cleans it, but the hole is slightly bigger. A bigger hole in a tire is not something that I want.

The inside patch has been reported as being safer than the plug and has less tendency to blow out. (JMHO)

[sreigle]

David, in your glovebox (probably) should be the "key" for the spare tire locking mechanism. It fits on the end of the rod and that combination is put through the hole. Otherwise the rod just goes round and round and it feels like it won't fit into the slot or something. Been there on that one.

If not in the glovebox, check behind or under the rear seat where the jack mechanisms are.

[BB_TX]

I have also had a number of tires patched on the inside over the years and never had one fail.
And as far as the spare, I also could not get mine down until I stopped and read the manual. Found the key and down it came.

[LonnieB]

David,

A glue-on patch on the inside of the tire is perfectly safe, permanent, and legal, as long as;

1. The object which created the puncture wasn't so large that it
compromised the integrity of the tire.
2. The puncture is within the tread area of the tire.
3. The tire wasn't run flat long enough to damage the sidewall.

A glue-on patch/plug combination is even better. These are patches with a tapered stem, that are glued on from the inside. The tapered stem is inserted through the hole from the inside, and pulled from the outside until the patch portion makes contact with the inner tire liner, where the cement has been applied. The stem completely fills the hole, and the patch seals it all off.

Sidewalls are a different story. If the puncture is within the area between the edge of the tread, and the line that separates the tread from the sidewall, usually 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches, the only legal method of repair is hot vulcanization. Most tire shops don't offer this option due to liability issues. Anything from that line to the bead of the tire is not repairable no matter how small.

As far as blowouts go......the vehicle is much easier to control when it happens on the rear. A blowout on the front instantly jerks the steering wheel to the side of the blown tire, and depending on your reflexes, briefly, or permanently throws the whole rig out of control. For this reason it is illeagle to make repairs to steering tires on 18 wheelers.

Around here, those cute little spare tire locks that come in our Fords are useless. They get dirt, and dust built up in them and the first time you need to lower the tire, the key won't fit into the lock. I have a tool box drawer full of them, taken off of customers trucks. Once you pull the lock out of the lowering/raising mechanism, the end of your jack handle fits and works fine. The locks are a good idea, just too poorly designed for our area of the country.

[sreigle]

Lonnie, regarding removal of the lock, do you know if the same applies to the Dodge? That the handle will work fine when the lock is removed? Thanks.

[LonnieB]

Steve, sorry to say I don't know about the Dodge locks. I haven't seen any problems with them, so have had no need to dismantle one.

For the Ford owners that find themselves unable to get the key to fit the lock, you can do this;
Reach up between the bumper and spare tire, grasp the plastic tube that goes to the winch and twist it 90 degrees. This may require a little force, but don't worry, it won't break. Once you have turned it, just pull it off the winch. After it is removed, you can see the lock protruding from the winch. It is very difficult to get to, but it's only held in place by a spring clip, and can be pryed out with a long screwdriver, or prybar. Once it's out of the way, insert the end of the jack handle, lower the spare tire, and snap the plastic tube back in place. This process works much easier if done before the lock is clogged up or the key gets lost. Lower the tire, remove the tube, remove the lock with a pair of pliers, re-install the tube, and raise the tire up.

[Native Tex]

We had a very similar incident on a nearly new tire and it had to be patched. I ran it for another 50K miles without a problem. I know that I would rather have a patch than a plug; in fact, I did not know they still plugged a radial tire or any tire. In day of yore, plugs were a bad thing.

[David and Jo-Anna]

Thanks to Lonnie and everyone else for their responses. Sounds like I can rest easy about the patch since the hole was made by a small nail, it was in the tread and not the sidewall, and the tire never went anywhere close to flat. My concern arose from the fact that the technician who fixed the tire said that their normal policy was not to put a patched tire on the front wheel of a pickup that was one ton or bigger--apparently there was a liability concern. Since I rotate the tires every 5,000 miles or so, that patched tire would show up on the front at some point even if it didn't start there now.

I may still play it safe and have the patched tire moved to the spare and put the unused spare in it's place. Am I correct in assuming that there is no problem in putting an unused spare on opposite tires that have seen 20,000 miles of wear to date?

[Glenn and Lorraine]

A bit late on this thread but I just had to jump in.

Our tire shop NEVER EVER plugged a tire from the outside and I do mean NEVER.

As Lonnie mentioned, a patch on a small hole is fine and a plug/patch on a bit larger hole is also fine and in my opinion the ONLY way to repair a tire.

I always buy my tires from REPUTIBLE tire dealers as you can always trust their knowledge. The same goes for repairing those tires. They know what they are doing.

If I'm on the road and have a flat I will hunt down a dealer that repairs from the inside and will absolutely avoid any "A"hole that wants to stuff a plug in from the outside.

A simple test of a tire repair is to ask the tire shop if he guarantees his repair not to leak some where down the road. A plugger will not whereas a patcher will always. A patch proberly applied can never, will never leak and is as safe as the tire was before the puncture occured.

I know there are some of you that will allow your tire to be plugged from the outside but if you had spent as many years trying to repair such a plugged tire as I have, and I am sure Lonnie has, you will aquire a much different opinion. I have seen perfectly good tires with nearly new tread completely ruined because some so called "tire tech" plugged the DA*& thing.

[gunner]

I concur with Lonnie. A tire patched from the inside is perfectly safe and should give you no problems. However. I cannot say the same about a plugged tire. Sometimes they hold, sometimes they don't particularly when the heat builds up.

[Cyrus]

I had a slow leak in a rear tire on my truck. It was from a nail, a patch was put on the inside. I was concerned when it was done because part of the patch was on the sidewall, but worth a try. Pulled the camper about 50 miles and it had leaked down. Too much flex, patch had started pulling loose. Replaced the tire.

[skypilot]

Love this forum -- I learn something everyday -- I didn't know that you could get a patch with a plug built in like the one(s) LonnieB described above. Best of both worlds I believe -- inside patch but also fills the void in the casing so that there is nothing flexing there.... Neat ...