Closed, move along

[chazdraves]

This thread is no longer being tended to. Please don't post here.

 

[olds]

Wrong forum.

 

[shortylickens]

InB4 inflatetosidewall.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I had a screw right in the sidewall, no idea how it got there, the shop plugged it. It have a very slow leak which I fill every now and then, and it's been fine. And by every now and then, I mean like, maybe twice a year.

Just make sure you don't cover the information that is on the sidewall as it is very important to have access when putting air.

 

[brblx]

the sidewall is much weaker than the tread and is subject to much more stress. the risk is the side of the tire ripping open like a zipper while you're driving.

edit to clarify - failed plug in tread = flat, usually. pailed plug in sidewall = possible wreck, rollover, et al, plus whatever havoc your debris wreaks after the tire shreds on the interstate.

 

[brblx]

I had a screw right in the sidewall, no idea how it got there, the shop plugged it. It have a very slow leak which I fill every now and then, and it's been fine. And by every now and then, I mean like, maybe twice a year.

Just make sure you don't cover the information that is on the sidewall as it is very important to have access when putting air.

ignore this entire post.

 

[SKORPI0]

InB4 inflatetosidewall.

Darn, you beat me to it. :hmm:

 

[brblx]

he only had a minute to spare...

 

[alfa147x]

scotch tape and scotch works well

 

[Red Squirrel]

ignore this entire post.

The last apart was meant as a joke. Need to know what the sidewall says so you can inflate to it. :awe:

Just check another tire. :biggrin:

But seriously, I've been driving for over a year with a plug on the side wall. I have also heard that it's not a good idea, and it does make sense given it's a weak spot, but overall, even the weak spot is strong enough to handle it. I would maybe not bring it on huge highways that go to like 80mph on a hot day, but should be fine for normal driving. 20 bucks instead of over 150 for a new tire.

 

[Twista]

My snow tires has one REAL close to the sidewall. Been fine for years!! Now one in the ACTUAL side walls= no no

 

[Arkaign]

It really depends on how fast you're driving.

If this was a beater work truck that just puttered around at sub 35mph speeds in a rural area, sure. A sudden and complete tire failure on a rear wheel at 35mph is not going to cause you to spontaneously explode or anything. The other three tires will be plenty, unless you're driving at an irresponsible speed for the road (at ~35mph or less, I'd guess this isn't the case).

If it sees basically any highway use or speeds above ~40mph, ESPECIALLY on curves, then no dice, not worth it.

 

[chazdraves]

Which forum should this be in?

To clarify, my job rarely has me going over 45. I fear the whole fiery mess argument may be a bit exaggerated.

I understand the possibility that the plug could fail, but I don't know why a hole there might suddenly generate a seam that would split wide open. For the record, I toured the Cooper tire plant in Ohio a few years ago and saw how they are made. I get why a small hole might turn into a bigger hole. I even understand why that may cause the wheel to fail at a respectable pace, but I can't reason how that translates into a mangled corpse under a flaming wreckage.

I'm also not trying to provoke anyone here, I'm just looking for answers.
- Chaz

 

[Arkaign]

<--- garage

And yeah, keep the speeds under 40 if possible, and even slower on curves. That's the real danger, as a tire suddenly disintegrating and rolling right off the rim basically gives you zero lateral traction. Not a big deal at low speeds, but can get mighty hairy at higher ones.

 

[SKORPI0]

[URL="http://www.capersonalinjurycaselawnotes.com/2011/02/articles/vehicles-and-roadways/tire-safety-3-things-to-remember-about-flat-repairs/"]Tire Safety: 3 Things to Remember About Flat Repairs[/URL]

 

[chazdraves]

Maybe I should also add: This is a very small hole from a nail puncture and not a slice from a razor blade. Also, I'm a Rural Mail Carrier, so I never have time to get up to speed, though I may do 50 on a straight road a couple of times.

Thanks for the responses so far, I'm surprised by how respectful you've all been. I hesitated to post this...

- Chaz

 

[Arkaign]

Yeah you're not the guy we're worried about. That'd be the idiot doing 85mph in and out of traffic on a curvy highway in a riced out cavalier with a patched sidewall.

 

[Arkaign]

Although I'd still advise keeping the speed down as much as humanly possible.

 

[brblx]

The last apart was meant as a joke. Need to know what the sidewall says so you can inflate to it. :awe:

phew. ok then.

OP, the problem is that even if the puncture is small, widening the hole enough for a plug will displace material INSIDE the rubber (the plies), which is what can lead to structural failure.

you're talking about the hottest, weakest...yet most important...part of a tire. plugs work better tread because not only is the rubber thicker (even below the tread blocks), but there are more and stronger internal plies holding the rubber together.

edit: and yeah, situation matters. if this was a farm truck, i'd say stuff your dryrotted tires with hay for all it friggin' matters. but don't endanger the people who have to drive with you.

 

[edro]

It seems that sidewalls have thinner rubber without (or less) wire reinforcement, so a failure could be more catastrophic... meaning a large gaping rip, which would lead to rapid deflation and a rolling car.

BUT, I think it is more likely that the rip would extend past the plug slowly and the tire would go flat without catastrophic failure. I think you should be alright. Just don't take corners at high speed.

 

[LTC8K6]

The tire mfgs say not to do it. So don't do it. That should be enough.

 

[alkemyst]

Garage is turning into OT.

 

[vshah]

don't do it. even if there's a 1 percent chance your tire explodes, your car swerves into oncoming traffic and kills the driver of an oncoming car, it's not worth it.

also...is it a personally owned car that you use for work? or a car that is owned by your employer? If the latter...shouldn't they be handling maintenance/repairs?

 

[Arkaign]

Unless you're doing doughnuts, have your tire filled with nitro and blasting caps, or have it massively overfilled, it's not going to 'explode'. Even with sudden complete failure it's gonna be fairly undramatic unless you're driving at a good clip. I've shot the tire out on a car before (rural texas, bored, was taking the car to the pic-a-part anyway), and it just fizzed and went flat. I've also had tires completely blow due to road debris at varying speeds over the years, and pretty much anything below 40mph isn't even remotely dramatic. At speeds of 70+ it's a little alarming though. For common sense, driving at low speeds with such a tire is no big deal.

The companies and general wisdom have it as a rule because in all probability, the fix won't hold for long, and when it fails, it'll fail quickly, making it dangerous at speeds. To make things more intense, it's much more likely to fail when there is greater pressure on the sidewall, such as during a turn. All of this adds up to the lawyers saying the obvious : don't fix sidewalls. Which is great advice for almost everyone, because most drivers do indeed need their vehicle to be usable above 40mph, lol. It'd be even worse if you fixed the tire, forgot about it, sold the vehicle to someone, and then they had an accident doing 70mph down the interstate.

All that said, under very strict circumstances (driving slow, rural duty, temporary), it's not exactly juggling hand grenades.

 

[chazdraves]

Unless you're doing doughnuts, have your tire filled with nitro and blasting caps, or have it massively overfilled, it's not going to 'explode'. Even with sudden complete failure it's gonna be fairly undramatic unless you're driving at a good clip. I've shot the tire out on a car before (rural texas, bored, was taking the car to the pic-a-part anyway), and it just fizzed and went flat. I've also had tires completely blow due to road debris at varying speeds over the years, and pretty much anything below 40mph isn't even remotely dramatic. At speeds of 70+ it's a little alarming though. For common sense, driving at low speeds with such a tire is no big deal.

The companies and general wisdom have it as a rule because in all probability, the fix won't hold for long, and when it fails, it'll fail quickly, making it dangerous at speeds. To make things more intense, it's much more likely to fail when there is greater pressure on the sidewall, such as during a turn. All of this adds up to the lawyers saying the obvious : don't fix sidewalls. Which is great advice for almost everyone, because most drivers do indeed need their vehicle to be usable above 40mph, lol. It'd be even worse if you fixed the tire, forgot about it, sold the vehicle to someone, and then they had an accident doing 70mph down the interstate.

All that said, under very strict circumstances (driving slow, rural duty, temporary), it's not exactly juggling hand grenades.

The more I've read on the matter, the more I'm tending to agree with you. I think the most likely scenario is that eventually the sidewall tears away from the plug and at worst there is a rapid loss of air. We can add a lot of drama to this as we like, but in my situation, I don't think it's warranted.

For the record, I'm a Rural Carrier, and we have to provide our own vehicles. It's the city carriers that have the LLV's.

I sincerely thank you all for your opinions. Rest assured that this thing won't see high speeds so long as it's got that tire on it.

Regards,
- Chaz