Completely flat tire- should I have it plugged or patched?

[Lurknomore]

I just discovered a large nail this morning on the left rear of my Toyota 07 Camry. The car is FWD.
Luckily, the lower pressure sensor on the dashboard warned me, else I would have driven off without noticing.

But it's completely flat- no leak, just dead flat. And the nail is between the tread, not through it.

The tires are still fresh as the car was bought just nine months ago- but is it worth it to have it repaired?
I know there was a thread earlier debating plug vs patch- patch was preferred but the local gas station garage says they only plug. And of course, the tire will prolly lose and speed rating and durability.

 

[iRONic]

Do you have a full size spare? If so, put it on the rim with the flat, plug the flat tire and make it your spare.

 

[xanis]

Plug it. It takes all of 15 minutes and only costs about $15... unless you can get it done for free like I did.

 

[Lurknomore]

Ah, so it's a NO for fulltime duty service- only as a spare?

 

[Lurknomore]

Originally posted by: Xanis
Plug it. It takes all of 15 minutes and only costs about $15... unless you can get it done for free like I did.

I heard that a plug/patch combo is the best, gotta find a nearby garage which does this service.

 

[holden j caufield]

plug it. It's dirt cheap and works good

 

[iRONic]

Originally posted by: Lurknomore
Ah, so it's a NO for fulltime duty service- only as a spare?

If it was my car and I didn't have a full size spare to swap rims with I'd still plug it and run it normally.

 

[mwmorph]

Plugged or patched would work fine for full time duty. Patches are supposedly better but it take more time and money. Patches can be done for all of $5-$10 and work well enough on a permanant basis. My DD, 2002 camry has a plug in the right rear and it works fine and has worked fine for about 9000 miles so far.

 

[DrPizza]

"And of course, the tire will prolly lose and speed rating and durability" are you regularly driving 120mph? If you're like most normal folks and stay under 80mph, there's no problem. A plug will last as long as the tire. There are some tire warranties that are voided if you get a plug rather than a patch. I keep a plug kit in the glovebox, and have my bike pump in the back. It's quicker to plug a visible nail hole than it is to change a tire.