Tire Plug, negative experience

4436 Views 46 Replies 21 Participants Last post by Rolex, 3 mo ago

ksievers

Discussion Starter · 4 mo ago

I have plugged tires successfully in the past. Not had to do it often, but when needed, I've done it, zero issues.

However, I recently bought a 2020 1050XT. It was SO clean it looked as to never have been ridden. I still don't know how the prior owner kept it so clean. So no complaints.

However - the rear tire kept losing pressure; not a pound or two, but down to 10 or 15 lbs after a day or so. Something had to be wrong - I suspected a bad valve.

Spinning the tire, I noticed a mushy/funny-looking little place right in the tread - as if it was soft tar or something. I sprayed it with detergent and son of a gun, bubbles. It's a plug not done quite right.

What gets my attention here is I just took a long ride from mid Oklahoma down to Big Bend and back - at high speeds, and it was almost a certainty that the tire did not maintain pressure on that trip. Check it along the way? Sure.. but only if a good source of compressed air is at hand, which was simply not practical, and yeah, I have a portable compressor.

I much prefer reliable.. So I'm going to replace the thing, at a cost of $311, which includes labor and a good job from a good shop.

Only sharing this as a heads up - from one who has advocated plugging and forgetting it, to one who is now suspicious of the process.. At the very least make sure you get it right..

cheers - KS.

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STCorndog

· #2 · 4 mo ago

I check air pressure in the tires I plug before every ride. Or daily on a trip.

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blaustrom

· #3 · 4 mo ago

Well my suggestion would be 2 fold:

1. get a decent set of tire plugs. I swear by the Nealy Kit: Home | Nealey Kool Tools They never failed me even in very extreme puncture conditions.
2. get a set of Tire Pressure Monitors. There are several threads here about that subject. Some are not all that pricy and quite reliable. One example: First tire change on a '21, and two problems solved

www.stromtrooper.com

Your top tips for both wheels removal...?

Hi everyone. It's tyre change time for me, going from the OEM BattleWings (I came off on Sunday - ouch! - so don't trust them any more!) and I'll be trying the Metzeler Tourance Next 2, front and rear. My advanced instructor from Rapid Training said they'd change my life, I could retire early...

www.stromtrooper.com

www.stromtrooper.com

Those two investments will cost you a lot less than the new tire. With the balance you can start investing into your own tire changing equipment. ;-)

Gas Composite material Machine Cylinder Metal

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bwringer

· #4 · 4 mo ago

^^^ Agreed 100% on the Nealey plugs. They are truly next-level.

And when you install the new tire, see if you can figure out what sort of plug it was, and what sort of puncture. It sounds like this was in the tread area, so that's good, but some punctures are at an awkward angle, or are too ragged, for plugs to work well, even Nealeys.

Most of the sticky string type of plugs work pretty well.

There are also tire plugs and pluggers sold for motorcycle use that just don't work. The "Stop-n-Go" brand of rubber mushroom plugs won't reliably stay put in motorcycle tires, yet they've sold thousands of kits.

Big Boy

· #5 · 4 mo ago

The standard 'string' plugs have always worked well for me. I ALWAYS use rubber cement on the string during repairs. The cement both lubricates the string for easier insertion AND provides a complete repair.

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LazyRs

· #6 · 4 mo ago

Another +1 for Nealy.

FortNine did a video on tire patch methods... Watch this

Hogges

· #7 · 4 mo ago

Big Boy said:
The standard 'string' plugs have always worked well for me. I ALWAYS use rubber cement on the string during repairs. The cement both lubricates the string for easier insertion AND provides a complete repair.
View attachment 312666

This! And I make sure to have a fresh, unopened tube of cement. $4.99 kit from Harbor Freight worked great. I cut the tire afterwards with an X-acto knife and it was completely bonded. if you do it right, the strings work perfectly.

Reactions: 2

ksievers

Discussion Starter · #8 · 4 mo ago

STCorndog said:
I check air pressure in the tires I plug before every ride. Or daily on a trip.

me too of course. I think that's one reason I get a lot of miles from tires in general. But I take long rides... it's nice to know your tire pressure will be there on a 10+ hour day, or a 3 week tour. When I get back from a LONG trip, the pressure is pretty close to where it was when I began - but yeah, totally agree.

Reactions: 1

ksievers

Discussion Starter · #9 · 4 mo ago

Hogges said:
This! And I make sure to have a fresh, unopened tube of cement. $4.99 kit from Harbor Freight worked great. I cut the tire afterwards with an X-acto knife and it was completely bonded. if you do it right, the strings work perfectly.

yep agreed. the plug I discovered in this case looks weird, almost like it has a hard casing to it.. since I'm not sure, and fixing THAT might not be possible, I'm getting the tire replaced.. whaa.. oh well!

Reactions: 1

ksievers

Discussion Starter · #10 · 4 mo ago

bwringer said:
^^^ Agreed 100% on the Nealey plugs. They are truly next-level.

And when you install the new tire, see if you can figure out what sort of plug it was, and what sort of puncture. It sounds like this was in the tread area, so that's good, but some punctures are at an awkward angle, or are too ragged, for plugs to work well, even Nealeys.

Most of the sticky string type of plugs work pretty well.

There are also tire plugs and pluggers sold for motorcycle use that just don't work. The "Stop-n-Go" brand of rubber mushroom plugs won't reliably stay put in motorcycle tires, yet they've sold thousands of kits.

good point. I'll try to find out what was used.. it looks odd..

Spec

· #11 · 4 mo ago

ksievers said:
yep agreed. the plug I discovered in this case looks weird, almost like it has a hard casing to it.. since I'm not sure, and fixing THAT might not be possible, I'm getting the tire replaced.. whaa.. oh well!

You could use an internal patch on the tire. Tire shops do that on car tires.

Reactions: 2

Philbytx

· #12 · 4 mo ago

Plug for temporary, mushroom plug from inside for extra use. IF you can get one done on a road trip.
But, in my case I never ride regularly on repaired tires....I always replace them.
As a wise man once advised me 60 years ago : "Never cheap out on tires or brakes"!

Fox

· #13 · 4 mo ago

Spec said:
You could use an internal patch on the tire. Tire shops do that on car tires.

If you can find a tire shop that will do it properly (not all will be willing due to liability), you can reasonably expect that it's a permanent repair. I'd pursue this if the tire is still pretty new.

I'll risk a rope plug, but in maybe 10 such plugged tires I had one that was just too big a hole and needed a patch plug.

And checking pressure is an important step especially just before a long highway run.

richlandrick

· #14 · 4 mo ago

Check for a second leak.

While the tire is soaped up you can find out if that tire string-patch is truly leaking. If it is, replace it with another done properly to see if that fixes it.

Reactions: 2

Spec

· #15 · 4 mo ago

Philbytx said:
Plug for temporary, mushroom plug from inside for extra use. IF you can get one done on a road trip.
But, in my case I never ride regularly on repaired tires....I always replace them.
As a wise man once advised me 60 years ago : "Never cheap out on tires or brakes"!

I'll ride on string plugged tires. As long as it holds air it's good for the life of the tire in my experience.

I've got some internal patches from Napa I think. Round self vulcanizing haven't used them but they are similar (if not the same) as tire shops use.

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blaustrom

· #16 · 4 mo ago

Well that's why a TPS is the second thing to get. No problems with a repaired tire or if you get a new puncture, you will know and do what needs done.

If you ride 75 on the interstate and get a blowout, you will only know when the rear tire starts to disintegrate. Then you will really need a new tire and it gets expensive real quick. If you get an alarm from your TPS, you can stop, plug the tire and are on your way in half an hour. ... How do I know ....

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Solarguy

· #17 · 4 mo ago

Another vote for a TPS system. My cheapo import still works like a champ, and you just screw the sensors on in place of the plastic cap on the valve stems. The display gets mounted on the bar and needs switched 12 volts.

Hans471

· #18 · 4 mo ago

Since you did not install the plug that was in the tire you do not know if the previous owner had properly installed it with glue and all. Unless that is one big hole I would do a PROPER plug job and try it. I have done or seen done hundreds of tire repairs and it was very, very, rare to have a problem when it was done correctly. Of course if the hole was too large, or it wasn't cleaned out properly or if it was not glued right then it could leak.
I would try to "do it right" before writing off an expensive tire.

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Griff

· #19 · 4 mo ago

I have used plugs of various brands for years. On only two occasions I have had them leak. The first was because I had to use two plugs to seal the puncture. Dodgy process, but needs must out on the road. That lasted a long time before it had a gradual seepage. The second time was with a single plug but again it was a gradual seepage. In that case it was either poor utilisation in my case or a hole again too big for the plug. For sure I have never had one let go suddenly and I have always left them in until the tyre was finished.

On one occasion I was about to blame the plug for air loss but it turned out there was a second puncture elsewhere on the tyre. There are other issues that can also cause air loss. A tiny flap of excess rubber on the bead once cause a slow leak on a former Goldwing. It was impossible to find without removing the tyre. Another time corroded paint on the rim was the cause.

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Nicad

· #20 · 4 mo ago

I have a cyclops TPMS. I find I have a very hard time reading it in daylight. Made a small hood for it, which helps. Really like having a TPMS though.

Reactions: 1

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