Check out this souvenir

[RoundOut]

While off pavement yesterday, I got a chance to use my new Extreme Outback Ultimate Puncture Repair Kit that I bought from Adventure Trailers shortly after getting home from the Expedition Trophy 2008.

My son and I went shooting at a buddy's ranch yesterday. I used my Stauns to air down to 16 psi after leaving the pavement. About an hour into the shooting, my son noticed my right rear tire was flat. I fired up the OBA, inflated it to about 5 pounds, and then could hear the hiss coming from a spot right on top in the middle (thankfully - since I'd hate to have it scraping the inside of my rim like it could have if it were on the bottom at the time we parked.) This little thorn found its way into my BFG AT somehow.

It took a large pair of vice grips to pull the spike out. Lucky I had a set with me in the tool bag. After chalking the tires, we used the high-lift jack with the slider adapter and a large block to lift the truck in front of the right rear tire. We pulled it off to remove the spike. We reamed the hole after freeing the stow-away. I figured it would be a multiple thread hole, and sure enough, it took three of the large strings to fill it. We started with two, and it seemed to hold air, until we inflated it to about 32 pounds. The bubbles started flowing slowly, so I stuck another of the big strings in the hole. She aired up to 40 pounds without another bubble.

I suppose the spike is from a rural telephone pole step or something similar. It is too short and narrow to be a railroad spike, but not by much. I was just thankful for Martyn's lessons on tire repair and the final tire repair challenge competition from the Expedition Trophy 2008. The lessons learned and practiced made it an easy trail repair with the right tools.

The spike punctured the tread, just below a lug at the approximate angle shown in the picture.
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[viatierra]

There you go... Way to represent Team B! Nasty looking little spike.

 

[the Rewster]

I chuck all the crap I pull out of my tires in my tire repair box.
It's unbelievable whats in there.
I don't think that spike would fit though.

 

[DaktariEd]

Excellent! :26_7_2: (The repair, not the spike!)
Glad to hear the Trophy provided some useful info and practice!

 

[Ursidae69]

WOW! That is one heck of a road hazard!

 

[Martyn]

.....and to think I thought you were asleep during the whole clinic

But seriously, glad you were able to repair the puncture, it goes to show that with the right equipment and practice under your belt set backs like this are only minor inconveniences.

By the way did you brew any tea while you were at it? :jump:

 

[BajaTaco]

:clapsmile Nice job! That is quite a spike.

Martyn, you are a tire repair god.

I'll never forget repairing a tire on an old Ford for a father and son on a ranch in Mexico earlier this year. The son had been trying to get the tire to hold air using a piece of drip irrigation tubing folded in half. When I opened up my tire repair kit and started punching plugs into the tire (can't recall how many, but it was a bunch) the son looked sort of like this: :Wow1: When I go back, I want to take a kit for him.

Thanks again to Mark (crawler#976) for the kit. It has been put to good use.

 

[RoundOut]

.....and to think I thought you were asleep during the whole clinic

You could see that through my sunglasses? (j/k)

By the way did you brew any tea while you were at it? :jump:

I had the Jet Boil from the Trophy in my ditch bag and intended to throw some hot cocoa in there before leaving, but forgot. I'm going to the pantry as soon as I'm through typing to get some tea and cocoa bags to put in my tire repair kit. I'll have some explaining to do when somebody sees me dump its contents onto the tailgate next time, Huh?

:shakin:

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[pray4surf]

Reminds me of a time coming north on Baja's Highway 1 many years ago. Just left Santo Tomas and started the climb out of the valley. Back then, they were working on the road, so it was all gravel. As soon as we hit a paved stretch, the unmistakable sound of leaking air could be heard.... Pfffft... Pfffft... Pfffft......

Found a shoulder to pull off on and sure enough, left rear tire is low and getting lower...

Took three plugs/strings to stem the flow of air and allowed me to get enough air into the tire. Headed back down to Santo Tomas, found a local llanteria. The kid unmounted the tire, installed a patch... and remounted the tire (first time I'd seen gasoline used to reset the bead) - Flipped the guy a twenty and we were northward bound....

Which brings me to my question. I can understand that a single string/plug can be left in the tire - but multiple strings for the same hole? I can see that for emergency purposes, but leave them in???

PS - I did have a spare with me, but not the correct lug nuts for a stamped steel rim

Did you have the tire 'professionally' repaired once back home?

 

[RoundOut]

Reminds me of a time coming north on Baja's Highway 1 many years ago. Just left Santo Tomas and started the climb out of the valley. Back then, they were working on the road, so it was all gravel. As soon as we hit a paved stretch, the unmistakable sound of leaking air could be heard.... Pfffft... Pfffft... Pfffft......

Found a shoulder to pull off on and sure enough, left rear tire is low and getting lower...

Took three plugs/strings to stem the flow of air and allowed me to get enough air into the tire. Headed back down to Santo Tomas, found a local llanteria. The kid unmounted the tire, installed a patch... and remounted the tire (first time I'd seen gasoline used to reset the bead) - Flipped the guy a twenty and we were northward bound....

Which brings me to my question. I can understand that a single string/plug can be left in the tire - but multiple strings for the same hole? I can see that for emergency purposes, but leave them in???

PS - I did have a spare with me, but not the correct lug nuts for a stamped steel rim

Did you have the tire 'professionally' repaired once back home?

They are not designed to be removed. In fact, if I were to take it to Discount Tire, they would have fixed it the same way. They may have taken the extra step of patching the inside, but I didn't, as it holds air perfectly. The strings actually vulcanize with the rubber surrounding them. I drove home 200 miles on I-45 after fixing it. If I were going to have problems, they would have popped (no pun intended) up then. I checked the pressure today and it is still holding all the air I put in it Saturday afternoon.

However, I do plan on going to have it balanced, just in case three threads is enough to throw it off. I'm a bit nervous though, because I heard somebody say that field repairs void a tire's warranty. I'm good enough friends with the manager at Discount Tire that he would not do that to me, though - I don't think.

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[RoundOut]

I decided to measure the spike

I first used a ruler. Then for those who need a more specific measurement, I included a photograph using the highly precise tool known as the bush micrometer. They work best at about 35*, or so I'm told.

.

 

[pray4surf]

They are not designed to be removed. In fact, if I were to take it to Discount Tire, they would have fixed it the same way. They may have taken the extra step of patching the inside, but I didn't, as it holds air perfectly. The strings actually vulcanize with the rubber surrounding them. I drove home 200 miles on I-45 after fixing it. If I were going to have problems, they would have popped (no pun intended) up then. I checked the pressure today and it is still holding all the air I put in it Saturday afternoon.

However, I do plan on going to have it balanced, just in case three threads is enough to throw it off. I'm a bit nervous though, because I heard somebody say that field repairs void a tire's warranty. I'm good enough friends with the manager at Discount Tire that he would not do that to me, though - I don't think.

.

Thx for the reply... personally, for a hole that big, I'd feel better with a patch repair from inside the tire. I remember having some difficulty putting multiple plugs into the same location. Couldn't get one in without pushing another one all the way into the tire... I've plugged hundreds of tires over the years, many times while I was a gas pump jockey in my younger days. It was an easy 7-10 bucks for the shop, often get a decent tip also.

We were instructed not to plug a tire if the puncture was on the outside third of the tread. Though I've plugged mine all the way to the edge And if one plug wouldn't stop the leak, we would try to sell them a tire, or offer to put on their spare.. I'm sure for liability reasons...

But, what ever it takes to get home/help works for me....

Edit: Via the NHTSA I found this in the Tire Repair section

A plug by itself is not an acceptable repair.
The proper repair of a punctured tire requires a plug for the hole and a patch for the area inside the tire that surrounds the puncture hole. The repair material used - for example, a “combination patch and plug” repair - must seal the inner liner and fill the injury to be considered a permanent repair.
Punctures through the tread can be repaired if they are not too large, but punctures to the sidewall should not be repaired.
Tires must be removed from the rim to be properly inspected before being plugged and patched.

Other reading on the internet and one can deduce that a plug by itself is satisfactory in the long run. Most do not have problems. Some states prohibit a 'shop' from patching/repairing a tire without dismounting it. If I remember, Florida was used as an example.

THe following was a well written argument against the use of a plug as a permanent repair

Tires have changed, and in the last five years we have been seeing ever increasing numbers of low profile, high performance tires. Many tire manufacturers do NOT permit the use of a plug to repair their tires. We have been instructed to use a "Patch/Plug assembly that is bonded to the inside of the tire. There are a number of reasons for using these. One is, the tire is taken apart, and examined for damage that often occurs when it gets run while low on air pressure. If you just slam a plug in a tire, you are assuming the tire is actually still OK, when in fact it might not be. A second reason is while the plug may seal the leak, it may not seal every layer of the tire. This can allow the air to force inbetween the layers of the tire, and litterally tear it apart from the inside. One of the most common failures that we see are seperated belts, this often happens because a plug didn't seal the entire depth of the failure.
So in short, do plugs work "most of the the time" YES, they do. Do plugs fail to work, and actually cause problems? Yes it happens. Do you want a repair that is correct and will be trouble free 100% of the time? Use a patch/plug mounted from inside the tire.

Though the source of that info was from another forum - no authority behind it.

Here is some info from a tire retailer (but then they make more on a sale than a repair)
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=77

OK - I'll stop obsessing over this And like I stated earlier, I have nothing against the use of plugs, I carry a tire plugging kit with me where ever I go... But (as with anything else) I take appropriate action depending on the circumstances....

 

[RoundOut]

Thx for the reply... personally, for a hole that big, I'd feel better with a patch repair from inside the tire. I remember having some difficulty putting multiple plugs into the same location. Couldn't get one in without pushing another one all the way into the tire... I've plugged hundreds of tires over the years, many times while I was a gas pump jockey in my younger days. It was an easy 7-10 bucks for the shop, often get a decent tip also.

We were instructed not to plug a tire if the puncture was on the outside third of the tread. Though I've plugged mine all the way to the edge And if one plug wouldn't stop the leak, we would try to sell them a tire, or offer to put on their spare.. I'm sure for liability reasons...

But, what ever it takes to get home/help works for me....

Edit: Via the NHTSA I found this in the Tire Repair section

Quote:

​

A plug by itself is not an acceptable repair.
The proper repair of a punctured tire requires a plug for the hole and a patch for the area inside the tire that surrounds the puncture hole. The repair material used - for example, a “combination patch and plug” repair - must seal the inner liner and fill the injury to be considered a permanent repair.
Punctures through the tread can be repaired if they are not too large, but punctures to the sidewall should not be repaired.
Tires must be removed from the rim to be properly inspected before being plugged and patched.

​

Other reading on the internet and one can deduce that a plug by itself is satisfactory in the long run. Most do not have problems. Some states prohibit a 'shop' from patching/repairing a tire without dismounting it. If I remember, Florida was used as an example.

THe following was a well written argument against the use of a plug as a permanent repair


Though the source of that info was from another forum - no authority behind it.

Here is some info from a tire retailer (but then they make more on a sale than a repair)
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=77

OK - I'll stop obsessing over this And like I stated earlier, I have nothing against the use of plugs, I carry a tire plugging kit with me where ever I go... But (as with anything else) I take appropriate action depending on the circumstances....

This forum is great! Good info. I'm headed to the shop this morning! Thanks!

.

 

[jeepmedic46]

Definately good information on this forum:arabia:

 

[RoundOut]

Well, Discount Tire put a new tire on. Ouch. This brings up the cost/benefit decision of purchasing their full replacement warranty at $20-$30 per tire when getting new tires. On my first brand new car, a 1989 Honda Accord, I bought the warranty on my first replacement set of Michelins. I ended up using it on 3 of the 4 tires because I did some oil lease driving in mesquite thorns. That was a good deal.

When I bought the new tires for my Tundra, I elected not to get the warranty, as it was about another hundred bucks. The BFG A/Ts have a 3 ply sidewall, and I bet that I would not need the replacement warranty. Discount Tire measured my tread wear with 13 millimeters of the original 17 millimeters still remaining. I think they replace the tire free if it has issues within the first 20%. I had 76.5% of my tread left, so I missed it by a measlely 1 mm of tread. Then, Discount Tire applied the full price of the replacement tire, and charged me for mounting and balancing. They wanted $79. I belly-ached about it, and the manager reduced the tire from $211 to the $174 I paid in early October, then recalculated. It came down to $64.

I almost walked out, went home, broke the bead with my new toys from Adventure Trailers, made the "permanent" repair with an additional interior patch, and then came back for balancing. I figured it would take me at least a couple hours to finish this and another hour in line at Discount Tire, and I would have likely had to face the (unreasonable) scrutiny of my wife if she came out to see what I was doing. At the end, it was not a financial decision, but a "keep-the-peace-at-home" decision. LOL

I'll now have one new among four. Oh, well:exclaim: Back on the road again!

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