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QUESTION:I put tire repair on my list. I see two kinds of plugs, both
use the same insertion tool. One is a tapered rubber cylinder and
the package says for "tubeless tires". The other is a rough, fuzzy
sort of strip. It reminds me of a chunk of dish scrubbie things.
One pack also says "tubeless" - the other looks the same but says
"steel belted radial".
First question. Do these things work, are they worth the room they
take up?
Second question. For the "tubeless" - not SBR - which is better,
rubber vs scrubby, and does it depend on conditions?
Question three. Is the flat rubber patch kit worth anything on the
road where the tire stays on the rim?
ANSWER: No reputable tire store will repair tires with plugs anymore. They
are too risky. If you have used "flat fix" in the tire, it will be
more difficult to repair. The ONLY way a tire place will repair a
tire is by taking it off the wheel and putting a patch on the inside.
Holes in the sidewall will get you a new tire. Buy good tires and
take care of them. Proper inflation and stay away from the sides of
the road at speed. Debris is swept to the gutters by traffic and
water. At speed, the front tire will set up a nail or screw by impact
and the rear tire will pick it right up. I have a set of the tires
with the big fat man as advertising. I have had nails and screws in
the tread for months before getting them fixed. If it lets the air
out right away, odds are the tire is unrepairable.
Former mechanic, long ago and far away.
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