high quality tire plug kit?

[Dust Devil]

I don't think anyone said they were illegal, but they are certainly "not recommended" by all of the tire manufacturers. Ask your Garage Keepers Liability Insurance carrier what would happen if one failed and someone got hurt because of it. Then decide if you want to use them or not.

I am going by the assumption that the o.p. works at a Honda dealer because of his user name. If that is the case I cant believe that Honda would approve that type of repair either.

They don't.

Plugs are really just intended to get you off the road and to a shop so you can get the tire repaired properly.

 

[SMKS]

I don't think anyone said they were illegal

That comment you quoted was in response to this post:

I didnt realize plugging tires was illegal,

but they are certainly "not recommended" by all of the tire manufacturers. Ask your Garage Keepers Liability Insurance carrier what would happen if one failed and someone got hurt because of it. Then decide if you want to use them or not.

I actually do agree with you. In one of my previous posts in this thread I said if I owned a shop I would use RMA-approved repairs.

But that doesn't make plugs "unsafe," as you previously called them. Plug failures manifest themselves in the same way as any tire repair failure. Generally, it will be a slow leak. RMA-approved repairs can also leak if they aren't done right.

Are plugs the "best" repair? No. But they can and do work well, especially if you buy good-quality plugs and know what you're doing.

 

[bareass172]

Safety Seal now offers a two-part kit that they say meets the RMA tire repair guidelines because it also seals the inner liner of the tire. But it's easier than the patch/plug I previously showed because it doesn't require buffing the inner liner of the tire.

Thanks so much for this link, I didn't know this existed either. I work on motorcycles and I am pretty ******** about telling customers that when you only have 2 wheels, don't take chances.
I carry a kit with the metal handles in case of emergency to get off the road. I don't want a plastic handle breaking and impaling my hand. I carry Safety Seal plugs I get from Amazon Warehouse deals - from time to time they have them for cheap if the box is damaged.
I looked at what a "real" patch kit required a few years ago and decided it was way too much time and money to justify the expense. by the time I had labor and materials in the job a customer was better served putting that money towards a new tire. This Safety Seal setup is much nicer and easier.

If you really understand how complicated a puncture can be then you understand why it's such a big deal. Many of us get by with plug kits and do fine, but it's the small percentage that can have real failures, tread separation, etc you have to be concerned about. That's why I make such a stink about plugging MC tires, it amazes me how many people don't know better and think it's a proper repair.

 

[fsae0607]

Another vote for the el-cheapo kit. I plugged my tire with that and it lasted a few months till I got new tires (yes I know it's only temporary).

For the price it's a really good kit to have in your vintage vehicle on road trips. That and a 12V pump and a flat is a minor annoyance.

 

[barnonline]

Dynaplug is generally getting good reviews and is very fast indeed.

http://www.dynaplug.com/index.html

 

[Jay66]

Dynaplug is generally getting good reviews and is very fast indeed.

http://www.dynaplug.com/index.html

First time seeing the dynaplug would love to try it...

 

[Golgoroth]

I too use a blackjack kit when repairing my own and friends tires.

That said the dealership I work at strictly refuses the use of threaded tire patches and only allows either a 1 piece or 2 piece plug patch from the inside of the tire. Reasoning given was that "there have been some successful lawsuits over failed threaded plugs in other states and they did not want to open themselves up to a similar lawsuit if something were to happen." I don't know what, when or where these lawsuits occurred but I don't find it to be too much of a stretch of the imagination to think some "merican!" somewhere did sue over a failed plug they went ahead and drove on for 2-3k miles.

 

[CJM8515]

Im reminded of a plug kit I used a few years ago: It came with a gun and shot in solid rubber plugs. I never did find one to buy and the shop that I worked at with it ran out of plugs and couldnt find anymore.

 

[woodstockva]

Safety Seal is the ONLY kit I use....works awesome.....zero issues with the repairs I have done with it.

Made in the USA!!

I highly recommend it. Very good quality kit.

 

[getbent4x4]

The safety seal kit has the best plug strands. All the metal handle kits tool wise are about the same. Just get a safety seal kit since all the good handled kits are about the same price so you might as well get the best plugs with the tools.

 

[joecon]

Patching the tire is worse that plugging, the tire people say you must fill the void and
seal the inner liner. A patch dose not fill the void. The tech plug dose both the safety
seal only fills the void. The best is a patch plug. The reason they want you to use a
patch plug is so you dismount the tire and check inside for damage always a good
thing I use my judgment an do what I think best.

 

[mikeselky85]

plugs for tires go against DOT regulations, and most shops void warranties on tires if they have been plugged. the only way to go is a patch/plug combo from the inside, never had an issue with one once...fix it correctly the first time

 

[bubinga]

heres one on e bay for $15.00.
Tools might be OK.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/35-Pc-Tire-...ubeless-Tires-Insert-Spiral-Hex-/321334343735

 

[Dust Devil]

Plug/patch is the ONLY way I can do it as a motorcycle shop.

 

[getbent4x4]

heres one on e bay for $15.00.
Tools might be OK.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/35-Pc-Tire-...ubeless-Tires-Insert-Spiral-Hex-/321334343735

That's a good deal, then just buy safety seal strands to use.

 

[bubinga]

That's a good deal, then just buy safety seal strands to use.

yeah, hopefully the tools are good, looks like the heavy duty metal kind.

 

[bareass172]

Im reminded of a plug kit I used a few years ago: It came with a gun and shot in solid rubber plugs. I never did find one to buy and the shop that I worked at with it ran out of plugs and couldnt find anymore.

Was this it? This is another option I liked and bought years ago. I still have it but found it didn't work as well as I wanted. The reamer was so big that the plugs would still leak. If you haven't seen these plugs, they're mushroom shaped:

the gun compresses the head and you shoot it inside the tire where it pops out and opens.

 

[CJM8515]

Was this it? This is another option I liked and bought years ago. I still have it but found it didn't work as well as I wanted. The reamer was so big that the plugs would still leak. If you haven't seen these plugs, they're mushroom shaped:

the gun compresses the head and you shoot it inside the tire where it pops out and opens.

That's it! I loved that thing since it worked really well. Can you still buy those?

 

[morgantm]

Dynaplug is generally getting good reviews and is very fast indeed.

http://www.dynaplug.com/index.html

I carry that on my motorcycle and it has saved my **** twice. Super easy to use and takes up very little space.

 

[bwringer]

Was this it? This is another option I liked and bought years ago. I still have it but found it didn't work as well as I wanted. The reamer was so big that the plugs would still leak. If you haven't seen these plugs, they're mushroom shaped:

the gun compresses the head and you shoot it inside the tire where it pops out and opens.

These are still sold under the "Stop-n-Go" name for use on motorcycles.

Unfortunately, these plugs simply don't work reliably on motorcycle tires. They should be called "Stop-n-Stay". The plugs eventually come out and end up bouncing around the inside of the tire. Maybe they work on cars, maybe not, but I doubt it. I don't see the point of carrying around a heavy tool to install vastly inferior repairs.

I've never had a "sticky string" repair fail on any vehicle. (Leaving aside situations where there's no safe way to repair because the hole is too big or in a bad place, of course.)


I'm surprised no one has mentioned Nealey Tire Repair kits yet:
http://www.tirerepairkit.com/

These are a type of sticky string, but they're installed in a different way where you end up with four strands in the hole (instead of two) plus a knot on the inside that keeps the repair from coming out. Plus, no added glue is required.

I've had EXCELLENT results with these kits, and they come in handy plastic tube containers.

 

[SMKS]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Nealey Tire Repair kits yet:
http://www.tirerepairkit.com/

These are a type of sticky string, but they're installed in a different way where you end up with four strands in the hole (instead of two) plus a knot on the inside that keeps the repair from coming out. Plus, no added glue is required.

I've had EXCELLENT results with these kits, and they come in handy plastic tube containers.

Safety Seal also says not to use vulcanizing fluid on their plugs.

While the Nealey kit looks interesting, it's just a slight variation on the normal string plug. You have four small strands instead of two large strands.

It still doesn't satisfy the RMA guidelines because it doesn't include a patch on the inner liner. I don't count a knotted up ball of string on the inside of the tire a "patch" like Nealey does. It also doesn't require dismounting the tire. The RMA guidelines say the tire must be dismounted as part of the process.

Again, I'm no plug hater, I use them myself. But the Nealey kit doesn't go far enough to satisfy RMA guidelines, which is likely what a shop would be concerned about.

The mushroom plugs posted above also wouldn't satisfy RMA guidelines.

 

[lasthope05]

I've never had a problem with the cheapie slime kits.

 

[richardschnee2]

Just bought a new tbone kit from snapon its the only brand i will buy !! Excellent product