What's your Roadside Tire plug Kit

[mobiledynamics]

Just going through my stash. Should probably order new tire plugs. My 2 Safety Seal Kits are maybe 8-10 years old and I can easily count the # of times I've needed to use them on one hand.

Been thinking about this...got Milwaukee Inflators. Both 12 and 18.....
Not sure how good or not a battery inflator is to keep in the car (during summer, when the car get's parked wherever, heatsoak, etc). The extreme summertime cabin heats could easily diminish a battery pack quick right. I find myself on 'Amazon looking at DC pumps...

 

[ike]

I keep a compressor, a thing of Safety Seal lube and plugs, a reamer and plug tool, a spare compressor fuse, a knife (minichamp), and a pair of locking pliers (to pull nails/screws) in each vehicle I have.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Millions of Milwaukee batteries live in work trucks. Never had a problem, but I don't live in the desert

I have a Slime branded cig lighter inflator. I was dubious given the sub $30 price, but it has enough cord, self contains tangle free, and inflates 33" tires reasonably well. It also runs fine off my 1000A cheapie LI jumper box.

I try to stay away from the cheapest plug tools.
Also make sure the have a guard or rounded end at the front to the grip, I got a nasty cut when one with a sharp edge plunged all the way in suddenly.

 

[M6erfan]

I picked up this cheap kit on AMZN last summer. So far it's repaired one contractor's panel van tire, two garden tractor tires, and my neighbor's k1500 tire. I also keep a VIAIR 88P in the car.

 

[bwringer]

The finest sticky string tire repair on earth is the Nealey kit:

Home | Nealey Kool Tools

www.nealeytirerepairkit.com

They're installed a little differently such that there's a knot on the inside, and they don't require glue.

I carry a pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter. The higher volume $30 or so example at Harbor Freight is fast, quiet, and works great. On longer trips, I sometimes do toss my Ryobi inflator in; it's mighty convenient for adjustments.

 

[rancherbill]

I'd just keep the inflator and then drive home and take the tire to a tire place. They have better plugs and patches than the DIY ones. I threw out all my patching and plugging stuff.

Realistically only 50% of the repairs worked. My wife would drive around on a flat tire and ruin it because I was using a DIY repair kit. Replacing tires was way more money than the money I saved on repairs.

 

[Jbullfrog]

I have a Black Jack set in my truck.

 

[AA/FC]

This is the kit I carry in my vehicles:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DIECCK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

The last time I purchased this kit it was $39 dollars in 2015.... It's gone up almost $9 bucks in 8 years. Not bad considering....

I also carry this 12 volt air compressor from HF:

12V 100 PSI High Volume Air Inflator

Amazing deals on this 12V 100Psi High Volume Air Inflator at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[wkndwarrior29]

I second the black jack recommendation.

 

[landrover bodger]

i have a 12 volt compressor in each of the cars along with one of the walmart plug kits. i bought the kits a few years back as they were a crazy price here.

 

[bwringer]

One twist to keep in mind is that if the tire shoppe people decide to be dickweasels about it, your "road hazard warranty" is voided by plugging a tire.

So basically, if you plug a tire as the safest way to get home and then head to the tire shop for repair or replacement, the fine print stipulates that they can refuse you because of the "attempted repair". This is all kinds of shifty, ******, and shady, but this stupid profit-protecting technicality is buried in every such agreement.

The thing is, jabbing in a string plug is often by far the safest way to deal with a puncture and get off the side of the road quickly.

If the puncture is repairable, a string plug does absolutely zero additional damage and makes absolutely no difference; yank it out and proceed with the internal repair. I suppose if you're dumb enough you could manage to mangle a tire in the process of plugging a simple puncture, but you'd really have to work at it.

If the tire is not repairable, then a string plug in the sidewall or edge or whatever (yes, these will last long enough to get home most of the time; done it more than once) also makes no difference whatsoever to the end result, which is that the tire must be replaced. What difference does it make whether I show up with a plug in the tire or a bowie knife? I've had a couple of tussles with Costco's tire department robots over this, but in the end they saw some sense.

 

[mobiledynamics]

Anyone familiar with the Dynaplug. Thinking about changing it up a bit and ordering this for the tire plug bag

 

[firebirdparts]

I have to say I've had so much extreme success with the plugs of the sort and quality that "slime" sells, I'd be very unlikely to change to the dynaplug. FWIW. Mine are not "slime" brand but the same size.

You would think that the tools from various brands are pretty equivalent to the Nealy, but I did get in a situation once where we absolutely could not repair one because the tools they had at the store we stopped at were not good enough to actually fix a tire. The tool would actually break before you got the plug in. This was something hanging on a pin in a gas station.

I've had mine so long I don't know who made it. I do use a rasp that was supplied for that. That is, it was a two-tool set. The T-handle ones seem like they'd be a legit improvement over the screwdriver-handle kind I use.

 

[Skyman]

I've plugged countless tires, and have never had a problem. I am intrigued by the Nealy product that bwringer linked in post #5. I think I'll be buying it.

 

[AA/FC]

One twist to keep in mind is that if the tire shoppe people decide to be dickweasels about it, your "road hazard warranty" is voided by plugging a tire.

Yeah, they sell tires. They will make up all sorts of stupid things just so they can sell you a new tire.

As for tire plugs.... I've commented in the past on this site about this topic.... At one point in time, plugs were considered a legit repair...... Over the years, tire shop employees have been made to believe tire plugs are bad, or even dangerous. That's BS. It's all because tire shops want to sell tires. 30+ years ago I worked as a gas station attendant/tow truck driver. (back when gas stations had repair shops) and I have personally installed hundreds, if not thousands of tire plugs. Some were for people who lived in the area, and some were for people who were just passing by on a road trip to somewhere else. I've had exactly ZERO "come backs" for any tire plug I ever installed.

Today they will tell you that the "proper" way to fix a tire is to use a "plug patch"..... as if the "plug" portion will add integrity BACK INTO the tire. It doesn't. At least not any more than a regular plug. lol. The "hole" is technically still there. And that microscopic layer of patch rubber doesn't add integrity, either. The only thing a patch (or plug patch) does is stop air from leaking out of the tire..... which is exactly what a standard tire plug does.

If you were on a road trip and got a flat tire 1000 miles from home, would you rather drive back home on a donut spare, or a full size tire with a plug in it?

I bought a brand new set of Michelin tires for my truck several years ago. I got a nail in one of the rear tires about 1000 miles after they were new. I plugged the tire myself. I have since taken that same truck, with those same tires, on at least 3 road trips totaling over 5000 miles EACH (15K total).....and several more shorter road trips. That fact that I put a plug in one of my back tires never even crosses my mind.... Other than I make sure to have my plug kit in the truck in case it happens again. lol.

People who are scared of plugs (or who don't like plugs) have been TOLD to not like them, not because they've actually seen plugs fail with their own eyes. And if they have, it's been a minor failure like a slow leak or something.

Don't be scared of plugs. They're fine!

 

[Blt2Lst]

I've plugged countless tires, and have never had a problem.

Same here, and always with the Safety Seal plugs.
Having worked in a few gas stations in my youth, plug many tires during those time also, safety seal plugs were used then also.

 

[dnschmidt]

I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZPITSKK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Meursault74]

Yeah, they sell tires. They will make up all sorts of stupid things just so they can sell you a new tire.

As for tire plugs.... I've commented in the past on this site about this topic.... At one point in time, plugs were considered a legit repair...... Over the years, tire shop employees have been made to believe tire plugs are bad, or even dangerous. That's BS. It's all because tire shops want to sell tires. 30+ years ago I worked as a gas station attendant/tow truck driver. (back when gas stations had repair shops) and I have personally installed hundreds, if not thousands of tire plugs. Some were for people who lived in the area, and some were for people who were just passing by on a road trip to somewhere else. I've had exactly ZERO "come backs" for any tire plug I ever installed.

Today they will tell you that the "proper" way to fix a tire is to use a "plug patch"..... as if the "plug" portion will add integrity BACK INTO the tire. It doesn't. At least not any more than a regular plug. lol. The "hole" is technically still there. And that microscopic layer of patch rubber doesn't add integrity, either. The only thing a patch (or plug patch) does is stop air from leaking out of the tire..... which is exactly what a standard tire plug does.

If you were on a road trip and got a flat tire 1000 miles from home, would you rather drive back home on a donut spare, or a full size tire with a plug in it?

I bought a brand new set of Michelin tires for my truck several years ago. I got a nail in one of the rear tires about 1000 miles after they were new. I plugged the tire myself. I have since taken that same truck, with those same tires, on at least 3 road trips totaling over 5000 miles EACH (15K total).....and several more shorter road trips. That fact that I put a plug in one of my back tires never even crosses my mind.... Other than I make sure to have my plug kit in the truck in case it happens again. lol.

People who are scared of plugs (or who don't like plugs) have been TOLD to not like them, not because they've actually seen plugs fail with their own eyes. And if they have, it's been a minor failure like a slow leak or something.

Don't be scared of plugs. They're fine!

I agree with what you said. I used to plug tires back in the day at a gas station as well.

I do believe part of "professionals" not using tire plugs is a liability issue. If some authority said not to use them and you do on a customer tire,, there may be issues. No one wants to deal with the authorities.

You want to add a circuit to your old house. Do it yourself and use the same type of breakers that's been there for decades. No problem really.

Get a permit and have an electrician do it and have it inspected and it's going to be one of those new arc fault or Ground fault breakers most likely. Why? Because it's written somewhere to do so.

Funny enough last time I bought some plugs, the packaging said "For temporary use only". I chucked to myself and thought I'll temporarily keep it there for as long as I have this tire.

 

[rancherbill]

I am surprised by the comments that they get a run around at a tire shop.

The last tire I had repaired was leaking air and my wife was driving around on it while it was almost flat. I went back to Costco that gives you free flat repair for life on the tire. They said they would not repair the tire as unsafe. It had a mark on the sidewall that showed it had been run flat. I was thinking "Pow Zoom Alice to the moon" when I got home to talk to my wife. The lady service writer at Costco said we will give you a new tire under the road hazard warranty. A nail is a road hazard and it made the tire non repairable. I guess driving on a flat is acceptable for safety reasons even if the real reason is laziness.

I just re-read their warranty on tires and it said they repaired tire to the USTMA (United States Tire Manufacturers Association) standards. It clearly states that a plug is not acceptable, a patch is not acceptable and the only a plug and a patch is acceptable. They must know what they are doing. There is a note that you cannot repair within a 1/2" of a repair, so perhaps that's the problem.


https://www.ustires.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/Puncture_repair_handout_17_2.pdf

 

[bonneyman]

I've snagged a couple of tire plug kits that I found at estate sales. And I've managed to grab two 12 volt pumps - a Coleman and a DIY rig someone built into a plastic tool tote. The Coleman has a cig plug, the DIY I left with long leads and alligator clips. But those are only for emergencies. I keep a good spare and check my tires for nails and pressure regularly. Like 2-3 times a week.

 

[dnschmidt]

Discount Tire has been my go to for as long as I've lived in Phoenix. They take the tire off of the rim and repair it from the inside. Never a hassle from them. To me they are the best tire stores in the country. I'm less over the top than Bonneyman but I do check mine about once or twice a month. If one is down off to Discount Tire I go. I carry a tire repair kit but I've never used it.

 

[bob from indiana]

I carry slime plug kits from walmart in my rides. I have a 12 volt inflater from sams club that is much faster than the cheapies. It was around $60.00. Each vehicle has plugs and an inflater.

I have aired up many tires for others at work and in parking lots. I hate to see young mothers with half flat tires hauling their kids in a minivan.

 

[iamhomeless]

Just going through my stash. Should probably order new tire plugs. My 2 Safety Seal Kits are maybe 8-10 years old and I can easily count the # of times I've needed to use them on one hand.

Been thinking about this...got Milwaukee Inflators. Both 12 and 18.....
Not sure how good or not a battery inflator is to keep in the car (during summer, when the car get's parked wherever, heatsoak, etc). The extreme summertime cabin heats could easily diminish a battery pack quick right. I find myself on 'Amazon looking at DC pumps...

I have the Dewalt 20v inflator in my truck all the time, unless we are taking the wife's truck some where, then it come with us.

Never had a problem with the batteries dying from cold or heat. The battery gets run down more often when I steal it to use in a tool because it's always charged

But the nice thing with the Dewalt I flstor is it also has a cigarette lighter cord tucked under a panel if the battery is dead.

I wouldn't worry about the batteries in your milwaukee setup dying from storage anytime soon. But if you are planning on using it for patching and not just topping up tires, you might want to keep the m18, I'm not sure if the m12 has the umph to fill an empty tire.

 

[cherrybomb]

Nobody does it,including me,but I guess where you buy your tires, you should ask or under stand should you slime it and nurse it in,leaving the nail in it,keeping it inflated or temporarily plug kit,air inflated, either way sounds like some places just want to sell you a tire.But remember some cars have critical matchups on tires and dimensions on axles,so possible two tires.Tread depths is a factor also

 

[PhantomEB]

Around town, I don’t bother with tools in my car or truck. It’s just as easier to get it towed back behind the garage to fk with. Obviously a flat tire is just a swap out and I got a little bottle jack to deal with that.

on the road when I am towing one of my trailers, I go as far as breaking down my floor jack and bringing the 1/2” cordless gun.

 

[rooster59]

I use Napa plugs + rubber cement as lube. Never a problem. I do look for any error messages on the dash on startup, TPMS will show up there. And I check tires with a gauge every 3 months or so. Decent bike pump in the trunk.

 

[welder4956]

I carry a tire plug kit that I bought at Autozone, a Husky portable inflator, and a pair of diagonal cutters. The diagonal cutters work well for pulling nails or screws out, as well as clipping the plug flush with the tire tread. I keep this in a roadside emergency kit that someone gave me for Christmas that came with jumper cables, pair of gloves, pliers, screwdriver and a reflector triangle. I added spare turn signal and brake light bulbs, fuse assortment, electrical tape, tie wraps and a small hex bit set that has torx, flat and phillips bits for removing turn signal or tail light assemblies.

 

[Old Man Roger]

One twist to keep in mind is that if the tire shoppe people decide to be dickweasels about it, your "road hazard warranty" is voided by plugging a tire.

So basically, if you plug a tire as the safest way to get home and then head to the tire shop for repair or replacement, the fine print stipulates that they can refuse you because of the "attempted repair". This is all kinds of shifty, ******, and shady, but this stupid profit-protecting technicality is buried in every such agreement.

The thing is, jabbing in a string plug is often by far the safest way to deal with a puncture and get off the side of the road quickly.

If the puncture is repairable, a string plug does absolutely zero additional damage and makes absolutely no difference; yank it out and proceed with the internal repair. I suppose if you're dumb enough you could manage to mangle a tire in the process of plugging a simple puncture, but you'd really have to work at it.

If the tire is not repairable, then a string plug in the sidewall or edge or whatever (yes, these will last long enough to get home most of the time; done it more than once) also makes no difference whatsoever to the end result, which is that the tire must be replaced. What difference does it make whether I show up with a plug in the tire or a bowie knife? I've had a couple of tussles with Costco's tire department robots over this, but in the end they saw some sense.

I’ve had a Goodyear tire refuse to patch a tire because I plugged the tire, it wasn’t even a warranty issue, it would have been a paid repair.
I personally think they either completely misunderstood their own policy, or they just didnt want to work that day.

Needless to say I was quite irritated, but the used tire shop down the street patched the tire for me. I would have been fine with a plug repair, but this hole was big enough it took two plugs, so Inwanted it patched.

 

[toolenthusiast]

I personally think they either completely misunderstood their own policy

You’re not supposed to repair a tire that has an improper previous repair. Nowadays a plug is considered an improper repair.

 

[Old Man Roger]

If there was a big bolt in the same hole, they would have patched it, makes no damn sense.

And I worked at a good year, patched a ton of plugged tires. Obviously this was before the policy.

 

[dnschmidt]

With TPMS and an inflator I'm never far enough away from a tire shop to not be able to keep blowing air into the tire to limp my way to a tire shop to have it repaired off the rim. I've never had what one would call a blow out in 50 years of driving and from the fragmented tires I see on the Interstates here in Phoenix I don't thing those are repairable anyway. Slow leaks caused by nails or screws of course but if you check your tires regularly (or have TPMS) why do you need to repair tires doing what is now considered to be "the wrong way." OK, I'm a city kid so maybe I don't understand the problems of country folks.

 

[Old Man Roger]

With TPMS and an inflator I'm never far enough away from a tire shop to not be able to keep blowing air into the tire to limp my way to a tire shop to have it repaired off the rim. I've never had what one would call a blow out in 50 years of driving and from the fragmented tires I see on the Interstates here in Phoenix I don't thing those are repairable anyway. Slow leaks caused by nails or screws of course but if you check your tires regularly (or have TPMS) why do you need to repair tires doing what is now considered to be "the wrong way." OK, I'm a city kid so maybe I don't understand the problems of country folks.

Sometimes the thing that punctures your tire doesn’t hold air, or it punctures the tire and then breaks off.

 

[Meursault74]

Slow leaks caused by nails or screws of course but if you check your tires regularly (or have TPMS) why do you need to repair tires doing what is now considered to be "the wrong way." OK, I'm a city kid so maybe I don't understand the problems of country folks.

Plugging a tire DIY takes a few minutes and will cost less than a dollar in materials. I'm riding around in a tire I plugged at least 5 years ago. I did some for my brother because the tire shop wouldn't repair his tire because it had gone flat while driving. I said I'll plug it, see how it goes. All we'll be out is a plug. I didn't hear anything back from him, so it's been fine for all I know. I plugged many back in the day when I worked at a service station. At that time it was "fine" to do so. I remember when I first saw it done, I "thought that can't possibly work". But that worm does work.

The only reason it's considered the "wrong way" is because someone wrote it down and someone else is afraid of liability because of it.
If I ran a tire business or an auto shop, I wouldn't plug tires either. I understand they don't want the headache associated with doing a repair that isn't standard.

I'll plug my own tire if it looks like I can. I'll save a bunch of time and money in the process. It's not my idea of fun to take my vehicle to a tire shop and wait for them to get to it or drop it off and come back for it later.

I live in the city, not that it makes any difference to the tire or the hole in it.

If there was a big bolt in the same hole, they would have patched it, makes no damn sense.

And I worked at a good year, patched a ton of plugged tires. Obviously this was before the policy.

If they asked you if you plugged the tire, tell 'em I must've ran over a large nail, then it came out and then I must've ran over a piece of rubber that went into the same hole. Remember, it's not a lie if you believe it.

 

[mobiledynamics]

I was looking at the Newley's mentioned.

Any concern about just the material of what it is and the potential to wick water

 

[bwringer]

You wanna start a controversy, then talk about plugging tubeless motorcycle tires...

Eh, not really... pretty much anyone who rides very far from home has had to plug a tire or three. And just like car tires, pretty much no one has ever had a single problem with this. Or at least we haven't heard anything from their heirs.

The thing is, there's a car tire shoppe in every town with a stop sign. With motorcycle tires, there's just far less availability and infrastructure, so you have to depend on your own resources. And if you call for a tow, it's going to take a lot longer; most towing companies won't show up for a motorcycle and most towing plans won't cover motorcycles.

Of course, there are times when a tire is too badly damaged to plug. But as with cars, the vast majority of flats are simple punctures.

There are riders in the "cell phone and credit card" camp who just refuse to ever risk getting their hands dirty. I think that's a little extreme; standing in the sun for hours with your phone and card in hand is far less pleasant. Motorcycles nowadays are mechanically just as reliable as cars, and so the most common trip interruption is a puncture. Overall, I think some means to repair and inflate a tire is a minimum if you're going to ride further than the next tavern.



FWIW, here's an inside view of a motorcycle tire with about 2,000 miles on a Nealey string plug. The tire caught a nail, I plugged it, and finished out the tire without a single qualm.


Close-up of the knot:

 

[mobiledynamics]

Should order new string plugs. Probably going with Nealey.

Safety Seal got back to me. They said their plugs are about 6-7 years shelf life based on storage.
Mine has batch code dates on it, They said they haven't printed batch code dates in the last 3 1/2 years.....so eh, a wild guess is my plugs are borderline old. I can easily say I've probably used less than a handful of them ,

 

[vavet]

Two things:
1. Have tires gotten better/more puncture resistant over the years? Seems like we had a lot more flat tires when I was a kid than we do now.
2. For a narrow puncture from a skinny nail, how do you do repair that roadside with the typical kit with the reamer and insertion tool? I find I need a drill to help open up the hole usually. What am I missing?

 

[Old Man Roger]

Two things:
1. Have tires gotten better/more puncture resistant over the years? Seems like we had a lot more flat tires when I was a kid than we do now.
2. For a narrow puncture from a skinny nail, how do you do repair that roadside with the typical kit with the reamer and insertion tool? I find I need a drill to help open up the hole usually. What am I missing?

You have to be aggressive with the reamer. Getting the hole good and hot from friction helps the plug seal better too.

 

[Meursault74]

Two things:
1. Have tires gotten better/more puncture resistant over the years? Seems like we had a lot more flat tires when I was a kid than we do now.
2. For a narrow puncture from a skinny nail, how do you do repair that roadside with the typical kit with the reamer and insertion tool? I find I need a drill to help open up the hole usually. What am I missing?

hopefully your reamer and insertion tool are "T" shaped. A can of spinach helps as well

 

[saltwater4life]

I’ve plugged hundreds of tires with cheap shoe string patches and never had one fail they all have lasted the remaining life of the tire. I have a ryobi cordless inflator that was a gift, worked every time I’ve needed it but it’s a little slow.