tire plug (nail) ... questions/help ..

[WouldLoveTo]

I had a nail in one of my tires right at the edge of the tread. I found it just before heading out on a trip. I went to get it fixed and was told that they don't normally patch something in that area but would do so for me as they knew my background (I had spent many years racing on tracks). They recommended I keep it on the rear of the car but truthfully I probably could've rotated it to the front due to the camber my car has.

I really wanted to get a new tire or two as they were only a couple of years old but they had been discontinued and the replacement was completely different and I couldn't afford 4 of them.

I did the plug but it killed me not being able to rotate the tires each year like I always do. This was in 2009, and I replaced the set 3-4 years later. I would've gotten a couple more years out of them with yearly rotations. The plug looked fine when I discarded the tires. I drive between 9-12k/yr but a few thousand of that is on snows.

[Rivertowntalk]

I have put in many, many plugs over the last 25 years as I live on a gravel road. The plugs will last a very long time. Some will eventually give out, but I found that they always slow leak first. I have sometimes re plugged the ones that eventually slow leak. Plugs won't work in the sidewall. As long as the plug is in the tread, it will probably work okay. I always coat the plug with rubber cement before inserting it. Nail holes are an easy fix. Sometimes you can't plug rock holes due to the size. Older tires will start to easily puncture with rocks. Time to replace them.