Tire nail - plug, patch or replace??

[Tekime]

Just found a nail in my new rear tire - no air loss, haven't pulled it yet to see if it punctured.

Thought I'd ask what you all do - for street and/or track. And if you patch what's your favorite method? In a perfect world we'd all throw a new tire on but when you have 90% tread left and a budget... I know some guys swear by patches.

[Billy]

Since it's a brand new tire, my vote is to patch it and forget about it! I would never plug a motorcycle tire as a perm solution (only resort to that as a last option before you can get it patched).

[golden chicken]

Plug it.

[jwm2k3]

Patch it. A patch done right wont harm anything. And will last the life of the tire. Do not plug it.

[PhilB]

If it is punctured, plug it for street use with a proper mushroom plug applied from the inside, and be extra vigilant about checking tire pressure.
I'd get a new tire before taking it to the track; IMHO tracking on a plugged tire is asking for trouble.

PhilB

[Kurlon]

I tracked a plugged tire, didn't die.

[PhilB]

I tracked a plugged tire, didn't die.

Like most things, it's an odds game. On any given occasion, you might be likely to get away with it, but if you do it often enough, the odds will catch up. The more you optimize your odds, the less likely they will bite you in the ass. I didn't say "tracking on a plugged tire is certain death"; I said "IMHO tracking on a plugged tire is asking for trouble".

As a person who has been riding daily for 28 years, over 400K miles, and has never broken a bone, I generally try to implement a policy of not asking for trouble. Because sometimes it answers.

PhilB

[Kurlon]

I think where we're differing is the assessment of risk. I do not view a properly patched/plugged tire as an increased risk. Now, if it's a giant nail that put a big hole that cut cords doing so, or right at the edge, or in the sidewall, etc, aka scenarios where the plug/patch people will tell you don't do it, I agree, don't do it. OPs description of what he found so far implies safe to patch, and may not even NEED a patch depending on how deep the nail went in.

[carsick]

Buy a new bike, just in case.

[sdog30]

Plug it. I had a huge nail in my tire on a road trip. Plugged it, was fine for the rest of the life of the tire.

Oh, and another time, I got a flat twice in a row in practice at the track. No big deal. Could definitely tell it was flat when I was hitting a corner. Didn't crash or anything. Just came in and changed the tube.

[MUZ720]

My Toyota Fj Needed new Tires wound up with a new to me Ford F150 came with new skins.. would never patch or plug a bike tire unless I had no other option, for track use you are rolling the dice. I would replace it!

[DucDave]

As long as it's not to far to the side, plug it and forget about it....

[RandyO]

tire plugs are not made out of C4, if they fail, they leak, no big deal, the tire gets soft you add more air and decide if you want to attempt a second plug or replace the tire

if the plug fails in such a way that you loose a lot of air quickly, go to school and learn how to install a plug properly

[Tekime]

Sounds like I'd be good with a decent inside patch..

I think I lucked out though, no air loss after pulling this bastard out:

[Dmitry]

Lucky you!

I got this drywall screw Friday, on the way out of town beginning of a weekend long trip (2014) plugged using Stop-n-Go on the side of Garden State Parkway









did a 1000 mile trip over the weekend 2-up, came back and got a nail on Monday!!

plugged that too...

then did a 3000 mile trip on same tire to Cape Breton where I rode plenty of gravel roads, one of the rocks jammed in to the plug and it started slowly leaking but I still made it home, replaced the tire since it had over 5000 miles at that point (Michelin Power3)

[Tekime]

Damn Dmitry! Tell me you backed that screw out lol

Sounds like a great trip, definitely going to start packing a plug with me when I go up north.

[aldend123]

Damn Dmitry! Tell me you backed that screw out lol

If you give the screw a hard yank, might be able to skip the reaming step.

[Stoneman]

Plug it. I've had a couple donuts with plugs in them and racked up many miles with plugged tires. One started a slow leak after a few thousand miles, but it was easy to deal with...

[golden chicken]

Sounds like I'd be good with a decent inside patch..

I think I lucked out though, no air loss after pulling this bastard out:

That close to the edge of the tire, if it penetrated, I'd say it's junk.

[carsick]

All joking aside, with a puncture like that, even though it may not leak, it can allow moisture into the tire carcass and rust the steel belts (unless it's a bias tire, not radial).

[Tekime]

Think I can still plug/fill it somehow just to keep moisture out?

Definitely don't love having a big cavity right there. Pretty confident there's no air loss and the nail was at an angle so it may not have hit the belts, really not sure though.

[Dmitry]

That close to the side of the tire you are further away from the belts, more rubber at that pointy part than anywhere else

[RandyO]

All joking aside, with a puncture like that, even though it may not leak, it can allow moisture into the tire carcass and rust the steel belts (unless it's a bias tire, not radial).

if its steel belted, not all radials use steel, and just because it's bias ply doesn't mean that is not steel belted

[MUZ720]

I don't get all the fuss here? Either you plug the tire 0r patch it and live with it (for awhile) then replace it with new (when till it starts leaking.. cause it will and not quickly you hope). Or just replace the darn thing and get on with it....

[martia]

I have used a plug and patch. It's a plug attached to the patch so it will never back out or leak. Got one at town fair tire