new tire plug question

[oreo_n2]

my rear tire picked up a little slice, right in the middle of the meat.

its about an inch long and about half the tread depth deep.

the tire still holds air fine.

i am not worried about riding it on the street.

My concern is with the upcoming trackdays...
when it goes through some heat cycles on the track could something bad develop in this little slice?
would it be wise to finish the little cut off by making it into a real hole with a reamer and then plug it with a plug kit?

[PinHead]

I know some of the race tires are made so you can slice in your own tread pattern if need be. If the slice isn't any deeper than your original treads then I wouldn't worry about it.

[Collision pro]

I guess it comes down to how bad the cut really is. If you are going to the track you wouldn't want that in the back of your mind. I would change it to be safe, even if you just put a race take off on for that day. If you need one I have one.

[Karaya One]

REPLACE THE TIRE.

The integrity of the casing has been compromised, and you have no idea if the air chamber has been damaged.

Spending $100.00 or so dollars on a new tire is short money compared to a "rapid deflation" on the road or especially during a track day and the damage that WILL cause.

[bemused]

hm-m-m... I musta missed something...

I thought he said the cut was "half of the tread depth"... which I took to mean it doesn't even go into the body of the tire...

[Karaya One]

A bike tire flexes upon its entire carcass. This is one way it lays down such a large and consistant contact patch.

By operating that tire with such a large / deep cut, that area is compromised and will flex in a direction that may not agree with the belting and carcass. You risk deforming it through heat and possibly rupturing the air chamber.

$100.00 or so is short money to replace the tire. Or would you want to roll the dice?

[Awesome]

I wouldn't think twice about it. I've got two plugs and a can of green slime in my rear pilot sport, and have not had a problem with it putting the pegs to the pavement. I'll most likely be running this at the trackday as well.

[Zero]

two plugs and a can of green slime in my rear pilot sport

Note to self - "do not pass hessogood on the outside". Thanks for the heads-up.

[oreo_n2]

Originally posted by bemused
hm-m-m... I musta missed something...

I thought he said the cut was "half of the tread depth"... which I took to mean it doesn't even go into the body of the tire...

yes its only about half the depth... and about 3/4" long. i put a lot of spirited miles on recently and no issues on the back roads.

i noted similar marks in others tires this weekend as well.

i think i may have been a little over concerned. its actually pretty tiny, but i will probably go buy a plug kit anyways... just in case.

[natesv650]

for $5-$8 slime it for a some peice of mind. doent seem like a bad cut to me. i replaced a rear tire on my gix 1000 and with a week it had a small hole that we couldnt find. it was just losing air pressure over a weeks time. so i slimed it. havent had a problem for the life of the tire. just this week it started showing threads. so i went the life of a tire with a hole in it and a half a bottle of slime. and the tire has no chicken strips and i do plenty of wheelies.