Can I drive long distance with a plugged tire?
It is never safe to drive on long-distance trips having one or more plug-in tires. Plugging tires is only a temporary solution to carry on your drive to the nearest tire repair facility.
Tire Plug can be very effective if it is applied accurately, you can always go several hundred miles with it but still it all depends on road conditions, if you are going to an area where you need some off-roading then this is not a good idea to carry on with tires having few plugs applied on it.
However, it has been noted that most of the drivers once they apply the plug on tires they still carry on with the same plugged tire for a longer period without any hassle but they are always a risk of having a flat tire in the middle of the road due to interior deterioration of tire rubber. It may also cause a severe incident of a blown tire.
What is the tire plug?
The tire plug is a utility object to repair the tires which are prone to flatting up due to a little nail or any other sharp object causing a hole in the tire and as a result the air pressure of the tire getting lower.
The tire plug is a self-sticking rubber material that is pushed into the tire on the point where the puncture develops the rubber then expands itself and prevents the air from leaking out of that hole after the application the tool is removed back once the air is set to be fixed and the leaking has been stopped.
Why would a tire plug required?
A tire plug is an emergency solution for a leaking tire, and it is meant only for driving a car to the nearest tire repair facility for a proper puncture repair or to replace the tire. However, some people are of the point of view that there is no need for any kind of repair once you apply the tire plug on a punctured tire, but whatever the reason they have in support of this statement the most important thing is to ensure the safety of passengers, so it is always recommended to inspect the tire to a professional immediately after using the tire plug.
How to plug a leaking tire?
For plugging the tire, you must need the following.
- First you need a Tire plug kit.
- Wrench with socket.
- Torque wrench
- Plier
- Cutter
- Vehicle lifting jack.
- Spray bottle having soapy water.
Once you have arranged the all the above tools, now you need to do the following steps.
- First, you need to pump enough air into the tire.
- Lift your car on jack up to the level where the wheel can move freely.
- Inspect the tire from all sides and locate the exact point of damage.
- Apply the spray on the suspected area to confirm the leakage.
- Use a plier or any other tool you have to pull out the object causing the leak.
- Insert the T handle tool in the hole to roughen the inside surface for better adhesiveness.
- Pull out a single plug strip from the kit and roll it on the plug insertion tool.
- Press the plug into the hole using the T tool and leave a little part of around an inch outside the wheel.
- Wait a few seconds and pull out the tool.
- Fill the air in the tire again and apply the spray of the solution to check if the leaking is completely stopped or not.
- Cut off the excessive plug portion outside the tire surface with a help of a cutter.
- Test again the repaired area by spraying the solution to test the leakage.
- Now bring down the car jack and let the tire withstand with car weight and wait a few minutes to see the final result.
- Do the final spray on the newly plugged area and if no bubbles are found on the tire it means that you have successfully plugged the tire.
How long does a tire plug last?
According to a few tire companies the plugged tires can be used for several years or more than ten to fifteen thousand miles subject to the plug being installed perfectly by a professional.
However, some manufacturers advise not to use the plug tires for longer periods so it is always better to go for replacing the tires because nothing is more important than safety.
Does the continuous use of a plugged tire is safe?
The tire plug is a blessing in an emergency but actually, it is very dangerous in long-term usage, especially on high-speed driving on highways the plugged tire may be blown away because you need to know that the tire is now not in its original condition.
A plugged tire cannot be able to handle the pressure of high-speed driving and may result in a blown-out tire which may cause injuries to passengers and sometimes even more disaster may occur.
It is never recommended to use a tire plug in long run and it is always a good idea to change the tire once you safely reach to the destination.
Do tire plug destroys the tire?
You cannot apply too many tire plugs on a single tire and if you carry on the practice of plugging the tire every time then it may cause serious damage to the tire and this may result in a blown-out of tire.
Are the usage of tire plugs is legal?
The tire plugs are legal but only recommended for use in an emergency. However, it has been noted that most of the tire shops refuse to repair the plugged tire because it is not safe to drive a repaired plugged tire and they don’t want to be liable in case of any consequences of using the plugged tire.
Conclusion
In this article, we have learned that tire plugs are very helpful in an event of an emergency but never depend on plugged tires for a longer time and it is never recommended to go for a long-distance travel with a plugged tire.