Outer Limits 4x4 Board

A few nights ago someone put holes in the sides of 5 tyres (two vehicles belonging to my friends). Not very considerate. Anyway, they are really small holes, as if they pushed a 2mm nail through it. I could plug them, but then I'd have to ream them out first. Are there any other ways to repair the holes? Would slime work?

take them to a tyre shop and they will fix them up

they braze them somehow

tubes?

I have successfully used ordinary self vulcanising (with vulcanising fluid) tube patches on the inside of tyres on small holes. Make sure you rough the inside of the tyre very well. I used a wire brush on a drill. Dont with the roughed area with your hand before applying the patch.

ofr57 wrote:take them to a tyre shop and they will fix them up

they braze them somehow

Someone did take them to a tyre place, and I heard they were going to charge something like $30 - $40 a tyre to fix... I don't know how they were planning to fix 'em... so he didn't get them fixed.

Maybe we'll call around.

Re: tubes and patches, that means we'll have to pull the tires off! That's hard work, but ok... what are the pros / cons of using tubes?

You have to remember when you take it somewhere, the $30 to $40 covers: tyre removal, tyre repair, tyre fitment, tyre balance, leak test, plus time

Sounds fair to me

Tubing them would be fine, if the holes are small as you say, and you dont do any beach work or dont deflate your tyres.

If you do 4wding where you deflate the tyres for added traction, chances are the tubes will creep inside the tyre, and rip the valve stem out.

Thats why I use patches.

and remember when you take it somewhere you will still be charged around $30 to $40 a tyre because its a PITA when you put a tube in and it gets punctured from a foreign object

Whatever fix you go for is going to mean taking them off and putting them back on again, if you want it to be really durable.

Therefore:

jet-6 wrote:You have to remember when you take it somewhere, the $30 to $40 covers: tyre removal, tyre repair, tyre fitment, tyre balance, leak test, plus time

Sounds fair to me

x2

except reaming the hole and using a tubeless repair - safety seal/arb style.

Once installed for a while, the plug is practically invisible anyway.

I think that's what I'd do.

Steve.

Ok, fair enough. Yeah, it is a big job if the tyre has to be removed from the rims. I was hoping for some sort of 'insert really small plug from outside' solution which I guess doesn't exist, so I'll probably go with the ream - plug approach.

BTW, I hear mention of ARB's tyre repair often. Is it any different from the the tubeless repair kits from anywhere else (Repco, Supercheap etc)?

Much, much much higher quality.

As I've said, I've got the original safety seal kit - red box - that's rebadged by ARB and it's excellent.

Steve.

Didn't think tyre shops would normally touch side-wall damage? I know I couldn't find anyone that'd repair mine.

It would be interesting to know if a sidewall repair is legal in terms of preserving the speed rating of the tyre.

chimpboy wrote:Whatever fix you go for is going to mean taking them off and putting them back on again, if you want it to be really durable.

Therefore:

jet-6 wrote:You have to remember when you take it somewhere, the $30 to $40 covers: tyre removal, tyre repair, tyre fitment, tyre balance, leak test, plus time

Sounds fair to me

x2

x3

I staked a 3 week old tyre a while back. At the top of the sidewall where it meets the tread.

Tyre place I bought them from repaired it for $25. I can't even see where the hole was. However they said "It's not a new tyre anymore". Lucky I bought 5 - it is now the spare. I have driven on it with no problems though.

They did say however that a more major damage to the sidewall could be fixed as a "major repair". They would have to send it away and it would be around the $120-150 mark. So only worth it for a tyre with lots of tread left.

I've had major repairs ( inch and a half long slice in a sidewall, and a stake an inch or so in diameter) done at Ken Newsomes in Rocky. It was a few years ago the last one, and cost around the $40-50 mark. It involved a patch being vulcanised to the inside of the sidewall, and the outer hole being vulcanised closed. I was told by them the tyre was OK to use tubeless, and never had a problem with it for the rest of its life.

If you do plug the sidewall (I've done many) do not ream it.
Only ream tread area.

Al.

GUte wrote:If you do plug the sidewall (I've done many) do not ream it.
Only ream tread area.

Al.

What if the hole is too small for the plug to get in??

I know in WA it's against the law to carry out any puncture repair to the side wall, you can only repair if its an inch into the tread. This doesnt say people dont do repairs out side this law, I just know if you came to me I would sell you a new tyre or send you on your way.

My experience in NSW is sidewall repair illegal and advised to purchase another tyre. Sidewalls carry lot of stress.

Must be a small hole.
If you think it is to small to push a plug into it I'd be looking at an internal patch or tube.
if you make the hole bigger you are only creating more damage.

Al.