Recently ran over a nail or something and got a gnarly looking hole in the tread of my stock 20" rear tire. The hole was surrounded by little cracks and bulged out a little - I tried plugging it but wouldn't hold any more than about 25 psi so I took it to the dealer to have it looked at (I have the tire warranty). Of course they plugged it (vulcanized plug) themselves and gave it back to me. I hve nothing against these plugs but the cracks and bulging is still there and I am wondering about the structural integrity of the tire. I am planning on taking a highway trip this weekend and I may end up carrying some weight in the back so I am nervous about how this will hold up. Anybody have any similar experiences with these tires - I know they are suppposed to be crap but I was hoping to get more than a year out of them before buying a better set?

Thanks!

 

I have driven on plugged tires for years without issue. Despite that, it does affect the integrity of the tire, but a inside patch also affects the integrity by allowing water into the steel belts. So no matter what, when a tire is punctured, it can cause failure over time.

Personally, I prefer plugs because I hope it seals the hole and does not allow water into the belts. I always burn the ends of the plug to help seal it.

 

So far so good with the dealer plug...still don't like the look of the exit wound though. I'll be taking a 700 km trip this weekend so we'll see how it holds up.