Nail in tire

Hi Mike,
I have had several plug handles brake on me (especially when trying to get thru the belts on a truck tire!). As I am sure you will, get a (couple of! ;o) higher quality "T-Handle plug installers. I would keep that tire and plug it anyway. (actually, I'd of gotten another "T"-handle to plug it and use it, but sometimes time, convenience, wife driving and other factors make the new tire a good choice to.

Thanks for the thought to check harbor freight for an inexpensive 12v compressor! I was going to look closely at the various slime "Kits" to see which might work OK, but be small enough to (hopefully , dreaming probably!) fit in the factory repair kit storage area (even if I had to cut away part(s) of the molded plastic).

How did the Harbor Freight compressor work. I don't need a big fast compressor, since it should rarely, (if ever hopefully ) be used. But 20 minutes + to go from completely flat to 35 lbs. might feel too long. Besides telling us how long it took, the other factors of smaller compressors: What pressure was it able to get you up to? The mini compressors will get hot, but did it seem like it wanted to melt itself, or it's cables? Did the cigarette lighter plug, which will also get hot, seem to be OK?

My plan is to find a workable compressor that can be stored out of the way (at least in the rear charge plug storage area, but much preferably in the small bin to the left of it. Also (but to plan to never have to use), the smallest bottle of 'Slime', in case it must be used.

Personally, I'd love to hear your and other's 'replacement' compressor/ flat repair kit purchases (and especially how they worked if you had to use them!). So thanks Mike for reporting on this sparing issue.

 

I got one of these. In my case, too, the nail was deemed to close to the edge, unfixable. Plugged in last winter while the wheel assembly was off the car, and have run it a year, no problems.

Kt-330 - BlackJack Tire Repair

 

that's the only problem with chinese tools, they're chinese.

 

So what's the consensus on the tire goop/can that comes with the car? Works ok to hobble to somewhere?

 

No personal experience with it here, but from what I have read, if you use it you are likely to face a big bill for replacing the TPMS sensor. I think there are aftermarket "slime" products that won't damage the sensor. As I've posted before, I would rather carry a spare and take the flat to my tire dealer for repair.

 

Like Roger, What I have read is that you SHOULD NOT USE THE FACTORY GOO air compressor kit unless there is no way you can get a tow! The factory goo (I've read) is gauranteed to ruin the TPMS sensor (in the valve stems). The one person who reported on his flat tire ordeal (using goo kit from factory) said the dealer quoted him $200 to replace the ruined TPMS valve stem assy and (I think?) $134* to replace the factory goo kit! All this was on top of the tire repair or replacement costs. (*I will sell my brand new factory goo kit for a lot less than that ) There is no way that kit stays in my car to get 'accidentally' used. I will be placing in the car a good quality 'T' handle plug kit plug and a 12v compressor that can attach directly to the tire (to re inflate the more common slow leak that sneaks up on you. And 'maybe' a bottle of Slime brand goo. This brand's label says it will not harm the TPMS sensor. I would have to do some reading to verify that before using it.

 

Can you supply a link of what you would recommend, please?

 

Been thinking about getting one of these plug kits.
Dynaplug® Tubeless Tire Repair Tools and Accessories

 

Watched the videos, this looks pretty cool. Even if one is not confident with it marketed as a permanent repair, at least it buys time to get the tire fixed at your convenience. Since most tire leaks are slow, not blow-outs, this should work.

 

Very cool! Would the Ultralite work on the Prius?

 

If you are going to fix a tire, please have it done correctly.

Tire Tech Information - Flat Tire Repairs

 

Not an expert and I don't play one on tv. In other words, something simple works great until you have a chance to have it fixed by an expert.

 

I don't see why not. It looks like a decent fast repair to get you going again.

 

Amazon.com: dynaplug

 

Just today I found a nail about 1" from the sidewall. My wife took the car to Les Schwab and they patched it for free. My understanding is that if the puncture is through the tread portion of the tire, it can be patched. If it goes through the sidewall, it cannot.

I recently found a .22 caliber bullet in my tire, and decided to pull the bullet out and use a can of green goo to fix the leak. After pulling the bullet out, I immediately backed up so the leak would be at the bottom of the wheel, then filled with green goo. The whole process ended with a can of green goo on my garage floor, as it just blew through the hole in the tire.

I'll never use a can of fix-a-flat again, regardless of TPMS or not. A plug kit with a small inflator gets my vote. I'd go for an inflator that connects directly to the battery instead of the cigarette adapter ones. The 10A limit on the Cigarette adapter just isn't enough power to inflate a tire in a reasonable amount of time. I've spent half an hour just running a compressor to inflate a tire before. Not only that, but many people have experienced melted plugs from drawing too much power from the cigarette adapter.

For my motorcycle, I have a plug kit with CO2 cartridges to reinflate the tire. Fortunately I've never had a puncture in a motorcycle tire.

 

If I may ask. How did you get a .22 cal. bullet in your tire?

 

Couple of things that bug me with the dynaplug:

1. With traditional plug repair you end up with a double thickness of the cord, not single per the dynaplug. Could be a moot point, not sure.

2. With dynaplug you end up with this little metal nose cone dangling in there. Again, not sure of the significance.

The regular plug repair I've done has hung in fine, and it was quite near the tread edge. I'm inclined to think a lot of these temporary plug repair slowly morph into permanent, in the owners mind. It was permanent in my mind from the get go, once I saw it was holding air just fine.