Need advice - tire repair

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vegasjeepguy

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I've plugged tires with screws/nails in similar locations with no issue. The liability of the repair is what causes most shops to err on the side of being overly cautious. The only real issue I could see is if you air down you might stress the repair. Other than that there is a lot of tread left and without a warranty I'd fix it.
 
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mmnorthdirections

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I would plug that and have no worries. I also would heat the repair area and the gooey plug so it oozes into all the little places.
 
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ExGEO

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Plug it. Having seen the research on it, I'm not convinced the "liability" line they feed you isn't an attempt to sell a tire. If you google and look for independent testing on this kind of thing, it's negligible in regards to safety. We used to plug sidewalls on ATV/UTVs but I think that's where I would draw that line. You shouldn't use a plug in a sidewall, but otherwise you should be fine.

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Zargon

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Also see if you have a smaller tires shop in town who might be willing to do it with the right plugs, after a terrible experience with big brand tires I found a little local place who have been absolutely great! Everyone there is a car nut and treats my rig with respect and are willing to do more to help you out.

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Lassen

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Plug it and it'll be fine.

As for shops, could be several reasons.

First, could be trying to sell a or more tires -- for full time 4wd vehicles and tires need to be pretty close to similar.

Second, liability factor.

Third could be because they don't use plugs but rather patches that can't be placed on curves like those along the edge of a tire. Also patches require removing the tire so they can get the patch inside.

Lastly, could have been busy and figured return on plugging a tire compared to replacing others tires or doing other work like brakes, front ends, etc.
 
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Cris Forney

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I've plugged hundreds of tires within the thread area. When you get into the shoulder area or side wall of the tire you're outside the plies of the tire and plugs typically will not hold in those areas. I only use vulcanizing or "gooey" type plugs rather than the type of plug that resembles a fishing lure or rubber worm. After you plug the area, cut off any plug that's over the tread depth, air back up and check with dish soap to verify no leaks. I would recommend taking a 20-30 minute drive to heat up the tire which helps set the plug.
 

raundhaus

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I like the way think Shizzy, unfortunately the 4th gen 4Runners came with matching spare rims.

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Well shoot, if the other three on the car aren't too worn out you could just plug the punctured tire and make it your spare... no need to do any remounting with a matching rim!
But like many others have said, I wouldn't think twice about tossing a plug in that thing and rolling as is. Worst case I could see would be a slow leak continuing. In that case I liked the idea of finding a smaller shop that would patch it for you.

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Mike G

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Went ahead and plugged it today with rubber cement. Let's see how long it lasts.
For the spare tire, I didn't want to use it since it didn't match the set of Geolanders AT/S I bought. I was trying to save money so I bought a Primwell AT tire. I figured I never got a flat before so I didn't care if the spare matched the set.
Here's the screw that I pulled out of the tire.


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