Repairing a damaged tire is certainly less expensive and less hassle than buying a brand new one. But repairing a tire isn’t always an option. If your tire becomes damaged, it may be repaired if it meets the following criteria:
- The tire has not been driven on when flat
- The damage is only on the tread section of your tire (sidewall damage ruins a tire immediately) and/or
- The puncture is less than ¼"
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If your tire is flat, we can help teach you how to change a tire.
PATCH, YES. PLUG, NO.
If you decide to go the repair route, make sure you do it right. The proper way to have a tire repaired is to patch the tire from the inside and fill the puncture hole. Do not have your tire plugged. Plug repairs don’t involve taking the tire off the wheel for a proper inspection. A plug is simply inserted into the punctured area, making it unreliable. Insist on a full inspection and have your dealer patch and fill the repair on the inside of the tire.
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Frequently asked questions
BFGoodrich answers your most asked questions.
FAQ
It can usually be repaired if the puncture is in the tread area, no larger than 1/4 inch, not in or near the shoulder, and the tire was not driven flat. It cannot be repaired if damage is in the sidewall, if the tire was run flat, if there is a bulge, or if tread depth is already below the legal limit. A professional must remove it from the wheel to assess properly.
A plug inserted from outside without removing the tire is temporary at best. It does not allow inspection of the inner liner for damage that occurred while the tire was losing pressure, and it does not seal the inner liner properly. The industry standard for a permanent repair is a combination patch-and-plug installed from inside after a full internal inspection.
The sidewall flexes with every rotation, thousands of times per mile. Any repair material bonded to a surface under that much repeated flexing eventually separates, and when it does the failure is sudden. There is no repair method the industry considers safe for sidewall damage on a passenger or light truck tire.
Running a tire flat, even briefly, generates enormous heat and lets the rim flange cut into the deflated casing. The inner liner creases and the internal structure is compromised in ways not visible from outside. A tire driven flat should be replaced, not repaired, even if it looks acceptable once reinflated.
There is no fixed number, but repairs must not overlap and multiple repairs raise the risk profile. If a tire has already been repaired more than once, or a new puncture sits close to an existing repair, replacement is the safer decision. A professional assessing the tire internally can advise on the specific case.
