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I thought this might be a good place to post to get recommendations from others that track their cars. I need to plug a hole in my Michelin PS2 rear tire. I am looking to purchase patch plugs (see pic)
If you guys have used them, what brand did you use? I am hesitant to use the stuff on Amazon. The local NAPA doesn’t have much information on theirs.
There's a parallel thread about this on one of the bigger Porsche forums.
They have a far different opinion!
...dangerous...insane....reckless...tota l disregard for human life....threat to yourself and others around you...
Makes me smile.
They'd probably all sh*t if they learned that this might be common practice among the peasants...
I've used the tech brand as well as the amazon / ebay patch plugs for years.
It's really more about proper prep (abrasion) of the inside of the tire for the patch to get past the mold release and fresh vulcanizing rubber cement.
One of the handheld patch rollers to really get all the patch stuck makes for a pro job.
I mount my own race tires and I'm hesitant to trust a plugged and patched tire for applications where the tire will see sustained use above 120 MPH. Add in the heat and cornering stresses generated on the track and I'd agree with the tire manufacturers that it's not recommended. Now if the puncture is in the middle of the tread area and there is no other damage it's probably okay for the street. Interested to see what others say.
I've gotten away with a couple of the crappy DIY plugs (not even plug/patch) on a set of street tires, right near the shoulder of the tire (not a great spot) and not had a problem. That said, for TRACK use? I'd be a little more leary, unless it's a lower speed track, and/or has safe run-off areas in the event of an unexpected tire failure.
I know some people would just flat-out say ABSOLUTELY NOT, but I'm in the camp of "it depends" .
I’m sure a lot of people will disagree, but I’ve used plugs in Pirelli DH slicks at VIR and Summit Point. Max speed was 150-160mph. I’ve also plugged a street tire for a someone else in the paddock. No issues, but everyone has a different comfort level. Here is the plug that I used.
Last edited by ckchan10; 11-21-2023 at 07:34 PM.
Reason: Changed link
I thought this might be a good place to post to get recommendations from others that track their cars. I need to plug a hole in my Michelin PS2 rear tire. I am looking to purchase patch plugs (see pic)
If you guys have used them, what brand did you use? I am hesitant to use the stuff on Amazon. The local NAPA doesn’t have much information on theirs.
Any help appreciated.
I've used these on my SXS tires and they've held up REALLY well. I live in a rocky/shale/slate area which loves to ruin tires so I started carrying them. They are commonly used on normal road going tires and hold up very well.
That said they should NOT be used on track tires but who has spare cash to be replacing a $1500 tire because of a little "breathing hole". I agree with "Cap'n Pete"... and not just because he's another Canadian.
I have successfully plugged several of my track tires over the years with the cheap "gummy worm" kits. Some of those tires saw speeds around 140 MPH at Road America.
I have never seen credible proof that any type of plug can blow out or cause a failure.
The patch is supposed to seal in the air. The plug part keeps the steel belts from rusting. What I was most surprised about was that tires repaired with the "patch/plug" mantain their speed rating.
I have successfully plugged several of my track tires over the years with the cheap "gummy worm" kits. Some of those tires saw speeds around 140 MPH at Road America.
I have never seen credible proof that any type of plug can blow out or cause a failure.
I've plugged tires successfully for years, but only a couple of times on track tires.
Bowes/Sealfast made (makes?) a string type that didn't require a small hole to be opened a bunch. 100% success rate with that.
Near perfect with the 'gummy worm' type too, but the kits I've seen lately used some kind of lube to install them instead of rubber cement. Mixed results with that... none came out, but had one leak.
I'd do the plug in an emergency, but now I plug first then demount and patch.
I'm with Cap N Pete, I've plugged all sorts of tires and unless the tire was driven flat (ie the carcass damaged) Ive never had one fail. I think a property installed patch/plug would be fine on most road courses, but I'd never run one on a banked/roval circuit. Tire loading is pretty limited on flat surfaces, but a little banking can increase that quickly, even damaging radials that aren't already damaged.
There's a parallel thread about this on one of the bigger Porsche forums.
They have a far different opinion!
...dangerous...insane....reckless...tota l disregard for human life....threat to yourself and others around you...
Makes me smile.
They'd probably all sh*t if they learned that this might be common practice among the peasants...
There's a parallel thread about this on one of the bigger Porsche forums.
They have a far different opinion!
...dangerous...insane....reckless...tota l disregard for human life....threat to yourself and others around you...
Makes me smile.
They'd probably all sh*t if they learned that this might be common practice among the peasants...
I got called out years ago by a couple guys from a different "camp" than ours (not Porsche, surprisingly!) because I had a tire that was beginning to show some cords. All I needed to do were 3 hot laps for a timed event - nothing wheel-to-wheel - so I would only have been putting myself at risk. They made the biggest deal as if I was out to try and murder babies .
I have a particular issue with busybodies that parrot the rumors they've heard to be concrete facts.
Had a fine old adventure on that same Porsche site discussing the importance of throwing tires away after 5 years.
Never mind that they'd been relaxing comfortably in storage for 3 of those.
Dangerous...Insane...Reckless... You get the picture.
There's a parallel thread about this on one of the bigger Porsche forums.
They have a far different opinion!
...dangerous...insane....reckless...tota l disregard for human life....threat to yourself and others around you...
Makes me smile.
They'd probably all sh*t if they learned that this might be common practice among the peasants...
was that an international forum? if you drive the car at 170 mph+ for extended periods of time on the autobahn, it might make a differece. 150 mph (gps) is a comfortable travelling speed in my amg limousine.
was that an international forum? if you drive the car at 170 mph+ for extended periods of time on the autobahn, it might make a differece. 150 mph (gps) is a comfortable travelling speed in my amg limousine.
General rule of thumb for repaired tires (patch and plug, or patch/plug combo) was the tire would lose 1 level of speed rating. Different manufacturers have different guidelines.
Not sure if I'd drive 170+ on one...
I'm concerned about a lot of things when I'm on the track with a bunch of drivers of unknown skill.
Not even on the list whether one might have a tire that was patched.
I change my own tires and have some plug/patches on the ready if I ever have the need. Maybe…
I recently bought a ‘12 John Cooper Works Mini Cooper so my son could join me for the odd track day and also learn some advanced driving skills. The car came with Bridgestone RE-71R with lots of tread. These are actually great track tires so that’s what we kept on the car.
On the second track day, it was super cold (about 6c / 42f) and I noticed the right front was not gaining any pressure over the first session. I had bled off 4 Psi fron the other tires, but RF was still the same as cold pressure. We didn’t have this issue a week earlier on his first track day. I checked for punctures and found nothing. Chalked it up to maybe not getting it set correctly before the run. But then the same thing happened after the second session, so I realized there must be a leak. Long story short, I looked REALLY close and found a spot in the middle of the tire that was plug/patched (faint outline of plug was visible) and it was leaking.
Needless to say, didn’t run the car any longer and I ordered a new set that day.
It didn’t fail quickly, so that’s good, but it did fail and cost us the rest of the day. So, I think we had a best case failure. Could have been worse. So I suppose I’ll think twice about using one on track in future. I certainly don’t think I would on my sons car, so doesn’t that mean I shouldn’t on MY car as well???
I change my own tires and have some plug/patches on the ready if I ever have the need. Maybe…
I recently bought a ‘12 John Cooper Works Mini Cooper so my son could join me for the odd track day and also learn some advanced driving skills. The car came with Bridgestone RE-71R with lots of tread. These are actually great track tires so that’s what we kept on the car.
On the second track day, it was super cold (about 6c / 42f) and I noticed the right front was not gaining any pressure over the first session. I had bled off 4 Psi fron the other tires, but RF was still the same as cold pressure. We didn’t have this issue a week earlier on his first track day. I checked for punctures and found nothing. Chalked it up to maybe not getting it set correctly before the run. But then the same thing happened after the second session, so I realized there must be a leak. Long story short, I looked REALLY close and found a spot in the middle of the tire that was plug/patched (faint outline of plug was visible) and it was leaking.
Needless to say, didn’t run the car any longer and I ordered a new set that day.
It didn’t fail quickly, so that’s good, but it did fail and cost us the rest of the day. So, I think we had a best case failure. Could have been worse. So I suppose I’ll think twice about using one on track in future. I certainly don’t think I would on my sons car, so doesn’t that mean I shouldn’t on MY car as well???
You wrote that you change your own tires and have patch/plugs handy, do you mean you have access to a rim clamp tire machine and mount/dismount the tires? I'm asking because it's very easy to repair a bad patch or examine a leaking tire once off the rim. A correctly done internal patch will not leak. The question in this thread is tire integrity post patch.
You wrote that you change your own tires and have patch/plugs handy, do you mean you have access to a rim clamp tire machine and mount/dismount the tires? I'm asking because it's very easy to repair a bad patch or examine a leaking tire once off the rim. A correctly done internal patch will not leak. The question in this thread is tire integrity post patch.
Yes, I removed the tire and decided it was not worth repairing. The hole itself appeared to be pretty large, so I didn’t think it was worth testing fate again. The patch seemed ok, not sure why it was leaking. Like I said, I wouldn’t trust it on my sons car. Already put the new tires on and had a great couple of track days. Saved the other three to cycle in next year. Since the tire was repaired with a plug patch and failed only at the track, I figured it was relevant to the thread. We had the car a month before tracking it, no leaks until the second track day. Cheers
Yes, I removed the tire and decided it was not worth repairing. The hole itself appeared to be pretty large, so I didn’t think it was worth testing fate again. The patch seemed ok, not sure why it was leaking. Like I said, I wouldn’t trust it on my sons car. Already put the new tires on and had a great couple of track days. Saved the other three to cycle in next year. Since the tire was repaired with a plug patch and failed only at the track, I figured it was relevant to the thread. We had the car a month before tracking it, no leaks until the second track day. Cheers
" The hole itself appeared to be pretty large..."
That's a bust right there. I have no problem with small nails or screws, that cause minimal damage to the carcass.
Big holes, no way.
Right to toss that one!
11-21-2023, 07:07 AM
Tire plugs (Patch plugs)
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