I have a small 1/2 inch slice in the middle of my back tire. (However the air is only coming out of a small area). I took the tire to a garage and they put 2 patches on, but they were unable to stop the leak completely. They even tried to cook the tire for 20 minutes. The shop said the tire still has a lot of tread on it, so he didn't feel it was necessary to change. The air is only coming out a little. Does anyone have any secrets on how to repair the tire. I am worried the slice will open up when I'm out riding.

 

they should never put 'patches' on a tire, im surprised a garage said/did that. you need the tire plugs, can find them in any auto parts store, they even come as a kit with 2 tools used for plugging the tire, they are safe for lasting the life of the tire long as you do it right

 

Thanks for the help. I was concerned about the plugs, because I didn't know if I can find the exact hole. Like I said the slice is about a 1/2 inch. (It looks like the bubbles are coming out of 1 or two spots when I put water on the tire).

Why shouldn't a garage put patches on the inside of the tire? This was the first thing the garage did. Will the patches hold on rough terrain and only let approximately 1 pound of pressure out per day?

 

Well if it helps I just plugged two 1/4 holes in the sidewall of one tire and she is holding fine, but the second tire with a sidewall slice about 1/2 with two plugs is not doing so well. I took it to my local tire shop and the guy told me he could not use a patch. According to him he would have to take a wire wheel to it form the inside in order for the patch to stick. He told that the rubber was to thin and could not run the wire wheel to it without exposing the radial tire fabric. So now I’m shopping for the best 6-ply tires.

 

Well actually you have to patch sometimes when you cannot plug....... In what he's talking about a "slice" is not easy to plug..... What happens when you try and plug a slice, is that the slice just keeps opening up farther because the entire carcass is weakened by the slice.

In this case a patch was the only option because it does not spread the slice like a plug would..... Fact is there is no real way to patch or plug a "slice" or long cut of any kind. It usually means the end of the tire.

 

Thanks for the information. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I know I should buy new tires, but I'm trying to get away with it for awhile. If I break down miles out its going to be a hard lesson.