You picked up a nail and now your tire is losing air. The good news: many punctures can be repaired for much less than the cost of a new tire. The bad news: not all of them. Here’s how to tell, and what a proper repair looks like.
When a tire can usually be repaired
- The hole is in the tread, the flat part that touches the road.
- The hole is small, about 6 mm (1/4 inch) or less across. Most nails and screws fall in this range.
- The tire wasn’t driven on for long while flat.
- The tire still has safe tread depth left.
When a tire should be replaced instead
- Sidewall or shoulder damage. The sidewall flexes constantly, so a repair there won’t hold. This is a safety rule, not an upsell.
- A large cut or tear, bigger than about 6 mm.
- Driven flat. Even a short drive on a flat tire can crush the inside of the sidewall. You often can’t see this damage from the outside.
- Two holes too close together, or a hole on top of an old repair.
- Worn-out tread. If the tire is already near the end of its life, a repair doesn’t make sense. See how to check tread depth.
Plug, patch, or both?
A plug is a sticky rubber strip pushed into the hole from the outside. It’s quick, and it’s what you find in roadside repair kits. But a plug alone doesn’t seal the inner liner of the tire, and nobody looks inside the tire for hidden damage.
A patch is glued to the inside of the tire. It seals the liner well, but on its own it doesn’t fill the hole, so water can get into the tire’s steel belts and cause rust over time.
A plug-patch combination does both. The tire comes off the rim, we inspect the inside, fill the hole and seal the liner in one repair. This is the method the tire industry recommends for a proper, permanent fix.
What to do right after you get a flat
- Pull over somewhere safe. Don’t keep driving on a flat tire.
- Leave the nail or screw in place. It often slows the leak.
- Put on your spare or add air and drive gently to a shop. Here’s how to use your spare tire.
- If you used a plug kit or tire sealant, treat it as temporary and get the tire checked soon.
A note on run-flat and performance tires
Some tire makers limit or don’t allow repairs on run-flat tires, and some performance tires have speed-rating rules after a repair. We’ll check the tire’s guidelines before we fix it. More on run-flat tires here.
Flat tire repair in Waterloo
President Tire & Wheels is at 632 Colby Drive, Waterloo, serving Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge. We’ll tell you honestly whether your tire can be repaired or needs replacing. See our tire repair page or call (226) 698-1667.
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