Hi folks,
As usually I am broaching a very interesting topic which I believe must assist all of us through personal experiences & amusing opinions. My question is regarding a plugged tire which usually is temporarily repaird by breakdown companies. So, after this repair, how long does this flat tyre last on average? And, if the tyre still has sufficient tread depth left on it, then, still should it really need to be replaced, or a proper professional puncture will reinvigorate it.
I had a puncture on a Chrysler Voyager in Belgium about 15 years ago. The plugged tyre was still on the car 2 years later, never showed signs of leaking.
Plugged externally or internally?
A properly installed internal "mushroom" style plug should last the life of the tyre, I've had several £10 cash in hand jobbys over the years and they've all lasted the life of the tyre they were installed into.
The external plugs are more temporary, although if the instructions are followed, I understand they're pretty solid in there (I would not trust my life to them, especially on a motorcycle).
Is it safe to drive with the tyre in attached pictures. It is not a plugged tyre but a tyre which rubber is deteriorating by the passage of time. The tiny cracks on it aren't deeper and holding air quite well and have good tread depth left on it.
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I can have no idea whether it is safe to use your tyres.
It would be helpful to know the date of manufacture as shown on the DOT number on the tyre wall. The final four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture.
You mention degradation due to age shown as ‘minor cracking’ and ‘age deterioration’.
If you have any doubts, get the tyre checked by professionals at a reputable tyre retailer.
I would suggest that it may be unwise to use an aging tyre showing cracking on the road.
Any professional such as tyre shop they will mechanically suggest to change tyres even all. The rubber is cracking/deteriorating not from sidewall but on the edges of tread depth but tread depth is still satisfactory. Tyres are holding strong air pressure and on driving showing no abnormality.
How old are the tyres ? Check the DOT numbers as I suggested above.
It's difficult to comprehend it's date of manufacturing but some numbers suggests 2015 as 2005/2001 can't be because even this brand wasn't born then. Tyre few features are:
Treadware 360 traction a Temperature A
Plies: 1 polyester+ 2
steel + 1 nylon
Sidewall: 1 polyester
It is recommended that tyres older than 10 years are not used on the front wheels. On buses and lorries it is now illegal to use such tyres on the front steered wheels. If the DVSA find one, it's an immediate prohibition, and an annual test failure.
Any professional such as tyre shop they will mechanically suggest to change tyres even all. The rubber is cracking/deteriorating not from sidewall but on the edges of tread depth but tread depth is still satisfactory. Tyres are holding strong air pressure and on driving showing no abnormality.
Rubbish, find a local trusted tyre dealer, there are several near me that I'd trust the opinion on (and have done, they were the ones that have plugged tyres for me versus telling me I needed a new tyre).
The date code of 4 digits will be in a rounded rectangle, probably near other codes made up of letters. If your tyre does not have this, it may be older than 2000, in which case it may only have 3, with an additional symbol.
A tyre DOT code is a sequence of characters that lets you determine the tyre age. Find out why it’s important to know when and where the tyre was produced.
IMO on a regularly used car I would not trust any tyre more than 10 years old, although a 10 year old Michelin is going to perform better than a 10 year old Chinese brand, along with lots of other environmental factors including how they have been stored.
I have had two tyres 'plugged' over the last few years and each time I viewed then as a 'get home' solution to be fixed ASAP, you ever heard of the saying
"What price your neck"?