Picked up a nail

[malber]

I picked up a nail last night in my rear tire. The tread on it is still in good condition. Can I get it plugged or is this a bad idea and I should replace the whole thing?

[Ken Talbot]

Apparently, you should replace the nail with a cotter pin. Oops, that was another thread....


On a slightly more serious side, I believe a plug should work fine.

[DiverRay]

I would see if the local tire shop will put a patch on the inside. A plug will sometimes leak air into the tire body, and cause a problem.
Just my thoughts....
Ray

[tjfisher30]

pull the tire from the rim with some tire bar then bring it to wallmart for i inner patch cheap and works great i did 150 plus with one on my gsxrs rear no sweat
did i mention im not the sharpest tack in the pack

[Pat Kelly]

It should be patched if it's in the tread area (if in the sidewall buy a new tire).
Plugs can work as a (very) temporary fix but can leak air (as was mentioned) and can lead to ply separation. Ever see a tire, usually on cars, with a bald spot on just one part of the tire or a pronounced bulge in one spot? That ply separation and is an accident waiting to happen.

[prometheus578]

"Insurance, safety and liability issues".

Our shop, as well as the other shops in the area, neither patch tubes nor patch tires. We will put a new tube, but not patch nor plug a hole in a tire.

[TADracer]

Originally posted by Ken Talbot
Apparently, you should replace the nail with a cotter pin.

Hey Ken,
Guess you really nailed me on this one.

Malber,
I would not rely on a plug but a patch on the inside should do you OK. Had this happen to me a few years ago on a brand new rear tire. Put in a patch and rode it till it wore out.

I think wyhat happened is the nail dropped out from my front axle and I rolled over it with the rear.......

[mro]

Patch

Have patched nail and staple holes a few times.
Rear can be done on center stand, and popping one side of the tire off to get to hole.

Plug not good idea, bike tires are kinda thin to hold a plug.
If you have a tube tire, patch tire first, then new tube or patch it.


mro

[Dragonrider]

I use a mushroom plug gun when I'm out on the road. Use rubber cement to lube the plug and tool, and they hold very well. I've never had one leak (and a couple times I've had a cut in the tire and shoved two plugs in it to get me home).

If the tire's nearly gone anyway, I'll run the mushroom plug till time to change it, though I will confess I don't usually run a plugged tire down to the chords

If the tire has any kind of tread left on it, I pull it when I get home and patch from the inside with a "stinger" patch...the kind of patch that has a tail on it that you shove through the hole.

Tires are too expensive to throw away from a simple tread puncture (central and no tearing). It's a myth that they cannot be patched safely.