How to Plug a Tire - Weekend Vlog E4

[@djl8841]

Thanks man, people today can barely do the basics.

[@bradlafferty]

Like your teaching style - clear and concise. I feel as if I just had a shop class. And, that I could actually do this myself. Thanks.

[@rftech1608]

Plug kit is a great thing to have in the car or truck. Thanks Tom!

[@fk319fk]

After finding the nail and before pulling it out, draw a circle around the nail. Chalk works best but even a pencil will do.

[@gobear83]

Tom you have just saved a lot of people from having a duh moment …keep the video coming

[@bearbpm]

I too swear by these. And I also use the "extra" rubber cement. I have heard that in some places a plugged tire will not pass inspection (if your state requires such a thing. And we do here in Virginia) but that would be only if they look/find it, I suppose. Don't care...LOVE THEM!!! I too have not had one fail (or multiple plugs, but that's a whole other Oprah Show) before the tire wore out. These things are awesome. Saved my butt on more than one occasion. Keep up the great vids.

[@BradGryphonn]

I'm at once always amazed at how bluetooth tech has reached even tyres, and somewhat unsurprised that a video such as this is needed for many people. I grew up through the times of split rims and tubes and eventually tubeless. I learned how to hot vulcanize, and cold vulcanize tubes and then had to learn how to patch tubeless tyres. These plugs are possibly the cheapest and easiest way to repair a nail or screw hole but there are many people who can't work out how to use them effectively. As you said, a properly applied gummy plug like this will last as long as the tyre. It's basically chemical welding.

[@ewicky]

Bluetooth?

[@BradGryphonn]

@@ewicky You can buy tyre valve caps that have pressure sensors with Bluetooth connectivity. Usually, on most modern cars, the sensors are inside the tyre. Both use wireless tech to transmit to the car's computer. The problem with the internal ones is in most cases, when the battery dies, you have to replace the sensor. There are other pressure sensors that measure wheel rotation speed to determine if a tyre is losing pressure.

[@ewicky]

@@BradGryphonn I'm familiar with TPMS, I've just never heard of any system that uses Bluetooth. The OEM ones, like you mentioned, that have been included in every car for the last 15 years certainly don't use Bluetooth.

[@allouttabubblegum799]

Critical skill to know. Both my vehicles have kits and toolboxes for this very reason.

[@TJbaseliner]

What???... No power tools?! Good point on the cement. The cement makes a world of difference. I've used 5 plugs in the sidewall of an offroad car with lots of cement; got us back to camp.

[@TomtheDilettante]

haha. Yeah, it was like 7am on Sunday and I'm in the driveway between my house and the neighbor. As an act of a courteous neighbor, I decided to break out the impact gun and portable compressor :). On a different note, I would loved to have seen a picture of a 5-plugged sidewall trail fix LOL. That sounds crazy! Glad it worked though.

[@jamess1787]

Jokes on you! I'm already subbed. I've always requested that it be plugged or patched, I've only had one tire that had to go in to get an additional repair on the Monday after the weekend. Thanks for the video. 🍻

[@rodh2168]

Working in stations as a kid I repaired many tires mostly with a patch but as I don't carry a spare in my XTrek I make sure my plug kit and mini-compressor are with me whenever I leave town on the hiway or to the lake. Or even the can of pressure goo just to get home.

[@stupidchicken03]

I always hand thread the lug nuts on to start, then use my impact to zap them on tight, finishing off with the torque wrench.

[@jeanpanaccio4484]

Good video, clear instructions, annoying background music. Thanks.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thanks for watching and for the feedback. Background music is tricky. Some people dig it. Some people hate it with a white hot passion. I'll probably start mixing it up more to see what lands well.

[@nuclearmaga9694]

thanks for showing us how

[@Crus0e]

this video is underrated!

[@dojo3175]

You can save a lot of time by not taking the tire off. If you are working on a front tire, you can just turn the tire so you have a comfortable working angle and plug it. If it's in the back, you can almost always plug it without having to take the tire off. The only problem is if you can't get in a good position to get enough force on the plug. You might as well try though since you can always take the tire off later if you can't get in a good enough position. Also, after plugging hundreds of tires, I learned that wire cutters are the best way to grip stubborn pieces of metal that are hard to get out. Get a good bite into the metal and it will almost always come out

[@ChrisKD9YSW]

Same way I do it, right on

[@KUEHLKUEST]

Nice video Tom!! Cheers man!! J & C

[@jimholmes2555]

My friend Rob, AG0DX, Bought a small camper trailer to use as a Ham shack. when we went to tow it home it had a flat on one tire and the hole was in the sidewall. I explained to Rob that tire plugs don't work well in sidewalls. It was only 6 miles to his house so we plugged the sidewall and got it home, blocked and leveled it. 12 years later Rob gave the camper trailer to me. We took it off the blocks and nearly died laughing, the tire with the sidewall plug was still holding air! K0DXJ

[@truthreigns7]

Great video. People need to understand the basics

[@ericmed]

Any consideration to cut the excess so it doesn’t block the water channel?

[@TomtheDilettante]

I suppose you could, and that would make total sense. I've never done it that way personally and haven't had any problems but trimming further probably couldn't hurt. Thanks for chiming in!