When Can A Tire Not Be Repaired

When Your Apartment Tire May Demand to Be Replaced

It'south easy to learn how to change a flat tire and install your spare. What's not as piece of cake is knowing when your apartment tire can't exist repaired or patched, and when it will need to be replaced with a new tire. Here are eight indicators you may need a new tire.

The tire has a sudden loss of air and you bulldoze on it flat. This tin can cause internal damage, which can't be fixed.

The sidewall has a puncture, a cut exposing the string, or a visible bubble or bulge.

The shoulder has damage (more than cosmetic), such as a small puncture.

You spot a bulge on the tread or sidewall (post-obit an impact, etc.).

There'south a gash deep enough to expose the nylon or steel belts (which are part of the internal structural components of the tire).

The size of the gash or hole in the tread is greater than 1-quarter inch.

The tire has been repaired before and the new damage is shut to the previous repair.

If for any reason the repair exceeds the tire manufacturer's recommendations.

What parts of a tire are repairable.

Underinflated Tires May Damage the Sidewall From Excessive Heat

Tires with depression air pressure may be hard to notice while driving. An underinflated tire generates a lot of heat quickly, which may cause the sidewall to intermission down in seconds. Therefore, an underinflated tire can be damaged beyond repair within a brusk altitude. Only driving on a severely underinflated tire from the fast lane to the shoulder tin cause irreversible damage.

Boring Leaks in the Contact Patch Can Exist Repaired

If you accept a dull leak from a puncture in the main function of the tread, chances are good the tire can be repaired. Washed right, your repaired tire should exist prophylactic to drive on for its total tire life. Additionally, the repair may be free (depending on your warranty).

Les Schwab Tip: We practise more than just patch tires. Our experts use a multi-step process to ensure your tire is properly repaired.

Basics of Flat Repair

First, the tire technician volition identify the location of the leak and make sure in that location are no others past submerging the tire and wheel in water. Then they'll accept the tire off the wheel (called dismounting), and inspect the inside and outside for structural problems and previous repairs.

Flat tire repair

If the tire is repairable, they'll kickoff past buffing the affected area beingness careful to avert any damage to the liner. Then they'll use vulcanizing compound and a one- or two-piece plug patch combination to fill the hole and seal the liner. This method ensures an closed seal and that the cord cloth is protected.

Do Emergency Tire Repair Kits Piece of work?

If your vehicle doesn't have a spare, or y'all need to become out of an emergency state of affairs, yous may be relying on a sealant kit or other quick-ready option when you get a apartment. This isn't a substitute for proper repair.

At Les Schwab, nosotros've been cleaning, sealing, and repairing apartment tires for a long time. We've seen a lot of do-information technology-yourself options over the decades, merely emergency plug kits are not amid the all-time options. The utilize of a plug kit to make full a hole from the outside of your tire can cause additional, internal damage that may be difficult or impossible to repair. Additionally, some aerosol sprays can damage the TPMS sensor in your wheel, which can exist expensive.

Bring Your Flat Tires to Les Schwab

If you're driving on a set of Les Schwab tires, we'll prepare your flat for free. If the tire cannot be repaired, we'll evidence you all of your options and get yous back on the road safely.

Schedule a Flat Repair