my daily driver tires/also the tire i plan to use when i track, has a nail in one of the rears. im going to get it patched/filled but my question is...

if a tire has a patch/fill is it unsafe to use on the track? (im a fairly new road course guy and only have 2 track days, if that matters.)

i figure it is unsafe, but maybe im wrong so i dont have to get new tires...only 3k on these reo1r's =*(

thanks

 

I've been to events where the list of rules included "no plugged tires". Don't know if they consider "patched" under the same rule.

 

There is a plug/patch that requires un-mounting the tire from the wheel, pushing the plug through, applying the patch inside the tire, and re-mounting it to the wheel.

I had this done on a brand new Toyo once. Ran several track days and thousands of street miles with no problems.

Sean

 

Ive done the same thing with a race tire once with the push in plug patch. Just be sure to clean the inside of the tire very carefully with alchol or gasoline to get the mold release off of the inside. I also used some of the liquid glue and light it on fire, which is an old trick, and then applied the plug-patch immeditely. It held up for a weekend which is all I needed. The hole was from a small nail.

 

ah i see. ill get it plugged from the inside then and hope the coming events dont rule against it.

thanks guys!

 

I have done 4 days of autocrossing on a patched Falken Azenis tire with no problems. It is just a patch. (no plug)

If the nail is in the flat part of the tire, ( not too close to the sidewall) you should be fine from a stress standpoint. I don't think my tires get hot enough to test road course temps, but a few of our members road race and one with an R-32 (and aftermarket turbo) said he ran a patched tire on a road course with no problem.

 

As with anything, the quality of the repair determines if the tire is safe. A patched and plugged tire done by Homer Simpson would be a dangerous thing. DOH!

 

okay great someones posted up on this issue.

i found i had two nails in two different tires.....after getting them patched/filled what placement would be the safest in terms of stress on each tire...both patched in the front or put them in the rear?

wheel setup is same on all 4 corners.

 

I assume that we are talking about open road racing. Maybe a course with 100 MPH plus straightaways? I am not driving 100 MPH on a plugged tire but you can.

 

Patch is different from a plug. A patch is used on the inside of the tire. So the risk of it coming out is significantly less than that of a plug.

Nonetheless, I would still be cautious.

 

well thats why i asked. i wouldnt want to, but if there was a chance that i could then why not. thanks for your input though. and from what i figure, i think id agree.

but then how about for autox?

 

Autocross would be OK. Figure that speeds are under 40 MPH. There are no Jerry walls to contend with just some cones. What's the worst that can happen at 40 MPH in a parking lot.

 

yah the speeds are lower, but can there be enough heat generated that when turning over and over again can warp or stress the plug or patch area to cause failure?

i think im settleld on not useing them for anything speed oriented, now i just would liek to know. thanks

 

Thats your deal -- I will patch for DD but if I have a patched I shy from 100 plus. I know my patcher's and I watch them. Plugs don't cut it. Iv aged and tire integrity is # 1

 

I get up to about twice that. Just before I late-brake and stand the car on its nose before the next maneuver. (But our venue is very open and fast for an autocross course. Not typical.)

Even then, the drama is brief. Or longest courses only run about 80 seconds.

If I was running a square setup, and I was worried about the integrity of one of my tires, I would put the patched tire on the rear.

 

ive run with a patched tire on streets of willow and it performed just fine. 20 minute runs in the middle of summer. you should be just fine, especially for auto x