I've always plugged the holes dry.

 

Nice

 

Hi I am a big fan of tire puncture repair kits that use the black tire cords to fix holes. I've used them ever since working at a tire repair shop back in the early 80s.

As of late I've been using the tire repair kits by Slime. I found an important part of the kit is the lubricant they call Plug Bond. Unfortunately you run out of Plug Bond faster than you go through the rest of the kit and I am unable to locate how refills of just the Plug Bond.

I've tried contacting Slime directly but have not yet received the reply back from them.

Does anybody know what the Plug Bond is made of and would I be able to find a suitable substitute under a different name?

I've tried using rubber cement, but I found that the Plug Bond product provides some type of lubrication that makes inserting the tire cords and releasing them way easier.

View attachment 316465

 

In my world, tire plugs are temporary "fixes" only.

Permanent fixes, with an internally applied patch is the only thing I want on any tire, on any car; I own or drive.

Plugs are fine, until they are not.

One (old) man's opinion

 

I have had excellent luck with tire cord plugs over the years. Thank you for the opposing opinion.

I think it is very strange though that Plug Bond is not sold separately......

 

I've tried using rubber cement, but I found that the Plug Bond product provides some type of lubrication that makes inserting the tire cords and releasing them way easier.

That is the primary use for rubber cement or plug bond - as a lubricant for installation. The plug relies on pressure from the hole in the tire to create the seal. According to Slimes FAQ.

 

Rubber cement works the same, holds the plugs for life time of tire.

 

I found this under accessories on the Slime website...

Edit - Adding some extra context. I checked the Plug Bond SDS and all part numbers referenced are kits that come with plug bond. Comparing it to Rubber Cement SDS it is different and doesn't match. My only guess is that it is Fix-a-flat or something similar manufactured by ITW.

 

This is the exact can I've had for years and I've done maybe 15-20 plugs on a bunch of all kinds of tires that never had an issue, they all let me wear them down completely.

 

I always put a glop of rubber cement over the hole and run it in with a proper size Phillips head screwdriver before inserting the rubber glue coated plug. It’s the foreplay of plug tire patching

 

I took a giant nail in one of my rear tires a few years ago. It was too close to the sidewall to patch or use a patch/plug, so I pulled the nail, reamed the puncture and used a Slime plug kit to fix the tire, at least temporarily until I could get new tires. Got an incredible deal at the time from then forum vendor Discount Tire. Those tires, both front and rear, have been on the rack for about three years since then. Carving corners, aggressive launches, even fogging a friend's neighborhood for mosquitos have not seen any problems from the plug. I've not lost 1 psi not temp related in the years since. I did however just road trip the new shoes to Livernois in the Kia awhile back however, when I had the sudden realization that strapped down tight on a dyno and running up to about 140 mph in 4th gear could end up catastrophically for the SS, the tuners and the dyno should that plug finally get spit out.

 

In the early 70's I worked at and eventually Assistant Managed one of the first large SoCal local tire store chain locations!! It was there, that, while I had to patch em for a living, and I made every effort to do the best and safest possible repair for the customer,, I realized,,,

I WILL NEVER USE PLUGS/PATCHES ON HIGH PERFORMANCE TIRES!! Of course, the caveat being,, I am not in the middle of Bubble FOOK Egypt Middle of Nowhere,, Mojave/Death Valley/Sonora desert!! BUT even after something of that order (YES,, ITS Happened!!),, Its replaced immediately and likely in pairs, cuz you just never know when all of a sudden you find yourself as I have,,, in a situation not too dissimilar from THIS,,,

Or This,,,

OR Worse,,,

Things like Oil and Tires are CHEAP!!! My life and my cars are more important than a couple of bucks, at the end O da Day!!

Jus my $0.02

 

In the early 70's I worked at and eventually Assistant Managed one of the first large SoCal local tire store chain locations!! It was there, that, while I had to patch em for a living, and I made every effort to do the best and safest possible repair for the customer,, I realized,,,

I WILL NEVER USE PLUGS/PATCHES ON HIGH PERFORMANCE TIRES!! Of course, the caveat being,, I am not in the middle of Bubble FOOK Egypt Middle of Nowhere,, Mojave/Death Valley/Sonora desert!! BUT even after something of that order (YES,, ITS Happened!!),, Its replaced immediately and likely in pairs, cuz you just never know when all of a sudden you find yourself as I have,,, in a situation not too dissimilar from THIS,,,


Jus my $0.02

And what, or who, do those three films have in common besides great chase scenes? Bill Hickman. Stunt driver extraordinaire. Driver of the Charger in Bullitt, driver of the Grandville in The Seven-Ups, and Agent Mulderig in The French Connection. Quite the bit player as well, uncredited for most of his work. Doesn't even appear as uncredited for Diamonds are Forever, one of his greatest hold my beer moments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hickman

 

Adding my experience from working in a tire shop at Sam's Club for 3 years. Depending on how much tread life is remaining on the tire, my preference is patching. When you ream the hole for the plug, you're breaking the radials, which could eventually lead to separation causing a big knot on the tread surface. I saw a lot of tires with separation around the plug site come through the shop. However, I carry a plug kit in my car for when I'm in a "situation" and patching isn't an option.
I'd prefer a plug any day over Fix-a-flat. That's some nasty stuff.

 

According to Michelin, after plugging my ZR rated PS4S tires the speed rating degrades down to a 110mph limit. It's easy to forget that safety concern, and it's easy for an SS to suddenly be going much faster than the driver thought it was.

My speed governor was removed a few years ago but I waited until I had virgin tires that were unpenetrated and unplugged before I tested to see if it really was removed. Didn't want a sudden deflation in a speed test on a two lane country road. I ran out of road before I ran out of motor. On my city streets I picked up a nail within just weeks of getting virgin tires. Life in the big city.

 

Yup, it's sickening how often I catch screws/nails too, that's why I personally plug them every single time, and don't think twice about it. All my plugs have lasted the life of the tires without any issues. I use the rubber cement in a can and plug cords too.