Need opinions on slow leak in BFG AT, repair/replace?

[Henrythewound]

I bought some 265/75/16 BFG ATs on craigslist for a very good price about a year ago. They were essentially new and were sold b/c the PO bought them, had them installed, then put a lift on his truck and decided they looked too small. Lately I have noticed my driver's rear tire has a very slow leak. I can pump it up and it will last about a week before it looks low again. This morning it took it into Discount Tire and they said I need a new tire as the puncture is outside the steel belt. It is still within the tread, not on the sidewall, but far enough out that they cannot fix it. Apparently there is no object in the puncture either, just a very small hole.

Other than that the tire is fine with plenty of life left. Any opinions on using something like slime to try and fix the leak? I run tubeless tires on my mountain bike and these small punctures heal nicely. The other option I have is to replace the tire with my matching spare (essentially new) and get a used tire of the same size for a new spare. I want to avoid paying over $150 for a new tire no matter what I decide to do. Anyone else ever encounter a similar puncture and what did you do?

[mastacox]

Well, Discount can't repair the leak for liability issues, but that doesn't mean you can't...

I would find and mark the hole, and then get a tire plug kit and plug that sucker up. If it works, great!

[Seanz0rz]

im with brian on this one, either way you need a new tire, worth trying to fix yourself, at least until you can save up for a new tire, etc.

[Henrythewound]

Excelent, i have never plugged a tire myself so i'll have to lok into it, I'm assuming kits exist where you do not have to remove the tire from the rim? Any particular kit you recommend? It sounds like the slime route is not a popular option.

[mastacox]

I've never found the slime to be particurally effective, and its a terrible mess to clean up afterwards.

The tire plug kits I'm thinking of will require you to break the bead of the tire/rim near the leak so you can push the sidewall of the tire in some and reach inside the tire to pull the plug from the inside through the hole. It's not that hard to do, and all you'll need to re-set the bead is an air compressor and some water.

[Good Times]

I have a Safety Seal offroad tire repair kit.

Source: Link (http://www.safetyseal.com/store/offroad.htm)

[Henrythewound]

Thanks, I'll have to give it a shot. I was trying to avoid removing the bead of the tire mainly because I feel like the tire will not be in balance after that (actually it may not be already as I think DT took it off and remounted to check for repairability). It's definitely worth a shot, thanks for the tips. I'll try and post pics/results if it works out.
~joe

[BruceTS]

I carry the safety seal kit and have used it quite a bit. Plugged many tires outside the zone and have never had a problem. Just plug and run it til the tire wears out.

[Henrythewound]

Sweet, looks like WabFab has the same/similar kit for only $18 shipped, sounds like a good gamble even if it doesn't work out. Thanks for the tips.

[4x4mike]

sk the tire guys about throwing a tube in there. A lot of buggy guys run or carry tubes instead of carrying a large spare. Most of their rigs don't have space for a full size spare.

[04 Rocko Taco]

Why not just use a regular tire plug kit, from auto zone? NOWHERE near $18.

Like this one. It's only 9.98, and its the 'deluxe' version.

They come with a rasp to clear out the hole, and enlarge it slightly, then a plug tool, and the plug to push into the tire, and then trim off the excess plug....

I always thought this was the standard type of tire plug kit, I've used it literally hundreds of times with no issues.

[BruceTS]

sk the tire guys about throwing a tube in there. A lot of buggy guys run or carry tubes instead of carrying a large spare. Most of their rigs don't have space for a full size spare.


Those buggies don't run the hammers..... A few guys I know carry 2 fullsize spares....

[mastacox]

Buggies are one thing, but 4x4 trucks should carry at least one full-size spare. You could carry tubes in addition to the spare for emergencies, but a tube is useless if your tire blows out on the highway or any other major failures...

[Henrythewound]

turns out it was $18 plus 10 to ship, so $28 total. I suppose it costs more than an AZ kit, but I think it's worth it to get a good product and support a member/vendor on these boards. Leaky tire is in the spare position at present, will update when the kit arrives and I give it a go. Thanks all.

[dbcox]

I had a icepik size hole in a BFG A/T it was a 35 on a 1987 blazer. I talked the guys into trying to patch it. It held air till the day i sold it never had any problems, i even swapped rims and aired it back up. Patches from the inside are pretty tough.

[4runnerchevy]

Don't use slime (green), it never hardens and causes balance issues. Use a plug kit, nothing fancy and it should be fine.

[corax]

The tire plug kits I'm thinking of will require you to break the bead of the tire/rim near the leak so you can push the sidewall of the tire in some and reach inside the tire to pull the plug from the inside through the hole. It's not that hard to do, and all you'll need to re-set the bead is an air compressor and some water.


With a plug/patch repair you might have to break the bead, but with a regular plug everything is done from the outside. don't even take the tire off the truck, just roll it front or back so you can get to it. BTW it's easier to get the hole reamed out and prepped for the plug if the tire is fully inflated, that way you're not pushing on a flat mushy tire.

[Henrythewound]

UPDATE: I received the plug kit from WabFab and looked up online how to use the thing. Apparently the manufacturer considers it such a basic task they do not include instructions. I was a bit freaked out about having to ram this huge spike into the tire to enlarge/clean the hole, but I figured what do I have to lose? The plug went in just fine and the hissing escape of air stopped instantly. I have driven around town and the ends of the plug have just about worn off, there does not appear to be any more leak although I need to add air, measure with a gauge, and re-measure every other day or so to be sure.

I am still slightly nervous about using the tire on the highway. As I mentioned the puncture was in the tread but outside the steel belt. Ramming that spike through the tire made me think if the tire was going to fail the worst place would probably be on the freeway. Hope not. Thanks to everyone for all the insight and advice. Now I have a tire repair kit for the trail too!

[BruceTS]

Give you an idea how safe they are....... after replacing my original factory tires, I counted the # of plugs they had. One tire had 9 plugs in it and had over 20 total......

[Henrythewound]

Give you an idea how safe they are....... after replacing my original factory tires, I counted the # of plugs they had. One tire had 9 plugs in it and had over 20 total......


Whoa, thats impressive. I even came across one website where he showed how to patch a slice in the sidewal with one of the plugs. I'm sure that's more of a "get you home" fix job rather than a "get you home on the highway" deal.

[Seanz0rz]

Whoa, thats impressive. I even came across one website where he showed how to patch a slice in the sidewal with one of the plugs. I'm sure that's more of a "get you home" fix job rather than a "get you home on the highway" deal.


care to share that website? i think we could all learn from that.

[Henrythewound]

Here's the 2 that I read before plugging mine, it looks to be holding up nicely.

http://www.alpharubicon.com/bovstuff/tirepluguzi.htm
http://www.4x4abc.com/ML320/ml320_puncture1.html

[slosurfer]

Someone should do a "Tire Plugging" article for the Wiki.