Feeling Low? Consider 3 Tire Repair Tips!
The last thing you want to see when you’re heading out the door to your vehicle are flat tires. Not only do you feel frustrated at the inconvenience of installing the spare, but you are also going to spend precious time getting the repair taken care of. If it’s a steel-belted radial (which most are these days), it should be repaired immediately to minimize potential long term deterioration started by the puncture.
While almost any sharp object left on the road can cause punctures, most are caused by small nails and screws (typically less than 1/4" in diameter). Guidelines allow a tire repair of punctures in a tread area of up to 1/4" in diameter. A tire repair of larger tread punctures and of punctures to the shoulder and sidewall areas is highly discouraged against.
Consider these three tips when needing a tire repair:
- Evaluate the damage the object caused as it punctured the tire – Any repair attempted without removing it from the wheel is incorrect. Punctures in the tread area that looked repairable have revealed that the object that punctured had been long enough to cut the sidewall from the inside. Without dismounting the tire, the hidden damage would have been missed.
- Reestablish an airtight seal of the inner liner -- Clean the puncture with a specially designed cutting drill that removes rust and sizes the injury properly to fit the rubber stem of the patch. Cemented in place, the stem will vulcanize with the tire to help prevent moisture from reaching the reinforcing cords from the outside.
- Completely fill the path the object took through the tire – This will prevent moisture reaching the steel belts and/or the casing cords causing them to rust or deteriorate.
How do you know which procedures a tire repair technician uses? Ask them! Driving on improperly repaired tires is dangerous because it can cause further damage to the tires and/or allow their strength to deteriorate over time. An improperly repaired tire driven at high speeds may suddenly fail, causing loss of vehicle control. Additionally, the use of an innertube as a substitute for a proper repair generates additional heat and should not even be considered.
Need a quality tire repair? Contact the ASE Certified Technicians at Rum River Automotive by calling (763) 389-3811, or go on-line at https://www.rumriverauto.com/ for expert advice on tires. Since 1997, our auto repair shop has served vehicle owners in Princeton, MN, and in the surrounding areas of Milaca, MN, and Zimmerman, MN.
Do you feel frustrated at the inconvenience of installing the spare tire? Spend a little time getting the tire repair taken care of quickly.The last thing you want to see when you’re heading out the door to your vehicle are flat tires. Not only do you feel frustrated at the inconvenience of installing the spare, but you are also going to spend precious time getting the repair taken care of. If it’s a steel-belted radial (which most are these days), it should be repaired immediately to minimize potential long term deterioration started by the puncture.
While almost any sharp object left on the road can cause punctures, most are caused by small nails and screws (typically less than 1/4" in diameter). Guidelines allow a tire repair of punctures in a tread area of up to 1/4" in diameter. A tire repair of larger tread punctures and of punctures to the shoulder and sidewall areas is highly discouraged against.
Consider these three tips when needing a tire repair:
- Evaluate the damage the object caused as it punctured the tire – Any repair attempted without removing it from the wheel is incorrect. Punctures in the tread area that looked repairable have revealed that the object that punctured had been long enough to cut the sidewall from the inside. Without dismounting the tire, the hidden damage would have been missed.
- Reestablish an airtight seal of the inner liner -- Clean the puncture with a specially designed cutting drill that removes rust and sizes the injury properly to fit the rubber stem of the patch. Cemented in place, the stem will vulcanize with the tire to help prevent moisture from reaching the reinforcing cords from the outside.
- Completely fill the path the object took through the tire – This will prevent moisture reaching the steel belts and/or the casing cords causing them to rust or deteriorate.
How do you know which procedures a tire repair technician uses? Ask them! Driving on improperly repaired tires is dangerous because it can cause further damage to the tires and/or allow their strength to deteriorate over time. An improperly repaired tire driven at high speeds may suddenly fail, causing loss of vehicle control. Additionally, the use of an innertube as a substitute for a proper repair generates additional heat and should not even be considered.
Need a quality tire repair? Contact the ASE Certified Technicians at Rum River Automotive by calling (763) 389-3811, or go on-line at https://www.rumriverauto.com/ for expert advice on tires. Since 1997, our auto repair shop has served vehicle owners in Princeton, MN, and in the surrounding areas of Milaca, MN, and Zimmerman, MN.
