Plug or Patch?

[PatrickDonovan]

I picked up 5/16" x 3" lag bolt in my back tire yesterday ...not your average sized intrusion. I was able to use a standard tire plug kit and get home from work. This morning the plug came out on the way to work, I then used my BMW plug kit and CO2's to get it home. I'm concerned that because of the size of hole that a plug just wont stay. Will a patch from inside last the life of the tire or am I looking for a new tire ?

[RJM2096]

Sorry for you loss. That big of hole requires a tire replacment. Any plug or combination of plugs would prove unreliable.

[jimabmw]

Tech tire products make a patchplug you have to install from the inside, I would not be afraid of it.

[BUDDINGGEEZER]

The proper way to repair the tire is a plug and patch. Any hole over 3/16" should not be repaired. tough luck.

Ralph Sims

[belquar]

Replace. Better to replace and grumble about the cost than to grumble about being cheap while lying in a hospital bed. It is a real kick in the pants though. I had a spell where I went through 3 tires in a year. $$$$$

[Ozonkiller]

I'm not at all afraid to patch or plug a tire and soldier on...

but even I have to agree that you should probably scrap that tire.

Nuts

[RJM2096]

What I fail to understand is how these things get stuck in our tires. If I asked someone to push a 5/16 x 3 inch bold in my tire, I doubt they could do that with any kind of tool short of a big drill. On the way to Gillette I pick up a small 1 inch machine screw. It was a chore just to screw it out. Is there a Flat Tire God whose job is just to make us suffer?

[BUDDINGGEEZER]

Usually they are only flat on the bottom side.

Ralph Sims

[swall]

The mystery of flat tire object insertion would be an excellent topic for "Mythbusters". Stuff I've seen, besides nails and screws--ball point pen and a portion of a small open end wrench.

[jeff488]

It was once explained to me that the front tire flips up whatever is about to pierce your back tire, the better to position it for said piercing.
Makes sense to me, but that could just be more of the "flat earth syndrome".