My wife has a 2007 Honda Accord with probably between 10,000 and 12,000 miles on it. One of her tires picked up a screw which is causing a slow air leak. The screw is right at the edge of the tread, although it might angle in some toward the center of the tire. Tire shop says that it can’t be patched since it’s too close to the sidewall, something like they need .25 inches for an effective patch. In the past I’ve used plugs from the auto part store to patch tires and have never had a problem, although some things I read suggest that a plug is only a temporary solution and the tire should be patched right away. Do I really need to spend the $200 on a new tire or would a plug do the job? If it was my car I wouldn’t worry about it and just plug it, but since it’s my wife’s car I don’t want to possibly cause her to break down anywhere.
Thanks,
Joe
Yeah, you’re not suppossed to patch a tire when it’s on or close to a sidewall. Though without seeing it it’s hard to say how borderline it is. $200 for a tire ouch…You must have the EX model with a Michelin tire. I don’t suppose you have a full-size spare in the trunck do you?
You’re correct on both counts: EX model with Michelins and no full size spare. I wouldn’t hesitate as much to get a new tire if it wasn’t so expensive.
I’ve had a lot of plugs put in. Usually get it done at a small service station that’s not trying to sell me a new tire.
I’ve never had much of a problem with using plugs. I know they tire guys don’t like them, and hardly won’t do it, but going to and from job sites, I’d go broke buying tires for every screw that stuck one.
SKip
Your wife’s safety isn’t worth $200? You would allow her to drive on a tire with a questionable repair? How will you feel if the tire fails after that questionable repair and your wife is injured or killed? What if the tire fails and it causes an accident that injures or kills someone else?
A tire should not be patched if the hole is close to the shoulder(within a 1/4 of an inch)or on the sidewall.
$200 for a tire? I am guessing you didn’t look into the cost of replacement tires before you bought the car.
I know that isn’t really that helpful, but maybe it should be a lesson to the rest of us to research the cost of replacement tires before buying a new car.
I had exactly the same thing happen to me on my 2006 Chevrolet Uplander. The tire store, IMHO, is correct. My problem occured the evening before I was going out on the road, so I replaced the tire at the closest tire store the next morning so I could be on my way. Since I frequently am on the road with people and/or musical instruments, safety is one of my concerns. I also don’t like a plug patch. When I get some time, I’ll replace the tire on the opposite side, buy another wheel and use the tire I take off as a spare. I think that the little spare might have enough load capacity for my wheelbarrow.
hey barky:
at only 12K miles this tire still has a warranty left on it. look through the brochure you got about tires. i would bet if you took it to the dealership and sweet talked them they would do some kind of road hazard deal for you to at least cover some of the cost.
Cappy–Road Hazard Warranties have gone the way of the Dodo bird–unless someone pays extra for that coverage. (The only exception that I know of being Costco, which provides it free-of-charge on all tires purchased from them).
I seriously doubt that the OP’s tire dealer will allow the OP to purchase a Road Hazard Warranty after the tire has been damaged, and I also doubt that they would give him any Road Hazard Warranty coverage for no charge.
Personally, I agree with willey. If your wife’s safety is not worth $200.00, then it is probably time to re-evaluate the marriage.
Well, if it was my car or my wife’s, I’d order 2 of these $75 tires (link below) and be done with it. No way I’m paying $200 for a single tire on a friggin’ Honda Accord. And as soon as I could, replace the other 2 tires with the same.
Also, I don’t think barky is saying anywhere in his post that his wife’s safety isn’t worth $200. There are many ways to make something safe, throwing the largest amount of money at the problem is not the only (or best) way to show your love for someone.
Besides, unless the other 3 tires have near-new tread on them, throwing one brand new tire in the mix isn’t something I’d consider safe or want to do. Put a couple of decent, fairly priced tires on that axle and move on with life.
id replace just the 1 tyre with a new cheap make one,you dont have to buy a michelin!so long as the size and speed rating are the same it would be less than half the price.
The official position of the Rubber Manufacturers Association - the folks who represent the tire industry as a group and publish recommendations that all the tire manufacturers agree with - is that a radial tire should only be repaired in the tread area EXCLUDING the outermost rib. The reason for this is that the outermost rib is where the edges of the belts are and that is the most highly stressed area of the tire. Damage in that area is prone to cause a tread separation. The sidewall is excluded because this area flexes in a very peculiar way and repairs do not hold up.
$200 for OEM tire that matches others. My wife’s car has $210/tire for OEM ones. I purchased better aftermarket tires with same speed Z-rating and significantly better handling for $140/each.
I’d plug it and keep an eye on the air pressure until the next tire change. If the plug fails it won’t do so catastrophically. It’ll simply develop another slow leak. If you’re keeping watch, you’ll be able to reaplce it at that time.
After seeing some of the replies I felt the need to post again on this one. Folks, do not suggest that people mismatch tires. There’s a lot more going on than speed rating and size. Different brands and models wear differently, handle differently in the snow, have different noise levels, etc. The tires that came on this car are quite good, as are most Michelin tires. Cheap tires are almost always that-they do fine the first 10k miles and then suddenly they start to get noisier, they start to feel less balanced, the traction isn’t as great as it once was, etc.
In the realm of things $200 on a $25,000+ car isnt really a big deal and you’ll have peace of mind knowing everything is safe. Replace the suspect tire with the correct unit and sleep well.
Do you have any studies/reports to support those claims?
Thanks for all of your replies and explanation of why a hole on the edge is bad for the tire. A little surprising that a tire can be compromised such by a small hole in the edge of the tread, would have expected something like that from a pair of nylons - not a car tire. My goal was to keep all 4 tires the same, just hoping that a plug would have been sufficient. If the problem with a plug would just have been the possibility of air continuing to leak then it would be worth trying it and then replacing the tire if needed. But, if a hole in this area is prone to cause a blowout or tread seperation (which I didn’t know) then certainly I would rather replace the tire than have my wife wreck because of it.
Looking at the price of replacement tires wasn’t really a consideration when she was shopping for a new car. Not sure it would have made a difference though as it was her first new car since she bought her last one 17 years ago, so whatever car she wanted was fine by me.
Thanks again,
Joe
willey and CapriRacer are dead right. Sure, you could fix a tire like the one in question and it might hold up 95 times out of 100, then hypothetically the person who had the tire fixed- if he was one of the 95- could say, “Hell, these tire maker’s guidlines are crap- my tire held up fine.” But if you were one of the 5%- on a sweeping curve on the interstate at 70, a big rig on either side of you…
Which claim specifically?
Not to mismatch tires. I agree on the same axle it’s best to stay with the same brand/tread pattern, but 2 identical tires on the front, and 2 other identical tires on the front…I don’t see the problem there. Is it the optimum situation? No, but I don’t think I’ll consider it unsafe unless some testing has been done to prove it.
What I would consider unsafe is putting a brand new tire on a car with 3 worn tires…to me that creates more of a unbalance in the dynamics of the vehicle and I’d rather replace both tires on that axle.