Nail in Drag Radial

[129saleen]

I just purchased some 295-35/18 BFG Drag Radials from Discount no more then 2 weeks ago and have less then 300 miles on them, and thanks to the neighborhood I live in there is now a nail in one of them..

My question is, is it ok to patch a drag radial or am I just out of $300??
This is the 5th nail in my tires over the last 7 months living here... 2 in different cars then my saleen. :nonono:

 

[Discount Tire]

You may be able to have it fixed. It will depend on where the nail is. Take it to a local store and see if they can fix it, if not they will do their best to help you get a replacement.

 

[spike_africa]

I have put many plugs in drag radials when they have gotten nails and still raced on them etc... they were fine. One set I had after the hurricanes we had here back in 05 had 2 in one side and 3 in the other from nails.

 

[129saleen]

Went to discount tire today and they said they cant plug it and no one else would either...................

They said they're not allowed to because it's a drag radial...:bash:

It has less then 200 miles on it so basically I am out $300:cuss:

 

[venom1997]

just have them dismount it and plug and patch it your self and take it back and have them re mount it. if you lived by me i would do it for you free:beer:

 

[Discount Tire]

Went to discount tire today and they said they cant plug it and no one else would either...................

They said they're not allowed to because it's a drag radial...:bash:

It has less then 200 miles on it so basically I am out $300:cuss:

Bummer. Our stores are pretty strict when it comes to fixing flats. If the nail is in the side wall or very close to it, it doesn't matter what tire it is, they won't plug it.

I had to buy a new tire last week for my wife’s Frontier because she picked up a screw somewhere along the line. The tire had maybe 6K on it. I purchase the certificates for free replacements for my tires but my wife;s truck still has the factory tires on it so I had to buy the tire straight out. Her next set will definitely have our Certs so if it happens again, I am not out any money.

I don't think our stores offer our warrantee on drag radials but it would be worth asking your local store about. If they will sell it to you and this happens again you would get it replaced for FREE. Sorry to hear about your trouble.

 

[SicStang03]

dude.. plug it yourself

 

[radaman]

Ive plugd DRs several times over the course of 5 years without any problems after...just plug it and be done. If its in the sidewall, best to buy another one for sure.

 

[spike_africa]

dude.. plug it yourself

Correct do not pay someone to plug your tire go to a parts store get a plug kit and do it yourself whenever it happens. Most places will not plug a drag radial I would assume because its a much softer compound tire and they do not want to be responsible for it. But trust me I have done many plugs in them.

 

[Discount Tire]

FYI for anyone else reading this thread. Tires purchased though us that pick up nails or screws within our limits to plug are plugged for free. That's even cheaper than doing it yourself, and you don't have to get your hands dirty.

 

[kens88gt]

what are the "limits to plug"?

 

[Discount Tire]

what are the "limits to plug"?

You would have to take the tire into one of our stores to have them look at it. Here are a few things the store looks for.

If the tire has been driven on while flat, it doesn't matter where the nail is, it won't be plugged. If you drive on a tire while flat, the weight of the vehicle on the rim pinches the tire against the road and more or less cuts the inside and possibly the outside of the tire's side wall. If there is damage to the inside or the outside of the side wall due to this, the tire is impossible to repair and needs to be replaced. Even if there is minor damage to these areas, the tire can develop bubbles in the side wall that can lead to a blow out. Driving on a flat tire is the most common cause of side wall bubbles.

If the nail or screw is in the side wall or close to it and you don't drive on it, ("Close to it" is different on each tire because each tire is designed to flex in different areas of the side wall or shoulder) the plug will not properly seal and even if it does, there is an very good chance it will eventually leak. Tires have steel belts that run through them, plugs are designed to anchor themselves in the steel belts, the side wall and shoulder of a tire does not have the same steel belting as the middle of the tread and will not anchor the plug correctly.

If we think it is safe to plug your tire, we will. Tires carry the entire load of your vehicle and are put though some extreme stresses everyday. The potential for a blowout is not something to take lightly. A blowout can send, you, your passengers and your beloved vehicle into the median before you have time to finish reading this sentence.

 

[WVUAnt]

The best and safest way to do this is to use a plug/patch. As you might have guessed, this "piece" is a combination plug and patch. The tire must be dismounted and repaired from the inside. It is a more thorough repair than the cheesy beef-jerky looking plugs out there. In addition to the repair being more thorough, this repair allows the technician to inspect to inner portion of the tire for the symptoms Travis mentioned above. Of course the tire will need to be rebalanced as well.

As Travis and other people have posted, if the nail is close to or in the sidewall, the tire is no longer safe and is a liability.

 

[Discount Tire]

Thanks for the additions WVUant!

 

[Invictus]

Patch it yourself, takes 5 minutes.