Can this tire be repaired

[Fletch]

I know most people don't recommend putting plugs in tires, but this tire is only about 6 months old and I hate to have to replace it. I stopped by the local tire shop and they told me that they could not repair it and told me I would have to buy a new one (actually he recommended buying four new ones so the tread did not wear unevenly).

 

Can I put a plug in this or is it too close to the sidewall? If I do plug it, can the tire blow out or would I just need to worry about it leaking?

 

[occupant]

Yes and no.

 

Yes, it can be plugged/patched and it might last 50 miles or 50,000 miles. I plugged a Michelin X Radial tire on my 1995 Century right on the edge of the tread like that with a stupid looking orange plug and it was still in the tire and holding fine 30K or so later when I traded off for a minivan. There is a chance it will hold fine and whether it will or not depends on a variety of factors, the major one being the skill level of the tire jockey who installs it.

 

No, you shouldn't patch it that close to the edge of the tread. It's honestly a safety issue and any tire shop that does that plug is opening themselves up to a lawsuit if you wreck when/if it blows.

 

That tire shop guy is an idiot, it's a 6 month old tire and it can't possibly be worn enough to be that far off tread-depth wise from the other three.

 

You can look for a used tire, buy one new tire, or try to plug this one. This looks like a Hankook Ventus V, a fairly common passenger car/crossover tire and it should hold up OK. If it were my car I'd plug it, but make sure my spare is aired up and ready to go and be prepared to buy a new tire to replace it if it fails, because if it fails, it's going to make a mess of the tire and you can't fix it twice.