Tire Plugger gets a D-

Tire Plugger gets a c-

Imagine my delight when I discovered my tire pressure heading down and losing at 21 lbs (year old Metzeler Tourance, Rear) in my garage versus miles from home! The tire was toast, and due to be replaced, so I saw this as a wonderful opportunity to test this new fangled tire plugger.

So I fired up the air, dug out my tire plugger, which I have faithfully carried in the tool kit for a couple of years, along with the traditional messy greased rope plugger.

The fault of the leak was 6 penny stainless steel ring shank picked up somewhere yesterday as my wife and I rode up the road on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi North to our home..It was imbedded to the shank, and the soap bubbles confirmed the slow leak, and I pulled it out with the needle nose, resulting in the remaining feeble air to escape in seconds....

The first sign of trouble was to get the injector into the tire- without any pressure to keep the tire solid, it was IMPOSSIBLE to get it in, even after reaming out the hole, greasing the injector, so I partially inflated the tire, but still took way too much effort to get the thingy in the tire...Try to imagine doing this on a dark road, only C02 canisters your only source of air...you would not of got it done, I am afraid! This sucks!

Once the injector was inserted per instructions the product worked as intended, crank on the allen wrench until the bulbous little head of the plug was inserted through the tire wall, the gently withdraw the injector...and then slice the head of the plug level with the tire..Very pretty...One slight problem...The sucker leaked, and on a subsequent try with another one to be sure I performed the install correctly, it also leaked, not full bore "hsssss", but way more then it should of. I also found very little pressure was needed to push the plug right into the tire after it was installed; it appeared not to be seated; so much for no glue!

Long story short, I shoved BOTH of these failed plugs inside, took one try with my old fashion plugger my dad gave me 20 years ago (the greased rope 20+ years old) and it held on the first try, tire now deflated, no effort, and no work; I then sliced it level, and have been riding errands to town 20+ miles today with nary a lb. of loss of air.

OBVIOUSLY I am getting a new tire tomorrow, and OBVIOUSLY I am taking it easy here on this fix, but I think, my tire plugger will now hit the bottom drawer in the tool box for ever more...it really sucked, it failed, it does not work as advertised for me...Now as usual, somebody on this forum is bound to come back here that I did it wrong, they have used it 20 times in a row and rode another 500 miles to their mothers house and back, and all I got to say to you is bully for you...It did not work for me, and thatÔÇÖs all I got to say..

Good Info

I for one am glad you posted this. I don't have a plugging kit yet and will be careful on what I choose now. Thanks for the insight.http://forums.bmwmoa.org/images/icons/icon14.gif

I haven't found a plugger that works dry- I use Monkey grip glue from Wally World. It has held for months.

Red, I am interested in which brand product did not work for you as I did pickup a Dyna Tire Plugger kit last winter and would be interested if we have the same product. I have not had need to use mine yet but would hate to be out on the road and have the same experience that you had in your garage.

I have used the Stop N Go mushroom plugger three times.

The first time I did not get it all the way in so one edge of the mushroom curled unter. It was good enought to get me home (60+ miles) and the next day was only down 3-4 pounds, so I pumped it up and rode to get a new tire.

The other 3 times I did much better. In fact the last time was on a friends bike and he is still riding that tire.

I agree - you need an air pump. Those CO2 cartridges are limited and useless if you have to feep topping off the tire over the next day or two.

Paul_F said:

Red, I am interested in which brand product did not work for you as I did pickup a Dyna Tire Plugger kit last winter and would be interested if we have the same product. I have not had need to use mine yet but would hate to be out on the road and have the same experience that you had in your garage.

Click to expand...

The "Stop and Go" "tire plugger". The directions state no glue, but if I had another go at it, I would try glue to see if it works. I have a leaky tire in the JD lawn tractor; will try with glue to see if it performs better.

More than the slow leak that followed the repair, what really got my goat is the extreme effort it took to get the plug in in the first place! I kept imagining what it would be like kneeling in a rain puddle in the dark trying to stick the applicator in; that;s the part that gave it a minus (- )in the D! If I would of just left the nail in and rode it, the leak would of been slower, so go figure!

Red,

On the bright side, you found out in the garage.
Sorry about youir misfortune, but thanks for the feedback. I think I'll stick with my old sticky rope repair kit, I've even used it to patch flats on other people's trucks.

Bob

I need some clarification. I'm confused.

My Stop and Go has a handle with a needle tip that screws into the insertion tube. Once the needle and tube tip are inserted through the tread section the handle is removed, the plug is stuck in the inserter which is then screwed onto the insertion tube. Then the plug is forced into the tire. That needle tip on the handle is as sharply pointed as a machinist's scribe or scratch awl. I could stick it into a tire with or without a hole in the tire the first place.

Is your kit different?

I have had good luck installing Stop & Go plugs. I've had some cut by the steel belts though since the plugs are as soft as they are.

I've had more trouble inserting, but better luck sealing with old fashioned gummy worm type plug strings marketed as suitable for steel belted radial tires.

What I carry in the bikes is the gummy worms - reddish brown or black.

PGlaves said:

I need some clarification. I'm confused.

My Stop and Go has a handle with a needle tip that screws into the insertion tube. Once the needle and tube tip are inserted through the tread section the handle is removed, the plug is stuck in the inserter which is then screwed onto the insertion tube. Then the plug is forced into the tire. That needle tip on the handle is as sharply pointed as a machinist's scribe or scratch awl. I could stick it into a tire with or without a hole in the tire the first place.

Is your kit different?

I have had good luck installing Stop & Go plugs. I've had some cut by the steel belts though since the plugs are as soft as they are.

I've had more trouble inserting, but better luck sealing with old fashioned gummy worm type plug strings marketed as suitable for steel belted radial tires.

What I carry in the bikes is the gummy worms - reddish brown or black.

Click to expand...

Paul,

There is an awl in the kit with a permanent handle, and I see now should be used to "head up" getting the insertion tube into the tire, which I am sure makes it an easier go than I had today. I watched a guy at West Bend national insert the exact thing on a hunk of tire, and made it look easy as pie using just the configuration of the tool; but in my case, inserting this thing on a "live" deflated tire was extremely difficult. It was better after being partially inflated, but not worth the hassle, in my opinion.

I too will only carry my gummy worms; I know they work, I know the level of difficulty, and way less parts; the expense is past tense.
Red

Wally-mart type stores sell a "gummy-rope" type tire plug kit fer less than $20 that & a small 12v compressor is to my mind "the hot set up"
ps I've had less than adequate results from stop n go

All holes are not created equally

During major construction at a hospital I worked at in the past I had multiple punctures in a short period of time because of construction debris. I repaired leaks using both methods and replaced both front (x2) and back tires at the hospitals expense in the process. In my experience, how effective the tire plugger is depends on the hole in the tire.

Straight through punctures are easily and effectively repaired by my stop and go tire plugger. I have ridden miles and miles after fixing this type of puncture with a mushroom style tire plugger.

Punctures where the puncture is a glancing one and the object cuts the inside of the tire forming a slash the plug would leak. I could plug them and they would not hold the 12 miles back to my home.

In either case I could not tell the difference between the two types of punctures until I took the tire off and inspected it from the inside.

Like any tool the Stop and Go Tire Plugger when you use it for the job it was designed for.

I too have the Stop-n-Go plugger. I practiced a couple of times on an old (unmounted) tire. It only took about 15 minutes to break open the kit and have the plug seated and trimmed. I'm not sure why you may have had trouble.

I've been fortunate that I've not needed it on the road.

In addition, I also carry a can of presserized tire sealant. If I ever need to use a plug, this will be followed with the sealant.

I don't want to seem to have bad-mouthed the Stop and Go kit. I have been told (source unremembered) that Stop and Go has changed the rubber composition to make the plugs less prone to cutting by steel belts. Also - that reaming the hole to bend the steel tips back is important.

I still prefer the gummy worms because I've had better luck with them. But using the needle tip makes the S&G inserter go into the tire very easily - which was the point of my original post - since getting the tube in the tire was the problem.

I have fixed my tire today, and guess what? You already know; the steel belt had clearly compromised the plugs in both plugs that I had pushed through into the tire when they failed to work. Glad to know they took steps to replace the plugs with a better product. Now I just wish somebody would go to the trouble of contacting me to give me a handfull of new plugs, but my guess is I am SOL here. Plus, I think I'll stick to what I know works best. Gummy worms. Plus, maybe they are the same? who knows...sort of like FD failure? haha

I've used the Stop N Go twice on cage tires. The first time, it worked great and the tire went over a 1000 miles without problems. The second time, the puncture was on the edge of the tread and the end of the first plug broke when I tried pulling it to set it all the way in. It still had a slow leak. Due to the location of the puncture (at the junction of tread and sidewall), I ended up replacing the tire completely. I carry the Stop N Go on the motorcycle.

From the IBMWR site

Dynaplug Tire Repair kit, a description, By Joe Dille <joe@dille.montgomery.pa.us>
Comment from Brian Curry:

I got this from Joe Dille from a demo that was done at a local Philly Area Mac-Pac meeting. Since patching tires is always an item of interest and I have done summaries on it before, here is another system, and reviewed by someone else.
Also, the sales person / demonstrator reported that shipping would be waived it several units were shipped to a "club". Sounds like a good group purchase to me.

I also saw an advertisement for it from Griot's Garage out of Tacoma WA. 800-345-5789 Price in there was (Part# 36805) US$11.95 for the kit with (Part#36806) 5 refill plugs for US$4.95. They raved over it.

And with that, here is Joe:

Here is a little better description on the Dynaplug plug and tool.

The Dynaplug system uses a small brass-tipped gummy-worm for a plug which is inserted by a hand tool with a tubular tip. The gummy stuff is dry, but smushes under heat and pressure to make a seal. This is the "secret" of the Dynaplug.

The Plug (Very approximately actual size)

| |
| |
| | <-------- Gummy worm (3/16" dia)
| |
| |
{-} <-------- Brass Tip With Shoulder
V


Insertion Tool with Plug Installed

***************
( ) <----- Removable top
***************
* *

* *

* *

* * <----- Hollow handle for storing the
parts of the kit
* *

*___*
| |
| |
| | <----- Insertion Tube
| |
| |
| |
-----
{ } <------ Plug tip with worm part in tube
V

Installation is super simple. Roll the worm between your thumb and forefinger to straighten it out and work out any kinks. Put the worm in the tool as shown, worm first. Locate the object and remove it from the tire taking note of the angle the object entered the tire.

Put the sharp point of the plug in the hole and push it into the puncture in the same direction as the puncturing object. A good smack with the heal of your hand will drive it in all the way. This is important since the point on the plug will make its own hole if not applied in the correct direction. The plug will seal the new hole, but the original hole will still leak :-(.

Now pull the tool out and inflate the tire with the supplied CO2 and valve. The CO2 should be held nozzle down so it will not freeze in the cartridge and will discharge fully. Now spit on the repair to check for leaks. A leak indicates the hole is too big for one plug and you need to install a second. Run the tire for a few miles to warm the repair, which enhances the sealing and bonding action of the gummy-worm. Trim off the excess "worm".

In a car tire the repair is permanent. In a bike tire it is considered temporary due to the higher flex rate of the bike tire. The kit looks complete and well made.

My notes:

Eric [Ducati Rider, BC] used it on his 748 [Ducati, BC] and it worked like a champ. He was back in action by the time Anton [Battery Man, BC] rode to the next exit and turned around.

The sales dude said there was a guy that had a hole from a 5/8" piece of rebar. He fixed it with 5 plugs and it worked.

I tried the tool on a practice tire and it worked! Took 60 seconds.

The small plug with sharp tip is unlikely to damage any additional cords in the tire.

The sales dude had about 200 plugs in his demo tire. He had an additional 20 or so in his car tires.

I think I will get a kit for the EML. This is a lot cheaper than a flat bed ride. Are any other Mac-Packers interested?

You can learn more at www.dynaplug.com or call 800-486-8122.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe Dille
Telford PA USA

The Dynaplug looks like a well thought out solution. It addresses the dificulty of securing the plug to the tool and providing an easy insert and exit from the tire without a need for reaming the hole.

The small rubberized ropes that you fold over in the insert tools also seem to be a good way to plug tires. I think NAPA has those type of plugs

The key is to avoid enlarging the hole any more than is necessary. The more stress you put on the tire reaming out the hole and forcing a large tool into the layers of rubber and steel, the greater potential for leaks and separations.

My VOTE, Gummy worms,

I've done so many over the years and the gummies work best, period. I slime a little rubber cement on the gummies first and they go in fairly easy, with a screw in motion. This works on most all nail puntures,etcetc of reasonable sized holes in the tire. A bolt, or other larger objest will probably cause issues with any plugging. Most of mine have been nails and smaller objects.
On a recent trip through the NW, my wifes KLR650 got a flat rear as we came into Libby, Montana. A tiny something got her rear tire. We carried tubes. Before the tube change ordeal, we also carried a bottle of SLIME for tube tires and put it in to see if it worked as a repair. We were to buy a new tire in Seattle the next day anyways, because the tire was nearly worn to the point of replacement. WELL, the Slime worked so well for the 500 mile ride to Seattle, loosing NO air, I was pleasantly surprised and we made it to the new tire in Seattle. My point is, you may carry want to carry some of this stuff(Slime), for those very small puntures and do the plug at home. We put it in the tire and pumped it up right away, with NO air loss for a full days ride.
I still carry the gummy worms and KNOW they work, without issues. Randy

Mobile air vs CO2

I have designed/copied a great product. It is currently on the market for off road vehicles but I mearly scaled mine down. Take a 20 oz paintball tank (or bigger) purchase a "remote unit" (part that attaches to the tank, has a coiled hose and a female connector) find, if you can and micro male connector then put a lockable open air chuck in the other end. This will fill both of my rt 1100 tires if needed. As for the "plug and go" units, I have had no luck on my bike but I fixed my daughters tire and it has ran clean for over two years despite my request for her to get a new tire.

U just use a compresser. Smaller than a paintball tank.