Tyre Puncture Repairs

Affordable tyre puncture repairs and free tyre assessment

Repair or Replace?

Tyre punctures are the bane of every driver’s life. They demand immediate attention, regardless of where you are and what you had otherwise planned.

Whether or not a tyre can be repaired depends entirely on the size and location of the puncture and the extent of the internal damage, which results from driving with a deflated tyre.

Tiger Wheel & Tyre will not undertake repairs to (nor do we recommend repairing) punctures on the sidewall or shoulder of the tyre. All major tyre manufacturers are in agreement with this policy.

If the puncture is located in the tread area and our examination reveals that the damage is straightforward and that the puncture hole is no greater than 6mm in diameter, we will happily undertake the repair.

Quick Overview:

1. Puncture/damage located on tread area: repair if puncture hole is less than 6mm in diameter on the tread area without internal damage
2. Puncture/damage located on shoulder: replacing tyre is recommended
3. Puncture/damage located on sidewall: replacing tyre is recommended

What is the Repair Procedure?

There are several steps Tiger Wheel & Tyre take to properly repair a tyre and each is necessary to ensure the integrity of the repair. Following this procedure is moreover essential to retain the tyre’s original speed and load rating. In fact, unless these steps are followed, many manufacturers assert that the repaired tyre should be treated as a non-speed rated tyre, while others will void its speed rating regardless of the integrity of the repair.

These are the steps we take to ensure a proper repair:

1. Remove the tyre from the wheel and thoroughly inspect it, inside and out. This is important, since a puncture may look straightforward on the outside but the object that penetrated it may have caused more extensive internal damage.
2. Plug and patch the hole. If it is possible to repair the tyre (and makes economic sense) the next step is to repair the puncture using the plug and patch method to ensure that the entire path taken by the puncturing object is fully and completely filled.
3. Fit tyre to wheel, inflate, balance and fit to vehicle.

Plug: This involves using a mushroom plug to fill the puncture-path from inside to outside, which is much stronger and safer to repair.

Patch: Before patching the inside, the tyre’s inner liner must be cleaned, buffed and cemented, then patched and coated to ensure its ability to retain air.

Note: It’s important to balance the wheel/tyre (every time) after it has been repaired, since any work done to the tyre as well as its new placement on the wheel will affect the balance of the complete assembly.

Important Points:

• Always repair a punctured tyre immediately or as soon as possible.
• If you’re far from your nearest Tiger Wheel & Tyre and choose to make a temporary repair to the tyre, bring it in for a proper and complete repair as soon as possible.
• Any repair made to a tyre without completely removing the tyre from the wheel and inspecting the inside, is an incomplete and potentially dangerous repair.

Can Run Flat Tyre Punctures Be Repaired?

Contrary to popular belief, punctures to run flat tyres can be repaired with a mushroom plug if the hole is in the crown or belt area and not in the shoulder or sidewall and the tyre has not been driven on whilst deflated.

IMPORTANT
Repairing run flat tyres are not recommended by major tyre manufacturers.

Manufacturers do not recommend repairing run flats, other than as a temporary solution until the tyre can be replaced with a new one. The reason is that once deflated, and if the tyre has been driven for some distance, it’s very hard to know how much structural damage the tyre has sustained.