I had no luck with the search function, and I'm certain that I will be corrected...

Last time (Katrina) a lot of theresponders from our area talked about going through tires worse than going through gloves.

I promptly forgot about this until this week.

So, I believe mobility is essential in a SHTF deal. Not much mobility when you get three flats in five minutes.

Thoughts? DIY runflats for us thrifty types? Space and time is a premium for me so I dont see me carrying five rimmed spares...

Shawn

http://www.safetyseal.com/store/autokits.htm

and an air compressor.



ETA: I lived in Gulfport, MS when Katrina hit and a mile down the road was one of the collection points for the debris removal, going back and forth to work I was getting a flat every couple of days. I have one Jeep tire (BFG MT) that has 5 plugs in it and it's still going strong.


ETA2: Some good points are brought up in the posts below. Yes you can get a puncture that a plugging kit cant handle and yes plugging tires can cause damage to the tire's belts which can lead to a blow out (Although in all my years of plugging tires I've yet to see one), the moisture wicking issue I don't think I've ever seen, an air source without a drier is going to put moisture in the tire too. A couple of full sized spares are a good thing to have on hand. Hell, keep a couple of inner tubes around, we've gotten by on putting tubes in tubeless tires that we couldn't get sealed up, not really recommended by most  but it works for a short termed SHTF fix.  In most cases a plug kit and compressor will allow you to keep going down the road until things settle down and you can replace the plugged tires with new ones.

We have had threads about tire plugs and on board air systems and how tire plugs were fine by themselves for decades but now everything needs to be patched if you take it to a tire repair place.



I keep some plugs in my jeep.  I bought the larger handled tools for installing plugs.  I have an air compressor and an invertor that can run it in my jeep.  I also have a full size spare that came with the jeep.



I have had an arrowhead shaped piece of gravel cut a tire up to where two normal sized plugs did not come close to stopping the leak.  That required a swap to the full size spare.



I have bought larger plugs and a tire repair place used a big plug to fill the hole and a patch to repair the tire.  The tire then ran along for another several thousand miles until the tread was worn down to where I replaced all 4 tires on my jeep.



I have also been known to drive around on stuff like roofing nails for a few days and add air if needed and when I get around to feeling like messing with fixing the tire I will do so.  Having on board air is nice if you choose to do this.  And I don't recomend doing it because the item in the tire could further damage the tire but I found it amusing that the first day I had to air the tire up with a lot of air, 2nd day not much air was needed and 3rd day it was holding pressure.  The thing eventually acted like a tire plug somehow.



I don't like slime or other stuff in tires and with newer tire pressure monitoring systems you want to be careful about what you put in your tires.



I don't mind plugging them and running them for a while.  If I have further issues a tire repair place can install a patch and rebalance the tire.



One thing I am looking for on a trailer is a way to maybe put the same tires on the trailer as what I have on the jeep.  Well, more interested in rims and bolt patterns.



For my 07 jeep this is not so possable but depending on what you have it might be worth the hassle since you could share spares.



To some extent I plan to pick up some extra rims with tires on em for my jeep, been meaning to do it for a while but oh well.



If you can find out what needs plugged it is quick and easy to pull the nail out and put a plug in the tire.  Don't even need to remove the rim from the vehicle.



Some damage will require tire replacement.



Biggest thing is having enough tire plugs and rubber cement I think.



I now have different size tire plugs and a fair bit of rubber cement around.



I still want some backup rims and tires in case something happened to where you put a lot of plugs in some of the tires on the vehicle.  It could be a bit before you trust not getting a lot of flats but at some point I would like a tire with few plugs, or none, on the road.



And just buying some tires might be hard during these times.

I work in the tire industry (large truck, not passenger) but will tell you what I can that will relate.  First, buy GOOD tires.  The 4 for $100 deals are not deals.  Second, if you can find steel belted, they will hold up better. Usually for trucks.  For a short term repair, plugs and that goop will work.  I would not rely on them for long term however, due to the fact that the plugs sometimes can act as wicks for moisture which can over time hurt the tire.  Also if they aren't done right you can have problems.( I know some people probably have a plug in their tire they installed in 1986 and it's still fine.  Good for you.)  Easy thing to do, look where you are going.  I know lots of people do, but some people also run into parked cars.  Don't overinflate your tires.  Think of a balloon blown all the way up.  Takes very little pressure to puncture.  There are inflation guidelines for a reason.  Also, check that they aren't underinflated.  That will damage them just as bad.

Amen, and +1 for suggesting the best kits on the market

ETA: Add a high quality VIAIR compressor to your kit and you'll be good to go for a lot of roadside tire emergencies. My kit has come in handy countless times-both for myself, and random strangers in parking lots and on the side of the road:

Well,
that's been one of the problems. I haven't found an inexpensive compressor that will inflate a fullsize truck tire without taking a half hour or just burning up.

Plugs? Are you talking about those sticky strips, or something different?

Plugs are the rubber rope things that you push through the hole then cut off the remainder.

Bead locks , tire slime and a plug kit?

I just want to add stay away from the cheap plug kits you can get at Wally World or most auto parts stores. They'll work ok for a cheap car tire but they're almost useless if you're trying to plug an 8-10 ply off road tire, the reamers suck and the handles don't provide enough leverage to get through a thick tire. The Safety-Seal kit I linked to in my first post is a commercial grade unit, the handles are quite robust.

I have problems believing this.

The air pressure inside the tire will keep the plugs from "wicking" moisture from the outside to the inside. If you can present another arguement, I'd like to hear it. (I'm open to suggestions. I just don't believe the "wicking" arguement.)



I bought one of these 7 years ago and it is still going strong. It was the last thing I bought before moving from California. It has paid for itself at least once per year, in terms of the hassles it has saved me! Mostly, it has made it possible for me to get from a very hot place (i.e. the freeway in the middle of the desert) to a cooler place to fix or change the tire, or to the tire shop where I have road hazard insurance. (Two times I've had to refill the tire more than once to get to 'safety.')

DON'T buy the cheap-o department store tire inflaters! I had one of these literally melt on me once, when refilling my tires after getting out of deep, loose sand.

I agree about the leverage req'd to ream the hole to prep for the plug, especially with steel belted radials.

Came out of a store last week with some metal for the trailer and the rear tire was flatter than a pancake.

Used my neat trick to -inflate- the tire a bit to locate and eval the hole.[I hope to do a topic on the 'neat trick' anyone can put together]

Moved the truck until I had good access to the hole and reamed it. I can tell you, it took some strength to get the reamer into the hole over  several minutes and a whole lot of folks couldn't do it.

[There needs to be a better solution to reaming holes, I'm thinking some sort of 12vd drill or small battery screw driver... With a reamer adapter...]

[It struck me that there is a danger of the reamer or handle breaking and impaling the reamer in the wrist, making for a bad day especially if TSHTF.]

In any case I was GTG in about 8 minutes, thanks to the 'neat trick and the fact that we pay attention to risk mgmt and live by the B-S's motto.

ETA, the plug kit was from W-M and is fairly good quality and I've used their stuff before and am pleased w/ it.

EXPY37, The reamer in the Safety-Seal kit is a spiral design, this allows you to twist the reamer into the tire and the handles are metal not plastic, most of the other kits I have seen the reamer is more like a round file and is tough as hell to push through the tire.

If you are going to spend inder $50 for an inflator, your $$ is better spent at the bicycle shop, seriously.  A Quality floor pump will work as fast as a cheap compressor, last longer, and has the added advantages of being both silent and providing exercise...

For short term, [event and cleanup] I would stick with plugs and the bike pump, if it were likely to be a while before things were back to normal, I would just slime all of my tires...

Keep an eye on craigslist for tire/ wheel combos.  



I bought some pretty hefty tires light off road tires for my Explorer, turn around and I found an identical set on CL mounted on Bronco wheels for $200 less with 80% tread left!  I I had the cash I would have scooped them up in a heart beat!





During the spring months where I live, peoples snow tires always come up for sale on CL mounted on cheap steel wheels because they do not have the foresight to realize they will need them again in 6 months.  I just did a search on Craigslist, there's over 250+ snow tires listed for sale, sets of 4 on wheel, most for around 100-200 bucks.  Probably pretty soft compounds, so they would burn up quick under normal  driving, but for SHTF would be an affordable way to stock up on some spares.

Another nice touch with the Safety Seal tools are that the implements are replaceable (reamers and needles). They offer several different types of plugs-thinner plugs for smaller punctures, longer plugs for LT and AG tires, as well as standard. Different needle sizes too.

What model compressor did you get?

Doc, I got a 300P, which is over-sized for me. I figured it prudent to go one or two steps up.

They are pretty reasonable at Amazon LINK

Sounds like a good idea. However, cordless drills tend to self-discharge their batteries pretty quickly - After two months of sitting in the trunk, the NiCads in my DeWalt are pretty much useless. The new Li-Ion models are probably better in this regard.

Good thread OP.

Tires will be a major problem when SHTF. You will never have enough wheels/tires. I learned about this first hand after hurricane Rita. After she passed through here it was like it rained roofing nails!!! It was insane. Since then I have been buying the full size spare steel wheels/tires for my Nissan 4x4 every chance I get. I'm up to two complete sets plus my stock aluminum wheels. Buy em cheap and stack em deep!!!

I have 10 spare mounted tires.

8 spare new tires waiting to go on wheels.

all compatible with 3 rigs at disposal.

I also have a tire mounting setup and a balancer.

I carry a plug kit and compressor in all vehicles.



No good compressor will plug in to the cig outlet in your car/truck.

Mine will compressors all pull between 35 and 60 amps.

Excellent...  thank you!

Thats an excellent point about compressors and cigarette lighters. I never gave it much thought, but youre right.

As far as slime, I researched their site. They dont sound very sure of themselves on anything bigger than a nail, and the offroading forums all say excellent for bicycles, terrible for cars.

You can't plug a sidewall, can you? Or is that sales hype? I never tried it. I do know fix a flat is useless in tires, but I had some hope for like a military-grade slime solution. Maybe I'd lose 20-30MPH off the top end but it would be worth it.  

I will definately look into beefier compressors. A thought... you know the CO2 inflator for a bicycle? Wonder if you could make a car sized one from an old paintball reservoir or an oxygen tank? Like an uber compact pony tank?

The rule is no plugs in the sidewall/replace the tire. I have been in places where no replacements were available and I have had to plug holes in the side walls of tires. These were heavy duty tires and they were only used at low speed, I wouldn't trust a sidewall plug for highway speeds but it beats walking.

As far as air tanks I have seen setups using an 80 CuFt Scuba tank that work really well.

If you buy an invertor for your vehicle you can hook it to your car/truck battery and run all sorts of neat stuff.



I have a couple of those small 1 gallon tank size coleman/campbell hausefeld/ generic air compressors.



The invertor runs it just fine and these little compressors tend to show up for nearly 100 bucks new but I got one free and one for 30 bucks.



They are finally about done, one runs but takes forever to build up pressure.  It will eventually build up pressure but I hate no oil compressors because they seem to die awfully easily.  Other one died.



I have a viar setup I need to assemble and install, I got a constant duty setup because I despise having to let a compressor cool off and to some extent that might be why I sometimes kill compressors.



As far as using the bicycle hand pump, I remember trying this as a kid and could not inflate the tire enough to fill it and get the tire back to its needed shape.



Jack the thing up and I can use a hand pump to fill the tire to 35psi and then put it back on the ground and all is fine.



I don't know if this was just because of how I was trying to do it as a kid or not.



An invertor can be used to run a lot of stuff that needs 110volt house electricity so while you might have to buy it for this purpose it will serve other needs.



Small air compressors can be found used all over the place, I just got tired of going through them.



I plan to rig up the tanks as extra air tanks so I can run more stuff off the viar setup maybe.  My viar setup is a permanent install but I might make it portable by building it into an ammo can or something.



I got my good tire plug tools at napa.  



I have some cheap plugs for stuff like atv or lawnmower tires.  Wally world does fine for these I think.



I have some quality plugs as well.  Once again I like napa from the days when I worked as a mechanic for a paycheck.



On sidewalls, if you put a hole in it or the very edge of the tread you generally killed the tire.  A lot of folks sew em up or plug em if offroading so they can limp on out to the road and figure things out from there.



As far as moisture wicking in the tire plug, most air compressors do not have an air dryer in the system so they pump moist air into tires to begin with.



I don't know if plugs might add to the problem or not but I have a plug holding and don't want to mess with getting it patched I won't mess with it.



If I am leaking air I will probably try another plug or just get it patched.



To some extent I do consider the use of the vehicle when I consider what my choices are.



My personal vehicle for going to and from work, not too worried about it.



My vehicle for towing heavy loads or hauling lots of people or stuff, going to get it patched.



Girlfriend's vehicle, probably going to get it patched.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/QIN0/MV50.oap?keyword=air+compressor&pt=N0184&ppt=C0337


Same as air compressor above (or close to it). I bought 3 of them from oreillys auto.  

Clamps to hook to battery. Carrying case. I made an extension of the yellow hose so i can air up the trailer tires also.


I drive a diesel truck so i needed a good pump for the heavy ass truck.

 

I had a front tire go flat on the CUCV I use solely on my rifle range. I pulled it off and found a big hole in the sidewall.
I didn't have a spare for it handy, so I decided to try to plug it for the heck of it. Just to see if it would work. It took three
of them, but it worked. Has not had an issue for about 6 months now.

Again, this truck is not used on the road and is never going very fast. But it worked fine as an experiment.

I agree on the important of spare tires. I have six for my Deuce. Plus I have not singled it out in the back
with larger tires specifically due to this reason. Basically I could lose 4 of the 10 ten tires and still roll on without
touching the spare. Plus the Deuce has an onboard air compressor.

ARB Tire plug kit, 12v compressor (Costco MV series that many offroad boards raved about), 10lb C02 (Powertank), Full size spare tire (in my truck).



Have a matched set of 5 mounted tires stashed away and the roller tires on my project truck still have enough life left in em to use for a while. Plus two random sized spares on rims that will fit my 4x4. Project truck when completed will have 2 full size spares on a rack in the bed.



My work truck and girlfriends car share the same bolt pattern AND we still have the stock wheels and tires from her car (replaced with aftermarket).



Pretty good on tires here.

Ski, good point on the selfdischarge of power tool batteries.

A 12vdc hookup with clip leads and a reaming adapter would let womenz and kids [not being chauvanistic I hope] fix a tire in a pinch. No need for batts.

I've used 'fix-a-flat' and it's saved my bacon a couple times so let's not be too harsh condeming. Always worked for me in a pinch. We carry at least two cans.

We have one of the Vicor [sp?] compressors and sometimes carry it in the mtns. Also the Costco one we picked up on a trip.

The Costco is a MF1050 compressor in a nice mutilple compartment pouch. Does anyone know if it's good bad, ???

I'll do a thread describing the 'neat trick' inflator that's been real handy.

im planning to have two fullsized spares with all matching tires, on my suburban. one inside, in the original location, and one on the back, where im going to make a rear bumper with a rear mounted jeep type tire carrier. possibly even have a third i can carry on top, in the luggage rack if need be.


i have considered trying to get a complete second set of tires for my truck, but im not sure if it would be a good idea or not. its not going to be driven a lot, and im afraid if i bought 4 new tires, on rims, they might dry rot, before i ever got to mount them.

People with recreational vehicles tend to know a lot about slowing down dry rot and what not.



Some searches on rv sites will turn up decent ways to store tires and greatly lower the risk of the tires aging before you use them.



I have an air compressor, invertor, full size spare, and a tire plug kit in my daily driver jeep.  I have come out of work to a flat tire more than once.  One time I had to change it, the arrowhead rock just let out too much air for me to air the tire up and get anywhere before needing a refill.  One time I just plugged it and ran it a while until I get the tire patched up.



Right now all 4 tires on the ground are free of plugs and patches.  The full size spare came new on my 07 jeep and has a few hundred miles on it because I left it on the ground after getting one of the other tires fixed and not feeling like changing it out.



Being able to have multiple spares is something I want for a trip or something.  For the daily driver I kind of figure I have overkill in my jeep but it is my only vehicle right now and I help people at work faily often when they have low or flat tires.



Waldo was at a campout with his co2 tank and I really like them but I dislike having to get them refilled somewhere.  Still a heck of a tool to have and size wise it is a great item.



Overall I can see me having a few sets of tires as I search for a spare vehicle or two.  I like one ton or 3/4 ton stuff and getting older stuff using 16 inch e range tires is easy to do and bolt patterns can be similar between different stuff or you can swap stuff around.

Slime is supposed to be for PREVENTION. You put it into your tire and if you get a nail hole it'll fill the hole. Problem is, if you put enough into your tire to do any good, it throws the balance off, badly. BTDT.

Hey guys (and gals),



Wouldn't tire repair be a great topic for the how-to pictorial/video thread we've been talking about?



I've never done it, and would like to learn.  Any volunteers?



Thanks,

-Slice

Slice, if I remember correctly, an SFer did one here a while back-but I can't recall who actually did it. Expy, was it you?

ETA: I agree that it's a great skill to have in the toolbox. Plugging my own tires has saved me all kinds of grief and aggravation. In an emergency, it could mean the difference between keeping your vehicle and walking. I've always taught my wife that if she loses a tire in a dangerous area to drive on the flat to safety if possible-even if it means destroying the wheel. That said, there may come a time when driving to safety isn't possible.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

HomeSlice and CJan, some folks have a religious-euphoric experience when they plug a tire.  I do not.  For me installing a spare and driving away has been easier for me.

Home Slice, the tires you would have on your BOV are going to take some (a bunch of) work to ream and push a plug into....not a project for children, wife, or men with damaged wrists.

Yeah, but you've got the magic wrench (cordless DeWalt impact)

I have the trained -22-400 pit crew.  This crew has changed a tire on the red pickup in under 5 minutes with only the tool kit that came with the truck.

The cordless impact and cordless drill just make a good crew better.

I carry 1 full size spare tire in the event of a catastrophic tire failure.  I keep a plug kit with 1 dozen plugs in my truck and have a pair of needle nosed pliers handy to pull nails (etc).  I also have an onboard air system Viair 400c compressor and 5 gallon air tank with a flexible hose in the truck bed.  All this stuff gets used fairly regularly on my BOL/farm.




I agree that reaming and plugging 10 ply tires (like the ones on my pickup) and tractor tires is tough, but it's doable for someone with decent upper body strength.  If you lack the upper body strength to do it I suppose you'd better pray that AAA will help you if SHTF.

Well then, there's a project for ya: Attach a power cord and a set of battery clips to an old cordless drill battery case so that the drill can be powered directly from a 12V car battery (like this). 12.8 volts or so should even make an 18V drill spin pretty good - particularly since you've got essentially unlimited current.

I broke the plastic handle on my cheap reamer.Knocked the rest of the plastic off and chucked it up in my cordless drill.Needless to say that is how its done from now on.

Not looking forward to it, but I would like to have the knowledge and tools, just in case.  The spare is plan A...
 

When I changed the tire on my jeep it was winter and the parking lot was covered in salt and some slush.



Yeah a tarp to work on kept me pretty clean but I would rather pull a nail out and put a plug in than to change a tire.



I admit having a spare tire under the vehicle is nice when it comes to space savings but I much prefer using the spare tires that kept inside a vehicle since they are nice and clean.



When people are talking about batteries discharging while in the vehicle, I have a dewalt battery charger that runs off a cigarette lighter or power port.



One thing anyone can do to make changing a tire easier is to figure out what lug nut size you have and keep a real socket and extension and half inch drive ratchet in their vehicle.  I have a half inch ratchet that is probably 2 ft in length.  I can break lug nuts loose with it and spin them off pretty easily with it.



I also loosen and retorque lug nuts after someone else works on my stuff.  I trust torque sticks just fine, used em plenty when I worked as a mechanic.  But I prefer to loosen things up and torque with my clicker torque wrench.



Having a real jack in your vehicle can also be nice, the stock one does the job and I have used it twice but I don't like it.  I leave it in as a backup and have a bottle jack and some scraps of wood made up for jacking up the vehicle.

Might want to also pack a bottle of your favorite booze and a good paperback novel - It'll give you something to do while you're waiting by the side of the road for your dead battery to recharge...

That is what I thought the first time I needed it.



Within 4 minutes it had charged up a battery enough to run a half inch drill bit through more than a couple boards that made up a mailbox I had to repair.



And to some extent I am not beyond charging the batteries up now and then anyway.



I got the dewalt radio that runs off the dewalt batteries just because it lets me use the batteries for playing music and what not.



And I readily admit the above battery test was not scientific.  It took a battery that would not spin the drill chuck enough for me to chuck up the drill bit by hand to where it could drill a few holes in a few minitues.



An impact might need a longer charge time but to some extent I always figured I would set up the battery charger before even figuring out how to assemble the tool that lowers my spare tire and what not.



So I would have a bit of time.

Wish I would have seen this thread a couple days ago, I would have photo'd my tire plug job this weekend for you.

For what it's worth, back in 2009 I picked up a DeWalt 18V Hammerdrill with Lithium Ion batteries. I wanted batteries that would hold a charge and last longer than the Ni-Cd batteries in the rest of my cordless tools. I picked up a third Li-Ion battery pack, charged it, and then kept it out of rotation. As I had hoped, it was a drastic improvement over the old Ni-Cd batteries. Even after sitting for a couple of months the Li-Ion pack had the chutzpah to drive a couple dozen deck screws on my patio while replacing a couple of split decking boards.

Obviously my "test" wasn't exactly scientific, nor was the extra battery pack exposed to the temperature variations of being stored inside a vehicle. That said, the ability to hold a charge longer is a big selling point for me