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i got a new tire today to replace one that had a nail in it.
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BACK STORY:
i bought 4 new tires about a year ago.
at $250 each, i decided to use one of my old worn tires for a spare.
(rather than buying 5 new tires)
unfortunately, one of my NEW tires got a
nail in it.
the nail filled the hole it created, so it never went flat.
that was about 6 months ago.
i left the nail in the tire to act as a plug.
it held air, but at about 10 PSI lower than it should.
the low tire pressure on one side was causing bad things:
* inconsistent tread wear
* poor fuel economy
* undue stress on steering components
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i decided to buy a new tire to replace the one with the nail in it.
i had the shop fix the nail hole, and will use that tire as a spare.
heres my old spare next to my new tire.
you can see how worn the lugs were!
the tire's diameter was reduced by almost an inch!
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today, i got to learn about the professional tire repair process:
the tire is unmounted from the rim.
it is placed in a spreader for easier access to the inside.
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the area surrounding the hole is cleaned and scraped.
the scraped surface will create a better bond with the patch.
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a plug is inserted and pulled through the tire.
here is the plug before being pulled flush with the inside of the tire.
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again, the inside surface is cleaned and dried.
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a self adhesive patch is applied.
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the patch is coated with sealer.
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the tire is once again mounted on the rim.
the plug is cut flush with the outside of the tire.
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in the end, this is a good thing, because now i have 5 matching tires.
(rather than depending on my old worn tire for a spare)
this NEW spare will hold up for a long time!