An acquaintenence has a nail in a tire (not sure if they are still driving on it or if it is in the trunk now). How do you fix these? do you use a patch on the inside like the ones used for inner tubes or do you need a plug for the hole/plus a patch or? they might even still be driving on it/not sure which I'd sure think would either worsen the damage when the time comes or possibly all of a sudden give em a flat. Your thoughts please & thank you for your time.

I keep a tire plug kit in the car. Never a problem

Tire plug kit here too. I seem to have to use them right after I purchase new tires. I have a kit in my car at all times.

If it's directly in the tread & the hole can be reamed straight then a plug is quick, cheap, & great. If the puncture is anywhere near the sidewall, forget it, not safe, not even with a patch inside. But sometimes even a puncture in the tread that looks straight will actually be angled & trying to install a plug will only make it worse.

Plug it been doing it for over 35 years

So you plug it from the outside? EDIT & dont need to dismount the tire I am assuming

Yes. No need to dismount. I like to remove the wheel/tire assembly from the car, but if you lift up on the car so you can rotate the tire/wheel to get to the hole, that would work too.
Just follow the instructions in the kit and in a couple of minutes, you have a sealed tire if the hole is not too big.

A plug kit and a plug in the cigarette lighter compressor has saved me many an hour of aggravation. Yes you plug it from the outside.

Is it the latest and greatest way of doing it? Nope, but that way entails a trip to the tire store because you need to dismount the tire. Unless you want to rassle the tire off the rim with a couple of tire irons, BTDT, not fun. Make sure you mark the location of the weights so you can reinstall the tire properly.

Plugs are a cheap, fast way to fix a tire. I've used them.

One possible issue though is that unless things have changed, tire manufacturers won't warranty a tire that separates if there's a plug in it.

I know that was BF Goodrich's stance 25 years ago when I was the store manager of a BF Goodrich tire store.

The said that the only acceptable repair was a patch on the inside.
It kept the tire from separating, a plug could possibly allow air to get in the cords and separate.

If there's a warranty on the tires you might want to check that out.

thanks guys for the fast & comprehensive replies! Much appreciated, I will see what I can do for her

Reference instructions:

We used plugs for years at the shop.Years ago we patched them inside.The black plugs are good.We used gray ones from tech rubber.They were great.As long as its not in sidewall or on the tread way outside plugs are safe.Oh yeah make sure it wasnt driven on flat.Then they have to be dismounted to check inside.Rocky

New patches from the inside also has a plug to fill the hole

As my old cars often have differing size tires front and rear, I normally carry no spare. If on the way to an important event such as a Goodguys show, I carry this kit. Move it from car to car. A normal flat in an emergency, this and a AAA card should turn a very bad day into an inconvenience. Even with a mini spare of some sort,,,,your car is not going to look too serious at the car show that you have been planning for.

https://www.amazon.com/Slime-70004-Power..._1_6&sr=8-6

I used a plug kit on a tire on Jeff's Dart. That tire failed because air got through the plug into the area between the case and tread. I will never use one again. I've got 100-mile tow on my AAA membership.

Ding Ding Ding - we finally have a winner . . . Unless you are CERTAIN that the tire wasn't run low, it should be dis-mounted and the inside inspected for damage. Most people don't know that raised patterns on the inside are actually wear bars, and if the tire is run very low or flat they get ground off. If they are worn through anywhere, the tire is supposed to be replaced. The tire seminars I attended years ago taught us to dis-mount and inspect, and either use a plug-patch, or mount and plug.

We would not repair any with holes in sidewalls.You cant believe the people that drove flat and had a pound of rubber inside.They actually wanted the tire fixed.Rocky

Well its my psychiatrist & she mentioned it in session last week & also said that her husband ain't mechanically inclined at all. not sure if she drove on it or not or if it is in the trunk but I will find out more this Thurs. I very much appreciate all the love I have recieved on this Q. the tech/knowledge/experience here is off the charts! Maybe I can do her a favor, she does say that I am her favorite patient!

Sometimes you can hear the rubber moving inside if flat and you spin it.Also at times you can see and or feel the softness where the tire has be trashed from running flat.hey its like 10 bucks here to plug a flat.My brother bought a big and I mean big pro kit like 3 years ago at garage sale for 3 bucks.We have used it quite a bit.Rocky

I will find out Thurs how it has been dealt with. I dont have a problem getting the plug kit mentioned & plugging it from the outside but I'd hate to have air get inbetween the cords as mentioned & end up messing up the whole tire for her. I do have a HF manual tire changer & it is OK on some tires I have mounted/dismounted & some are hard to get on, not sure why that is but that has been my experience with it, but I do not have that spreader tool to get easy access to the inside surface to apply a patch but I could probably get a patch cemented in there as without it. I think the next step is to find where the nail is & if the tire is in the trunk or being driven on

Use lots of rubber cement on the plug, lots and lots of it.

The first plugs that I recall was about 50 years ago. I was hanging out at the gas station one day and this guy drives up. Ask the owner if he plugged flat tires, he said no, the sales guy say's can I show you something? As they walked out to his car the guy took out a ice pick and stabbed his front tire in the sidewall. The tire looked like a chia pet it had so many plugs in it. Anyway the guy took a plug out of his kit and plugged the leak, then asked , you want to buy a kit? The owner of the station said yes. I have a plug kit that I take everywhere for emergency's, but when possible I use the plug patch system where the tire has to be removed from the rim, proper clean and prep for the patch then the plug is pulled through from the inside of the tire to seat the patch correctly. Never had a tire fail from this procedure. I wouldn't recommend doing a sidewall though.

Noted! don't want no leaks

No need for lots of cement if you use the black plugs.The gray ones we got fro tech used cement.Never had one leak of either unless they werent installed right.The ones with the patch and plug are good.used them on bigger holes.Rocky

Used the black plugs (few years back), with white strips that you removed before install with tire cement in the little can. That method was okay, but sometimes you tore the plugs in half jamming them into tire tread. The most recent plugs are tan and rope like. Work well. Also never had luck with the patch/plug style that you break tire down and push through to the outside.

Thousands of brown rope like plugs used at my NapaAutoCare Center in Atlanta without one issue. Never in the sidewall. Never used on a race car tire.

Today I stopped by my tire guys' shop on the way to the store & he was not in but a co worker opinionated that the plugs are intended to get you from stranded into the tire shop and extended use can let air get inbetween the cords (I think he said cords,maybe beads) as mentioned here but of course that is his job is to steer people (business) into the shop. I will find out tomorrow where the puncture is & if it is in the trunk or still being driven on

I use plugs to get a car back on the road for a day or week or two. A nail hole in the tread should be no problem (normally) for a plug. I use plenty of cement also... needed or not. I do pull the tire when I can shortly after the flat to get a patch inside at a tire store. They cut the plug close to the casing and install the patch. Also re-balance after the repair. As mentioned, there is some risk (slight?) air may leak between the plys. Also most of my vehicles may at some time get driven at high speed and the patch inside is insurance the plug may work loose.

My lawnmower on the other hand had a hole in the sidewall I fixed with a plug. No problems in 10 years I kept that tire.

A properly installed plug will never leak air to separate the plys at the cords, and protects the cords from contamination from outside debris. While a patch seals the hole from the inside, it leaves the hole in the tread open and there is the possibility of cord damage from water or debris.

Don't over think it...just plug it if it's not near the edge (within an inch) of the tire. Tell her if she ever feels a "bump, bump, bump" coming from that tire, get it off of there. I'd bet good money it'll be fine for the remainder of it's intended service life.

After 30 + reply's,I hope you have it figured out !!

yes top notch info has been provided to my inquiry. Tomorrow I will find out where the nail entered/if still in there/if the tire has been changed out

The tire guy is not on the up and up.Ive plugged tires for at least 35 years or more.Only leaks is if not installed right or the hole is too big.Nail goes into tire plug goes into hole.plain and simple.Quality plugs last.Only way to get air into plys IMHO is if nail went in sideways and went thru plys and then into air space.but like anything it can happen like a bubble on sidewall etc.99.9999 % of the time it will not be a problem.Rocky

Drive it to the tire store and get it repaired?

We have a winner!

Today she said that her husband was checking tire pressures & he noticed the nail & it is in the tread. She also stated that he has been driving it since (~3 weeks now), not sure if daily but I would assume so (did I mention that she said he ain't mechanically inclined!). She said he ran across some one who has some equipment & he might end up taking care of it for him. she said that if he dawdles or the other person don't come thru then she will get back to me on it & if that happens I am going to get a plug kit & plug it from the outside as you have convince me that a plug will (likely) work fine with care. So we're dead in the water (for now). thanks guys!