How to Plug a Punctured Tire

Modern tires stand up well to all kinds of abuse, especially if you live in a state like South
Carolina, where the roads tend to be less than ideal. However, one thing they don’t withstand
well are sharp objects such as screws, nails, or loose metal. Sometimes these things can make
their way into the treads of a tire, causing it to leak and lose air. No one wants to deal with a
flat tire, and with a little bit of knowledge and preparation you won’t have to!

Materials and Tools

 Car Jack
 Spray bottle with soap and water
 Tire plugging kit

 Pliers
 Wire cutters or knife
 Tire iron

Instructions
1. Remove the tire from the vehicle.
1. Loosen the lug nuts on the tire with your tire iron.
2. Safely jack up the car.
i. To do this properly, find one of the mounting locations
underneath the car on the frame. Many cars now days have
indentations of solid metal for this purpose. Ensure that you
do not apply the jack to part of the frame not made for this, as
the force of the jack can cause structural damage.
ii. Raise the jack slowly, watching for any signs of instability.
3. After the car is jacked up safely, remove the lug nuts and pull off the
tire.
2. Find the location of the leak.
Tip: If the leak cannot be found by visual inspection, use a spray
bottle filled with a water and dish soap mix. This will bubble up when
sprayed on the location of a leak where air is leaking. This also works
for any kind of gas leaks, so it is a great method to know!
3. Ensure that the item has not damaged the sidewall.
Note: If it has, the tire will need to either be professionally removed
and sealed, or entirely replaced. If you do not, you are at risk of
suffering a blowout while driving. A leak you can plug must be in the
top, or tread, of the tire. An image below shows an example.

4. Remove the item puncturing the tire. This is usually impossible to do with
bare hands, so use your pliers to firmly grasp it and pull.
1. Now that we have the hole exposed, use the T-shaped tire plugging
tool to gouge out the hole. This will make it smooth and free of
debris.
2. Insert one of the strips of tire plugs into the eye of the tire plug tool.
If you have it, and it is highly recommended and often comes in the
kit, coat the tire plug strip with the tire sealing cement.
3. Insert the tool back in the hole and firmly press the tool into the tire.
It should be difficult at first and then give way, leaving about an inch
of material exposed.
4. Use your razor or knife to cut off the exposed material. There will be
some sticking out, but this is fine.
5. Replace the tire onto the vehicle and lower the car off the jack.
6. Refill the tire with air using an air pump to the recommended tire pressure
for your vehicle. This information will be in the owner’s manual or on
 google. If you do not have one, take the tire to a nearby gas station and
refill it there before using the tire.
7. Drive Safely!

References
1. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSlime-1034-
T-Handle-Tire-Plug%2Fdp
%2FB000ET525K&psig=AOvVaw3911JE3pks0RYS1qlxTXVq&ust=1633274856916000&source=im
ages&cd=vfe&ved=0CAYQjRxqFwoTCODf14-FrPMCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAF
2. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Frnrtires.com%2Fblog%2Fcan-you-
drive-with-a-nail-in-your-tire%2F&psig=AOvVaw3Rqs5PCi6xFj0-
0jqdCcsg&ust=1633274983347000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAYQjRxqFwoTCLCL6MyFrP
MCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD