Punture Repair Gel any Good???

[Data]

DJ, yes that's good to change the tyre in your case. Sylar, if you got Puncture Seal coming out the valve during pressure checking it means the tyre was 'overdosed'. Nothing should ever come out of the valve except air. Also it won't seal the puncture properly if it's overdosed as it interferes with the polymer viscousity and setting rate. I've just checked my notes on the tyre plugs and they were still illegal in 2002 and only legal for use in 'off road vehicles only'. Guess they must be legal for road use now then Grumpy if they are being fitted by the AA/RAC so thanks for the info.

[Sylar]

When i was commuting by bike to work every day i used to carry a can of that puncture repair and inflate your tyre stuff. I think i only used it once , but it got me going again to get home. Once home i took the inner tube out,(in those days we had crossply tyres and inner tubes) squeezed all the stuff out of the tube, put a patch on it and job was done. Bought another can of puncture repair and was ready again. These days i carry the repair plugs and some canisters that inflate the tyre, it says it is a repair kit that is included as standard to all BMW's.

[jamie]

not sure if its changed since we used to work with tyres but

any tyre rated up to 60 ish mph can have 2 plugs in it no bigger than 6mm

tyres rated over 60 upto i think 150 ish only 1.. 3mm plug can be fitted
and all plugs must be in the centre 50% width of the tyre.
and all plugs must be the mushroom type plugs..

any tyre rated over 150 it used to be illegal to plug them at all ..... and they all used to say never exceed 80 mph on any tyre that has had a plug in it anyway


from personal experience you are treading a dodgy path with tyre sealants of any type as it can mask quite serious damage to the inside of your tyre as the nail bursts through

just my 2 pence worth

[StephenC]

I had the RAC come out to me a few years ago and they used a plug. You can buy exactly the same stuff from Hein Gericke or off eBay. I get the ones without gas cylinders as I carry a 12v compressor under the seat. t is called Rema TipTop. http://www.rema-tiptop.co.uk/portal/REP ... 116337.rtt The "German motorcycle manufacturer" referred to is BMW.

It takes a while to do the first time but then plugging a tyre yourself is fairly straightforward. The only time I was not able to fix a puncture was - embarrassingly - on a Muppet day out to Duxford. Some bugger even filmed me failing, but luckily someone realised that JohnP's number plate was visible so they deleted it. (phew!)

[Data]

Jamie, you are correct in what you are saying and it's brilliant you came back on this one. This subject affects many of us. This thread has prompted me to do some digging too. Those rules you mention still apply. It's also not recommended to have scooter tyres professionally repaired if under a certain size as the patch plugs are likely to let go due to the patch plug being flexed too much by the smaller radius of the scooter tyre at high temperatures causing it to come adrift from the inner casing. Bigger wheels are better. I don't know what the recommended size is though as no one can tell me...yet! I'll find out, I'm still digging. And anyway, are any of us happy with an 80mph speed restriction on a tyre that's been professionally repaired? The only thing I would say is that if using Ultraseal or Puncture Safe as it is over here now, it is safe to use and there is no DOT speed restriction of any kind on any tyre it repairs, other than the original speed rating. It definitely doesn't mask a damaged tyre, it highlights the damage and won't seal it. If it does seal a tyre that has suffered damage other than a puncture wound, it will highlight the damaged area and slowly leak the air. That is what it's designed to do. Normal repairs made this way with Ultraseal/Puncture Safe are permenant and have been tested to 176mph over sustained periods and the law does not restrict that particular sealant repair to a maximum speed as those repairs are completely safe. I can vouch for that too, it's also saved my ass many times over the years in cars and bikes. We even used it in the military and they still do. Of course all post office vehicles have it in the tyres too here in the UK as do many othe major fleet operators. Once sealed it won't leak again from the same spot unless it's punctured again in the same place of course.

Now, these push in plugs that you can carry under the seat for emergency repairs. Basically, these seem to be just that. Emergency use only it seems (if anyone has any evidence to the contrary, please chip in I want to know, I would love to use them). My sources are the AA, RAC, and the DOT and they said they don't recommend fitting them as they are dangerous, but cleary some operative are doing so. I must point out the DOT man said they were illegal but when challenged he said he thought they were illegal and would have to check. But one thing is certain, they have an increased failure rate as the tyre wears. The plugs can become unstable as they have less to grip into. In this country they appear to be legal to buy but are only legal for emergency use and should not be driven on for more than 100 miles according to the RAC. A speed restriction applies to a tyre when these plugs are used. Some restrict you to 40kph, others 50mph. Some kits don't seem to specify I've found but these still should have a speed restriction on according to a dealer I was speaking to who sells them. I can't vouch for the validity of what he said. When he realised they didn't have a restriction on speed printed on them he removed them from the shelf pending clarification. Either way, you can use them it seems for emergency use. I must point out that you can legally use them as a permenant repair on off road vehicles only. The DOT does not restrict them in any way for repair on those vehicles. They are not legal in some eu countries for any kind of use, and in many US states they are illegal to use (source: my insurance company). Mind you that doesn't seem to stop our American friends using them as they just make their own laws up as they go along. That does not surprise me as they don't even have to have motorcycle insurance in some states to ride on the road, yes it's true and somewhat alarming when you see them riding with car tyres on the back also!! The one thing I am currently waiting on is a call back from my insurance company on this. When I called them today they said the plugs were not legal. I pointed out they were and he said not according to their underwriters and anyone using them would not be insured. He went on to say the other above stuff about not being legal in some other countries etc. He said he would come back to me asap. It's gone quiet for now on that front.

My view is that you don't take risks with tyres and if there seems to be confusion and some parts of the world are stopping there use, then I would not use them unless it's absolutely necessary to get home a short distance. Just my view on that one. I starred death in the face a few years ago when I had a blowout and it ain't nice. I only just survived. Once my insurance company comes back to me I'll post the result here with full details.

[mightbesane]

It's a good thing to get full information and Data certainly knows his stuff. However, I think that the stress must be that ANY on-the-fly repair of a scooter tire, legal or not, should be considered emergency and temporary until a permanent solution can be put in place. And the ideal permanent solution is to replace a punctured tire.

I know that there are lots of folks here who will tell tales of putting a temporary tire patch in place, doing the Dakar Rally, and never losing a single psi. That's like friends of mine in the Colonies who tell me that they've never worn a helmet. It works fine until something nasty happens. Then you wonder why you were so careless with your personal safety.

The same goes for tyres. Just sayin'...

[MrGrumpy]

Yeah....the plug- from-the-outside plugs are only intended as a temporary keep you mobile fix. There are speed and distance limited....but they do get you home or to a garage.

As far as I know, the proper-plug-from-the-inside plugs are a permanent repair, and not restricted. I've never been informed of any speed restrictions on a properly repaired tyre.

My experience of tyre gels of all sorts is poor....years ago, I carried a canister of sealant gel in the car, and when I had a puncture, all I got out of was a tiny blob!
As for Goop/Ultraseal/Puncture seal (ie gels you put in before you get a puncture), I've had several failures. And if your gel fails to seal, you are utterly screwed, as you can't do a temporary get you home repair with a plug, as the gel pushes the plug straight back out. As I'm an AA member, if I have a puncture, I call the AA and (after a half hour or so's wait) the nice man puts a (temporary) plug in and off I go to the dealers for a proper fix, or new tyre, depending on age.

[Sylar]

I think you have to decide for yourself about this topic. I have no problem with having a plug in my tyre, after all, think about the size of the plug compared to the whole tyre.Less than quater of an inch, at most,and only contacting the ground on a circuit of the wheel. Legal or not i will stick with what has worked for me since radial tyres were fitted that is my choice. I guess i just like to be independant, i rely only me. if i get a puncture then i repair it. If i break down then i have to repair it. I don't belong to any organisation of any kind, and never have.

[Data]

Still haven't heard anything from my insurers on this, it's not forgotten though. I'll phone them this coming week to get a definitive answer, hopefully!