Anyone ever try these temporary tire plugs?

Obo

Obo

Joined
Oct 22, 2019
Messages
4,277
Location
East Coast Canada
Bike
'03 ST1300A
I watched a video where a rider used these to repair a tire and them home.

As opposed to the gummy work type plugs these are a screw type.

They come in different sizes and have a sealant on the screw. You remove the puncture object and screw in this temporary plug. You then inflate your tire with a pump of some kind and off you limp to get the tire properly repaired or replaced.

This is just an emergency repair in my books, but looks easier than push in plugs. As for trusting them, well can you really trust any roadside plug 100%?

Here's a photo of some similar ones. Anyone ever use these?

1709558605616.png
 
I have not used that kit but recently bought this plug kit and I’ve already used it on wife’s car tire, best tire plug kit I’ve ever used and it will be my travel kit from now on along with my new cordless moto air pump.

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

51yQO8Q-jGL._AC_US40_.jpg
 
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Obo said:
I watched a video where a rider used these to repair a tire and them home.

As opposed to the gummy work type plugs these are a screw type.

They come in different sizes and have a sealant on the screw. You remove the puncture object and screw in this temporary plug. You then inflate your tire with a pump of some kind and off you limp to get the tire properly repaired or replaced.

This is just an emergency repair in my books, but looks easier than push in plugs. As for trusting them, well can you really trust any roadside plug 100%?

Here's a photo of some similar ones. Anyone ever use these?

View attachment 329801
Click to expand...

i have several in different sizes but have not had to use one yet. I gave some extras to friends of mine and one worked successfully to get the bike/rider home.
 
I have no experience with these so I can't help you with that. For some reference you might look up the video that Ryan of Fortnine did where he tested various tire puncture repair products. I don't remember this type being included but it is an old video now. Might be worth your while to check if he has updated the video to see if he has tested this type.

He did test the mushroom type of plug and they performed the worst. There are several different brands available but they all use the same principle. Does that mean that they all have the same inherent shortcomings as what he found in his tests? I have no idea.

The best, to no surprise, was the internally applied plug/patch, but that is not a road-side repair. As a side-note, it was inferior to the gummy worm in one respect in that it does not have the ability to reseal itself if it becomes dislodged.

His conclusion was that the best road-side repair option was also the cheapest and most readily available, the gummy worms.
One note of interest with regard to the mushroom type being superior because they mushroom inside the tire and have a larger surface area around the puncture, in my experience so does a gummy worm. If it is installed correctly, the gummy worm will mushroom to a substantial size inside the tire. The mushroom is then tightly forced against the inside of the tire by the air pressure. This constant pressure, along with the gummy worm's stickiness, combined with the heat generated in the tire results in a sticky blob on the inside of the tire that bonds surprisingly well to the surrounding rubber much in the same way that a patch does.

Below is a photo of one of my tires that I plugged with a gummy worm. It shows what a gummy worm looks like from the inside after having been run for a while.
Set 4_5 PR4 RR 15879 KM.JPG
 
Gummy worms work great! Problem is many of these kits come with rubber-cement instead of real vulcanising fluid.
 
I've never tried the mushroom plugs, but from what I've seen on YT, and read by those who have, they are among the most difficult to install on the side of the road or trail.

The screw- type plug shown by @Obo look to be an interesting variant. Time will tell.
 
DannoXYZ said:
Gummy worms work great! Problem is many of these kits come with rubber-cement instead of real vulcanising fluid.
Click to expand...
If there is there is no difference in long term sealing effectiveness. As far as I know I've used nothing but rubber cement and sealed punctures that then lasted for something like 50 to 80% of the life of the tire.
 
Sadlsor said:
I've never tried the mushroom plugs, but from what I've seen on YT, and read by those who have, they are among the most difficult to install on the side of the road or trail.

The screw- type plug shown by @Obo look to be an interesting variant. Time will tell.
Click to expand...
I have used the mushroom plugs many times and they are not difficult to use. I have added a small pair of needle nose plyers and side cutters to my kit to allow me to remove the offending item from the tire easier. I also have a t-handle reamer to make it easier as well.
This is the kit I carry in the bike.
Amazon.com: Stop & Go 1075 30 Piece Tubeless Tire Plugger Repair Kit for Punctures and Flats on Car, Motorcycle, ATV, Jeep, Truck, & Tractor (25 Mushroom Plugs) : Automotive
 
When I was commuting, I had to use gummy worms numerous times to get back and forth to work, until I could pull the tire and replace the gummy worm with a plug-patch.

One thing I found out, was that when using gummy worms, the balance beads I used would wear the gummy worms down on the inside. So I couldn't leave the Gummy Worms in more than 1,000 miles.

What they would do to that screw plug, I don't know. I've seen them advertised, but never used them.

Also, when you have your "repair kits" you should probably replace your "glue" yearly. I have found several brand new tubes completely empty after sitting for a year or two. :think1:
 
SupraSabre said:
When I was commuting, I had to use gummy worms numerous times to get back and forth to work, until I could pull the tire and replace the gummy worm with a plug-patch.

One thing I found out, was that when using gummy worms, the balance beads I used would wear the gummy worms down on the inside. So I couldn't leave the Gummy Worms in more than 1,000 miles.

What they would do to that screw plug, I don't know. I've seen them advertised, but never used them.

Also, when you have your "repair kits" you should probably replace your "glue" yearly. I have found several brand new tubes completely empty after sitting for a year or two. :think1:
Click to expand...
Yes, replacing the tube of glue in each bike is a rite of spring. Each bike has it's own tire pump, plug tools, gummies & cement. One time I inserted a gummy and did not have a knife or razor blade to cut off the tail of the gummy. It came out in about 5 miles at 70 mph on I-4 rush hour. After that I made sure each bike has a single edge razor blade to trim the plug.
 
ST-venture said:
I have used the mushroom plugs many times and they are not difficult to use. I have added a small pair of needle nose plyers and side cutters to my kit to allow me to remove the offending item from the tire easier. I also have a t-handle reamer to make it easier as well.
This is the kit I carry in the bike.
Amazon.com: Stop & Go 1075 30 Piece Tubeless Tire Plugger Repair Kit for Punctures and Flats on Car, Motorcycle, ATV, Jeep, Truck, & Tractor (25 Mushroom Plugs) : Automotive
Click to expand...
These are the Kits that I carry in all my vehicles.
I've repaired hundreds of flats over the past few years, in everything from motorcycles, scooters, cars, trucks, vans, and even a tractor tire for a guy so he could get it out of the field.
The Kit shown in the 2nd post is a knock off of the Stop & Go original.
 
SupraSabre said:
When I was commuting, I had to use gummy worms numerous times to get back and forth to work, until I could pull the tire and replace the gummy worm with a plug-patch.

One thing I found out, was that when using gummy worms, the balance beads I used would wear the gummy worms down on the inside. So I couldn't leave the Gummy Worms in more than 1,000 miles.

What they would do to that screw plug, I don't know. I've seen them advertised, but never used them.

Also, when you have your "repair kits" you should probably replace your "glue" yearly. I have found several brand new tubes completely empty after sitting for a year or two. :think1:
Click to expand...
If you switch over to Ride-On instead of balancing beads, you won't have that problem.
Ride-On has saved me numerous times on the ST over the years.
I stopped using wheel weights and balancing beads years ago, once I started using Ride-On.
 
dduelin said:
If there is there is no difference in long term sealing effectiveness. As far as I know I've used nothing but rubber cement and sealed punctures that then lasted for something like 50 to 80% of the life of the tire.
Click to expand...
Of course there is. Just because you employ proper clean-room procedures to maximise perfomance of rubber-cement, doesn’t mean it will work for others using less meticulous operation for all instances. There’s nnumerous reports of plugs and patches failing. Even some fatalities, which is why shops no longer plug or patch tyres.

There’s also lots of translation errors where real vulcanising fluid is labeled as rubber cement. Some simple tests will verify whether you’ve got Elmer’s rubber cement for kid’s projects or real vulcanising fluid.

1. pour out couple drops onto glass surface. After it dries, rubber cement will be thin layer that you can ball up. Vulcanising fluid will have nothing leftover since there’s no adhesives, just solvents.

2. do control test of applying 2 uncured patches (red edges) onto same tyre close together (after sanding off mould-release layer). After drying, you can actually peel off rubber cement patch because it’s just weak adhesive. With vulcanising fluid, you’ll tear patch before you can separate it from tyre surface.

Rubber cement doesn't have ethylcyclohexylamine which generates poly-vinyl cross-linking with sulfur. The red stuff on patches is uncured rubber with sulfur that is catalysed by vulcanisation fluid. It does similar thing as old-style patches that you heat up with flame before applying.

I only use worms for temp road-side repair to get home to do permanent patch. By yanking on worm from inside, I can instany tell if it was glued with rubber cement or vulcanized. One pulls right out and other requires extreme force and just rips. I’ll typically not even try beyond that and just trim worm level with tyre using nippers and apply patch on top.
 
DannoXYZ said:
Of course there is. Just because you employ proper clean-room procedures to maximise perfomance of rubber-cement, doesn’t mean it will work for others using less meticulous operation for all instances. There’s nnumerous reports of plugs and patches failing. Even some fatalities, which is why shops no longer plug or patch tyres.

There’s also lots of translation errors where real vulcanising fluid is labeled as rubber cement. Some simple tests will verify whether you’ve got Elmer’s rubber cement for kid’s projects or real vulcanising fluid.

1. pour out couple drops onto glass surface. After it dries, rubber cement will be thin layer that you can ball up. Vulcanising fluid will have nothing leftover since there’s no adhesives, just solvents.

2. do control test of applying 2 uncured patches (red edges) onto same tyre close together (after sanding off mould-release layer). After drying, you can actually peel off rubber cement patch because it’s just weak adhesive. With vulcanising fluid, you’ll tear patch before you can separate it from tyre surface.

Rubber cement doesn't have ethylcyclohexylamine which generates poly-vinyl cross-linking with sulfur. The red stuff on patches is uncured rubber with sulfur that is catalysed by vulcanisation fluid. It does similar thing as old-style patches that you heat up with flame before applying.

I only use worms for temp road-side repair to get home to do permanent patch. By yanking on worm from inside, I can instany tell if it was glued with rubber cement or vulcanized. One pulls right out and other requires extreme force and just rips. I’ll typically not even try beyond that and just trim worm level with tyre using nippers and apply patch on top.
Click to expand...
Bottom line, during a roadside repair I have used the rubber cement that comes with gummy worms a number of times, maybe 10 flat tires, to restore the tire to service then proceed to ride out the life of the tire with a gummy worm or even two in it. Once it took three worms in the ragged hole to limp 15 miles to a shop for a new tire and a couple of times a tire got two worms, two separate punctures, during the life of the tire. If I could have done better using vulcanizing fluid then please elaborate how?
 
I've had the experience of a tire spitting out pugs multiple times, with or without the glue I had, while on an excursion to where I ran out of plugs on a Saturday late afternoon, and had to get back so had it towed. Other times I had one that just slowly leaked air. Others have held for the duration of the tire and others I was able to get home and patch it.
 
I use Nealy gummy worms…..install with a little rubber cement, trim off the excess, and light the plug with a cigarette lighter to melt the gummy/cement into a gooey mess, and blow it out in a few seconds.
 
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