Flat Tire External Sidewall Repair?

BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
Just ran across this external patch kit and was curious if anyone has any experience with such a thing?

If it works, I could see adding to the trail kit....


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jadmt

ignore button user
be worth a try in an emergency the tough thing is not like you can really try it out before needing it. I used to practice with the mushroom plugs when I had a worn out tire on my motorcycle so I know that if I needed to patch on a dark night I could do it no problem but at $50 too much for me to experiment with
 

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
Based on the instructions and the inclusion of an accelerator, I'm guessing its a CA-glue (superglue) based system. Which is only to point out that maybe you could get similar results with your own stuff. Not sure if these are better or worse than the traditional rubber-cement-and-pad style sidewall patches (which I have only seen demonstrated in a training session, but never used...)

I will say that the GlueTread stuff advertises "Good to 40psi", so anyone running high-pressure E-rated tires for a big load will want to consider other options.

This is a good reminder it's probably time for me to go through my tire repair kit just to check that everything is still fresh and "sticky", as appropriate, and refresh as necessary.
 

peekay

Adventurer
just fyi, but the adhesive they use appears to be CA glue, i.e., "super glue," with an accelerator to help it instantly bond. I'm very familiar with CA glue having spent hundreds of hours with them gluing my model airplanes together. Not sure that I would trust them on a highway vehicle sidewall repair, but then again, this product seems to be marketed for slower speed vehicles like ATVs, etc. If on the trail, and the alternatives and speeds are limited, I would totally go for it.
 

67cj5

Man On a Mission
As an off road repair it would be fine, The main issue would be Airing Down where the sidwall flexis a lot would make it hard to keep in place and also because of the sharp square edges it would catch on a lot of rocks and things out on the trail a quick fix would be to bevel the edges, And the other thing is this would be a bad idea to use on the black top at highway speeds, Not forgetting if it is legal to use a tyre that has had a sidewall repair on the open road.

In the UK they would kick ya butt big time regardless of what excuse you gave.
 

pith helmet

Well-known member
Having had sidewall tears on both rear tires at once with one full size spare, I’d say anything you can carry and not take much space/weight that *might* work or help would be beneficial.

I replaced the worst tire with spare and shoved almost all my plugs in the other and added a can of fix-a-flat. I didn’t have a compressor, long before I had ever seen portables like we have now And the fix a flat barely got the rim off the ground.
This product, or more glue and some scrap rubber, screws, whatever, would have been good to have. As it was, I limped about 20 miles off-road and got a worn out spare from a rancher.

Every fix doesn't have a ready- made solution; you have to think outside the box and be flexible.
 

67cj5

Man On a Mission
I would never use this on any pavement or above 20 MPH. I would not spend a dime to buy this product. This is one of the reasons for a matching full size spare tire.

If your off the pavement even if you do not lower your tire below the vehicle manufactures recommended pressure; #1 If you go over a rock, log or a pile of dirt your tire can flex beyond the normal highway sidewall flex. #2 The air pressure going through the cut is pushing the patch way from the tire. Every rotation of the tire the side wall will flex the adhesion causing it to get weaker. #3 All of this is if you have the tire spotless and no hairline cracks in the tire itself or raised rubber on the sidewall to make a seal.

I would rather trust 5 string plugs then this one. I do not recommend putting in that many plugs, but this is I believe safer then the "Glue Tread".

My advice if you travel without a spare tire, your gambling and the price you pay should you need a spare, could be a lot more expensive then the patch (if you want to call it that (I would not)).

Invest your money into learning how to patch a tire from the inside. You should have a jack in your vehicle (that is one piece of the kit), 2 or 3 tire irons part #2, The patch and glue is # 3, tire cleaner and a scuffer #4, a little soap and water #5, Get training so you know what to do with these #6.

To answer the question before it is asked! If this is used off-road only then when you get to pavement you will need to replace the tire with a spare, or have a new tire brought to you. You will need to change the tire at some point. So having a spare with you, you do it at the first stop to install the patch or later when you reach the pavement

I will say that I have never used this product, so I may be all wet. But with 47 years of off road (4X4) driving I do not trust this product with my life. The reasons I say this is, the tire carcass has built in cords built around the tire and not glued on. There is a reason that the U.S. Federal Highway Transportation Department regulates and inspects tires and they have to meet the safety standards before being allowed on the roads.

I will let someone else be the guinea pig.

Da Frenchman
I done my time in the Tyre industry at HQ for a major Auto company,

As pointed out the flatness of the sidewall will dictate how well these patches stick, the only way to do a tempory patch on a side wall is to vulcanize it inside and out, That does not mean get Dr Spock to beat the daylights out of it, LOL.

It would be better to break the bead and patch it on the inside and if possible put one on the outside just to get back and then buy a new one asap,
 

rgallant

Adventurer
Reading through the notes, the 4x4 patch is quite a bit larger, while not ideal it could get you back to cell range or backtop. But it would really depend on the nature of the damage.

And as noted it is going to be a long slow trip, where you have to actually pick good lines and take it easy on the damaged tire. But if you hole 2 this might do the job.
 

geoffff

Observer
I think I've posted my Baja tire sidewall repair story here before... Even though I did so many things "wrong", it still got me back to pavement, and then even down the road to the tire shop.


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