Tire gurus - Can this be patched up?
 

I recently bought a set of used wheels and noticed one of the tires has a crack close to the sidewall. I filled it up with air and it still holds, but i'm concerned of a blowout on the highway. Can this be patched or should I look for a replacement?

http://members.shaw.ca/volvoman/inde...00_resized.jpg

EDIT: My mistake :okay:

Its actually a Toyo T1R. I'm just wondering if it can be patchable, being so close to the sidewall.

Get a small flat head screw driver and probe to see how deep it is. if it is deep you could try and get it patched up but most shops won't do it because it is too close to the sidewall.
if that was my tire i would patch it properly and take my chances. i've done it and have had no problems.

what about this stuff :

As an apprentice I can tell you that I personally wouldn't patch that but it's worth a shot right? I've been taught never to patch or plug anything outside of the centre tread. Good luck!
Posted via RS Mobile

Looks legit.

You sure its not losing air? Try spraying a soap and water mix on it and see if there's bubbles.
Here is my post from another thread and the tire is still fine. Its been patched since September 2011...

No need to put yourself and other road users at risk, just replace the tire and well all be thankful.

Will you be running that tire on the front or the rear? And on what type of car FWD, RWD, or AWD?

How old is the tire? Build date?

Personally, the tire looks like it is nearing the end of their life. They are getting to the wear bar and the tire looks very shiny which is telling me it's been heat cycled and the rubber is getting hard.

If you are going to run that tire on the rear of a fwd car, then just run it as is till you can afford 4 new tires assuming they are all around the same level of wear.

No. its too close to the sidewall to safely patch it. Patching a tire from the outside is futile - the only way to properly patch a tire is to demount it and do it from the inside. A patch applied that close to the sidewall will fail as the sidewall flexes too much. You might be able to find a tire shop to do it, but if anything happens you they won't be responsible. I've patched plenty of tires and have seen what can happen when something like this is patched.... It can either leak again or the cut will eventually deepen and cause a big leak or even worse can cause tread seperation. I just realized this is only relevant if it is leaking air...:okay:

If it isn't losing air (spray soap + water) I would keep a close eye on it. Do the soapy water test every other week for a while just in case :suspicious:

Be wary of a blowout, But other than that i think you'll be ok. Perhaps just replace it to be safe is $$ allows?

That shit looks amazing
Posted via RS Mobile

might as well replace it, the tire looks like its coming pretty close to the treadbars anyway and for a proper repair youre looking at paying a shop 40 bucks. if you really are in a pinch though, I have done fixes on tires like that using a plug patch. however, not before warning the customer the patch may come loose due to the sidewall flexing. yet to have any of them come back. the plug looks like it wont cover the entire hole though, but the patch should.

i've seen regular diy plugs right up against the edge of the sidewall hold fine too. :lol

I did the DIY plug on a co-worker's tire. The nail was close to where Ruthless had his. 3 years later, still no leaks on that tire.

what size your tires?
i have 225/35/19 toyo t1r for sale :D
80-85% tread life :D

Dont' get me wrong man but looks like that tire has only about 20% tread left …
I would NOT patch that tire for safety reasons. I’ve had a tire(patched 2ce) blow on me at 80km.. its literally crazy…My ex almost S##% her pants.

Did you manage to keep it on the road?

Just put the tire on the rear axle and drive on it until you can afford a new tire.
Posted via RS Mobile

Personally I wouldn't patch it. And the unfortunate thing is you really should be replacing not only that tire but at minimum the other tire on the same axle. Any time you get a slice it is too dangerous to rely on a patch. Even more so with how close it is to the sidewall. A screw hole is patchable because it's round and doesn't really effect the structural integrity of the tire. A slice however, does.

Here are the details on the tires.

Toyo T1R, staggered setup, RWD. 245 35 19 on the front, 275 30 19 on the rear. The tire in the picture is one of the fronts.

Judging from the comments, I don't think I will patch this tire. I live in Richmond, work in Surrey. I drive 70 highway kms everyday. I'd hate to have a blowout on the highway. I always see shards of tires on the highway, i'd hate to be one of them.

With that said, anyone got tires with decent tread left for sale? I'd like something quiet, Continental DWS or similar.

Well the tire is almost bald anyway. Personally I would just put on 2 new fronts. 245/35/19 is fairly common nowadays.