How to Repair a Punctured Tire

Every car owner or driver often faces the problem of a flat tire. A nail, a sharp piece of metal, or anything with a pointed edge can damage your vehicle's tire, resulting in a puncture.

Under normal circumstances, you can take the car to a repair shop in the vicinity, but what if you are on a highway or at some remote place? It will cause a hassle for you. You will have to repair the puncture yourself. This article is about how to repair a punctured tire? We will explain every step in detail.

We recommend that normally you should take your car to a professional for repair because of safety reasons. But when necessary, you can also repair the tire yourself with the help of a repair kit.

Signs of Punctured Tire

First and foremost, how will you know if your tire is punctured? Following are the signs of a flat tire.

The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) of your vehicle will be the first indicator.
The steering wheel will start shaking, and the car will feel unstable.
Steering the car will take lots of strength. If that happens, it means there is a leak in the tire.
Handling becomes difficult. You will feel as if someone is pulling your car left or right.
Sometimes, you might notice a difference in the sound of rotating tires.

Repairable Tires/ Non Repairable Tires

Next, you should determine if the tire is repairable or not. Surprised? Yes, you read right. Not every tire can be repaired. There are cases when the tire is severely damaged, or sometimes the location of punctures makes it impossible to repair, for example, the sidewall and shoulder of the tire. You will have to follow the guidelines of the U.S Tire Manufacturer Association (USTMA) and the Tire Industry Association. According to the guidelines

Any puncture in the Crown (middle) area of the tire is repairable.
The puncture should not exceed 6mm or 0.25 inches in diameter.
The puncture should not overlap with the previous repairs.

If any of these conditions are not fulfilled, you should consider buying a new tire.

The Tire Repair Process

You should follow these steps when repairing the puncture.

Find the Leak

The primary step is to locate the leak. Look for the object that has punctured the tire. If it's not visible, then try to feel the sound of air leaking from the tire. In case you can not find the leak even after doing everything mentioned above, then mix the soap in water and apply it to the tire; bubbles will start popping out of the leak. Mark the location and move to the next step.

Remove the Tire

Jack up the car and loosen the lug nuts before removing the tire from the rim. Insert the rasp tool in and out of the hole to clean the leaking area completely.

Plugging and Patching the Hole

Plug the hole by pulling a rubber stem from inside out of the tire. To enhance the sealing strength apply an adhesive (glue) on the inner side of the tire and install a patch over the plugged area.