Product Technology

Tire Repair Tricks: Save Money Without Sacrificing Safety🌟

Posted on by Daisy
14
May

When a flat tire strikes, many car owners panic—and often head straight to a shop for a costly replacement. But the truth is, not all tire problems require a new tire. With the right tools and some practical know-how, you can fix minor issues yourself, saving both time and money, without compromising safety.

Here are some expert-approved tire repair tricks that every smart car owner should know:

Determining if a tire is repairable

Not all breaks mean that the tire must be replaced. There are three general methods of repairing tires, depending on the degree of damage to the car’s tires:

  • Adhesive strip tire repair
  • Cold patch
  • Hot tire repair

Master the professional repair method of “tape + patch”

If the damage to the tire meets the following conditions, it can generally be repaired safely:

  • The diameter of the hole is less than 6 millimeters
  • The hole is in the middle of the tread (not on the sidewall)
  • It is not overlapping or structurally damaged
Using adhesive tape alone only provides a temporary fix. For a firm and long-lasting repair, professionals recommend combining an internal patch with an external adhesive tape—commonly known as the “mushroom nail” method. Tire shops and auto repair centers widely use this safer and more durable approach instead of relying on adhesive tape or patches alone. This method is not only firm, but also restores maximum tire strength. The repair steps are as follows:

①Pull out foreign objects and check the location of breakage

  • First, pull out foreign objects such as nails/screws;
  • Confirm that the break is in the middle area of the tread (edges or sidewalls cannot be repaired);
  • If the diameter of the hole is within 6 mm, it can be repaired.

②Sanding from the inside

  • Remove the tire and use a grinder to rough up the hole area on the inside of the tire to enhance the fit.

③Putting in the “Mushroom Nail” adhesive strip

  • Insert the adhesive strip of the mushroom stud into the hole from the inside of the tire, ensuring the “cap” attaches to the tire’s inner wall.
  • The glue strip extends out from the outside and fills the entire hole, forming an internal and external seal.

④ Brush glue and press the patch.

  • Brush a layer of rubber glue on the inside of the tire.
  • Paint a layer of rubber glue on the inner wall of the tire; press the “patch” firmly with a tire-patching roller to make sure it is tightly attached without air bubbles.

⑤ Cut off the excess rubber strip

  • Use a blade or scissors to cut the rubber strip out of the tire to ensure a neat appearance.

⑥ Pump the tire and check for air leakage

  • Put the tire back on and pump it up.
  • Use soapy water to check for bubbles (check for air leaks);
  • No air bubbles, then the repair is successful!

Cold Patching Procedure

Cold patching is to remove the injured car tire from the rim, and after finding the wound, clean up the foreign matter at the wound and finish patching the leak from the inner layer of the car tire. There are mainly two kinds of cold patching:

  • Technicians use the film-sticking method for quicker repairs, but since it’s less reliable, they choose it less often. They prefer the mushroom nail method because it offers better reliability, even though the process is slightly more complicated.

Cold Patching Steps (Mushroom Nail Type):

① Prepare Mushroom Nail. Remove the punctured tire and remove the nail on it; prepare the “Mushroom Nail”.

② Apply glue.e Apply special glue to the “mushroom nail”.

③ Sanding and vacuuming. Sand and vacuum the punctured part of the tire wall. Be careful not to damage the tire’s Cordura when sanding.

④ Insert the “Mushroom Staple” into the puncture from the inside and push the tip of the “Mushroom Staple” out from the outside.

⑤ Drag the top of the nail with a tool from the outside so that the base of the nail inside the tire wall fits the tire wall as closely as possible.

⑥ Pressing: Roll the tire again from the inside to ensure the fit, then apply glue again to complete the tire repair.

⑦ Cut off the excess on the outside of the tire to cut off the excess “mushroom nail”.

Note: After repairing the tire, you need to do dynamic balancing to ensure the smoothness of the vehicle.

Hot patching procedure

Hot patching is the most thorough tire repair measure. In the hot patch technique, technicians remove the tire from the rim, apply a special raw rubber sheet to the wound, and then use a baking machine to heat the wound until the raw rubber sheet fully bonds with the tire.

Advantages: very durable, basically do not have to worry about repeated air leakage at the wound.

Disadvantages: need to control the heating time, if the heating time is too long will lead to local overheating and tire hardening.

Hot patch steps:

① Marking: Remove the tire and mark the punctured part.

② internal grinding: remove the nail, the punctured part from the inside, for grinding. Be careful not to damage the tire cord fabric layer when sanding.

③ Put on the film: Apply glue to the sanded area and put on the special fire-patching film.

④ Hot patch heating: Use the hot patch machine to heat the film. The heating time is set according to the requirements of the hot patching machine.

Note: Do not heat for too long, otherwise it will easily lead to local hardening of the tire.

⑤ Completion of hot patching: After successful hot patching, the whole film has become one with the tire; mount the tire and check whether the air leakage area is leaking. Note: Do dynamic balancing after adjusting the air pressure of the tire.

Tire repair fluid for emergencies

If you are not in a position to repair the puncture on site, you can opt for an emergency type of repair fluid (e.g., AUTOOL SealFix Tire Repair Fluid). This product is suitable for small punctures and can temporarily seal air leaks, allowing you to drive safely to the service station.

Note: SealFix is for temporary use only and will require professional repair.

Conclusion

Don’t panic when your tires are punctured! This article teaches you how to determine whether the tire is repairable, detailed analysis of the “tape + patch” professional repair method, and recommended emergency repair fluid and other emergency. Just a few simple steps, do-it-yourself can also be efficiently and safely complete the tire repair, saving money and peace of mind!
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