I went to have the slow leak in my tire looked at and found not one, but two nails. The tech at Wal-Mart told me they were too close to the side wall and could not be repaired. The patch could damage the side wall and cause a blowout. Do you guys agree? The tire only has 20,000 miles on it. Can a tube be installed? If not, I guess I'll replace all four since the stock tires aren't the best available.

The top one looks too close to the sidewall, but I could be wrong. The bottom one looks like a rock, this I could be wrong about also. If you tried to fix the one in the top picture, it may not hold due to the natural rolling of the tire edge during turns. If enough air escapes before you realize it is leaking, the side wall would overheat making a blow out possible. I would replace it. A tube is not a viable option either IMO.

check out this http://www.dunloptires.com/care/repair.html it shows area of a tire that can be repaired. Hope it helps. Have to remember, your life depends on condition of your tires.

I have repaired more than 200 tires back in my days...

both could have been repaired....IF...they were not in the same tire.
Putting a radial patch in a tire is no problem, if they are within the tread cap area. Many tire manufactures use a molded line inside the tire to indicate the tread cap area.
But you never want to have TWO patches in one tire.

lastly...do NOT put a tube inside a wheel/tire that are not designed for tubes.

replace the tire.

I see Sam's Club has most of the top tires in our size from $100 t0 $150 each. I just didn't plan on spend $600 on tires right now.

I do need to replace all four, right? They measured the tread at 6/32 so I might get another 10,000 miles out of them. I know I need to buy two so I suspect I should go ahead and get all four, right?

I do need to replace all four, right? They measured the tread at 6/32 so I might get another 10,000 miles out of them. I know I need to buy two so I suspect I should go ahead and get all four, right?

Replacing 2 would be fine, as long as they are on the same end (but I know you know that:lol: ).

But if you're that close to needing the additional 2, you might as well only make one trip to the shop........if you're pocket book will allow.

We have the Firestone/Ford fiasco to thatnk for that. Since all that, NHTSA, UTQG, RMA, and tire makers have gone back to the drawing boards and decided what is safe and what is not. Certainly that tire COULD be repaired safely and probably with no problems EVER. Problem is RMA has set guidlines for tire repair facilities to go by. If the repaired tire does fail and all of the guidlines where in fact followed, there would be no repercussions on that facility. Think that sucks. Check out what Michelin has to say about where to put your new tires when replacing only two http://www.michelinman.com/tire-care/how-to-buy/

you will find many arguments as to where to put two new tires.
we used to use logic, not science.
two new tires on the DRIVE axle.

as for the Ford/Firestone fiasco..Firestone took the hit for Ford.
The Radial ATX(tire in question during the Explorer roll-over debacle) was one of the longest lasting OE tires we ever encountered. it is almost unheard of to have a mid-size SUV get 60k+ miles from a all-terrain tire, let alone any OE tire. Explorers would go through brakes like nobody's business, but the majority of Explorer owners wanted the same ATX installed when they purchased new tires.

Unfortunately, as Tireman mentioned above, the aforementioned debacle changed the tire maintenance industry as we know it.

as for what to do with your existing tires, and whether or not you should purchase 4, or two or 1?...you can buy 2 now...and 2 more later...just skip one rotation cycle. Or...buy 4 new ones now. You probably weren't prepared financially to buy 4 new tires now...but unfortunately, flat tires are the number 2 most common thing to go wrong with cars....overheating is #1.

Very rarily do people get full tread-life from their tires...most 4-tire purchases are made when either
1)they get a irrepairable flat
2)there is a driveability problem
3)they are selling the car/preparing for a state inspection.
4)one or more of their tires is ready for replacement anyway

if you have 6/32's of treadlife remaining...that's about 50% of the tire's life...the chances of you making it all the way down to the wear-bars(2/32's) are pretty slim...the less tread depth remaining typically means the more likely you will encounter a flat...it's natural...the less tread, the less distance a nail/object has to travel to puncture the tire.

One more question! Whether I replace 2 or 4, would I be wise to ask for the old good tires back in case this happens again? Will the tire dealer do that? I have room in my garage. I could retain one and offer the other two to others in my situation.

I would see if the shop will give you anything for the used tire(s). I had a similar situation with one of our cars where my wife didn't notice the flat, and ruined one tire. The other tire on that axle was in good shape, so the shop gave us a significant amount of money to sell them that used tire. I'm sure if I wouldn't have asked, I would have gotten nothing for it.

Keep the old one that is good, they usually tack on a hidden charge for disposing of your old tires

keep the old one, or two best...definately. They will probably charge you a tire disposal fee, which they have to pay to have the old tirs hauled away. We never made it a 'hidden cost'...we had a HUGE sign stating why, and where the old tires go.

take 'em home, and keep them. If you ever need to get rid of them later, your local gas station will probably take them for free.

you could always buy a steel wheel, and have one mounted on there for a full size spare as well.

I'm pretty sure here in NY we have to pay the $5 disposal fee per tire regardless if they actually dispose of the tires or if you want them back. It's state mandated and legal for tire place to do. :roll: They don't hide the charge, they just tack it on the bill. :lol:

yep...here in Calif, the consumer had a choice...all we had to do was record the DOT number on a form that showed which new tires were installed, and which tires the consumer elected to take home with them.

...as if anyone would ever trace the DOT numbers. It did however some in handy during a recall.

back when I sold tires, there were 2 charges...

75 cent disposal
25 cent haul....so it was only $1.00

when customer's would complain, I'd tell them 'fine, we'll just throw your old tires in the back seat, sound good?'

Thanks for the info! We have some very lax rules here on hauling waste and I've had 9 flat tires since 1998. This will be the 4th tire I've had to replace. I want to be prepared for when the next one goes. Besides, we have no vehicle inspections and there are shops that sell used tires. It would be better to sell them than pay to have them destroyed. Also, I'd give one to another HHR owner who need it for the cost of shipping only.

I usually fix all my tires with plugs. $3 for four plugs at Wal Mart. Say what you will, but on a previous car I drove 3 years on a plugged tire, even exceeded speeds of 100 MPH.

The dealership I go to only uses plugs to repair tires that are repairable.

tire plugs have come a long way over the years. Just be warned that tire manufacturers will not warranty any tire that has a plug.

tire plugs have come a long way over the years. Just be warned that tire manufacturers will not warranty any tire that has a plug.

We use a combination plug/patch. You have to break the tire down and install from the inside out. They work great because you get the best of both worlds. They look like a regular patch with a long plug in the middle of the patch. Never had one leak so far in 2 years of usage and no problem with any warranties.

I had a similiar spot where a roofing nail got me. I was going to just get it fixed ans was tols that it was within 1 inch of the sidewall it can not be fixed legally. I have about 9K on the tires then. Lucky for me, I called the roofer that did my roof, showed him the tire with the nail still in it and they paid to replace that tire. SO I know I will have one that will last longer than the others, but the differance in overall height is so minimal, it won't make any differance.

We use a combination plug/patch. You have to break the tire down and install from the inside out. .

those are actually the BEST way to repair a radial tire without compromising the tires ability to perform the way it was intended. And most tire manufacturers will honor warranty with a patch-n-plug product.

we used patches only...our theory was "why make a small hole bigger just to repair it?" "you wouldnt cut a piece of denim and pull it through a hole in your jeans and call it good, right?"...is what Michelin used to say to us.

bottom line is this-once a tire has been punctured, it's carcas' structural intergrity has been compromised...all a plug does it stop it from leaking, but unless you plan to push that tire to the limits of its design(speed rating), no harm, no foul. Just dont try finding out if the speed rating is still good :eek: the belt may have damage, or the tread cap might have damage...

but again, I wouldnt repair a tire that already has a patch/plug...2 repairs is 1 too many.

I went ahead and bought two BFGoodrich Traction T/A tires for $90 each at Sam's Club. The total was $217. I'm going to wait about 6 months to get the other two. Yes, they did give me the good old tire and it's now in the garage waiting for the next repair. Let's hope it doesn't happen again!