Should I replace or repair a new tire?
 

Hi,

I found a screw in my tire this morning. It's less than an inch from the edge and I've seen mixed opinions on whether or not it would be safe to repair.

They are stock tires and only have about 1,600 miles on them. Is it possible to have the tire plugged & patched and have it last as long as the rest of the tires?

Also, there is a red circle on the sidewall. I thought it was painted on at first, but it looks like the rubber there is actually red. Does anyone know what it is? (just out of curiosity)

http://i.imgur.com/JPDO7GF.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/letbAWy.jpg

I would just patch it. You can always replace later if patching does not work (which I doubt) and your tire starts loosing air.
Just keep an eye on the pressure. US vehicles have TPMS sensors, right?

I was told the red circle is a reference mark to help with balancing. If I recall correctly you're supposed to line it up with the valve and that will allow balancing the combination with less added weight than might otherwise be needed. Few shops follow this, though.

I just went through this with a friend that had a puncture in the same spot. The local repair shop would not fix it due to being too close to the side. It flexes there a lot. If you do repair it, I confess I'd be tempted to myself, move it to the rear if it's not there already. That way if it looses air it's not up front where you steer :)

I heard the same thing about the red dot too that was already mentioned.

if you try to do the repair, I would have you consider using the sticky rope type of plug with the glue, as the pull through mushroom will not flex as well.

My gut says that it's either over, or right at the edge of the repairable area. Let us know.

Oops, I got excited. Yeah, it looks like it could go either way, right?

Well, yeah, it is now.

There's a shop by my that will repair any tire no matter where the damage is on the tire(except the side from a tire slasher).
I've been taking everything there for the last 23ish years and and the repairs have never failed me. I've been there at least 30 times
and I can recall a few that were close to the edge.
I know it's all in the name of safety but I think any repair done on the treads is really not an issue.
If there is evidence of any tire blowing out after a patch at the edge, nobody is speaking up about it on the internet.

Here it is not even legal for a licensed shop to repair damage within one inch of the sidewall since the damage becomes structural and could result in catastrophic failure. They could be fined if caught.

That said, I have repaired my own tires as close as 1/2 an inch from the sidewall and drove the car for another 100K.

Now THAT being said, I have also drove cars with tires so bald that the steel belts were breaking and brushing the road (they make a cool noise by the way) so my advice on tire safety is probably not the best.

There is an increased risk of failure when damage is close to the sidewall so it is up to each individual if they wish to accept that risk.

Sometimes it works.

I'm hoping to either have a repair that will last close to the entire life of the tire, or just replace it so I don't end up having one new tire if it does fail prematurely.

It's about 3/4 inch from the sidewall. I definitely will have it taken off the rim and inspected.

Did you use a sticky rope style repair? I need to make a 2 hour drive in a week and if I can't have it safely repaired/replaced by then, I'll most likely use one of these kits until I can figure it out.

http://contentinfo.autozone.com/znet...034-A/image/2/