I'm shopping for a portable tire inflator and tire plug kit to keep in my truck when traveling.

Do you guys have anything in particular you like to use for this purpose ?

My idea is I could fix it faster myself than waiting for AAA, who may or may not have the kit to fix a common tread impalement/leak.

Do you already carry a spare? I'm guessing you do.

I've always been told that getting a tire patched is much better than plugging it.

That said, I've plugged more than 2 or 3, or 5 or 6 probably, never had a plug fail.

These were passenger vehicles, not trucks, and I have no memory of what we used. Kits from NAPA probably, little punch thing with a few plugs with it.

Even WalMart sells Tire Plug kits.

Plug until you can get it patched.

AND, if you use any of that tire sealant crap, make sure you let the repair guy know!

I carry a VAIR 400, beware of the cheap ones they heat up fast and fail with repeated use.

https://www.amazon.com/VIAIR-4...wse-bin%3A2911364011

Also carry an ARB plug kit

https://www.stopngo.com/standard-model-tire-plugger/

Have one of these and stopngo air compressor. Have used it on a motorcycle and a truck tire and never had an issue getting home. The truck tire still has the plug in it and have never had to add air

I have the VIAIR 00088 88P and a Slime plug kit in my car for temporary fixes. I haven't had to use them so far.

I carried a small compressor and a Stop & Go plugger kit on my motorcycle. I have used them with great success several times in my travels. They also make a kit for cars, but I have never used one.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
I'm shopping for a portable tire inflator and tire plug kit to keep in my truck when traveling.

Do you guys have anything in particular you like to use for this purpose ?

My idea is I could fix it faster myself than waiting for AAA, who may or may not have the kit to fix a common tread impalement/leak.

Get a $4 plug kit and a $10 compressor from Walmart. Make sure the cord from the cigarette lighter is long enough to reach your back tire. I also recommend an energizer headlamp for $15.

I'll echo the VIAIR suggestions. Since yours will be insurance and not inflating 35" tires after plodding through sand you'll be fine with one of their smaller units. I keep one in the bed box of my truck and wouldn't be without it. It's come in handy a few times; once for myself but mostly helping others.

Dan

http://www.blackjacktirerepair...-vehicle-repair-kits

I carry one of these in each truck with a Viair 400. I have used Black Jack tire plugs for years with really good results. Have even used these them to plug a railroad spike hole in a sidewall (temporarily of course). One pair of rear tires I wore out, had 45 plugs in them (long story). Huge time and money savers. My trucks are an F350 and a Ford Raptor with 35" load range E tires.

Necro-post....seeing if recommendations stay the same or, anything newer has come up?

Looks like my dad is in need of one and thought to utilize the SF resource. What's the latest

Most recent purchase of plugs were made by Slime at AutoZone. They worked well, as I never had to add air to that tire after the fix. As I use a battery powered DeWalt compressor for work, I was good to go.

I bought a Viair 45043 for KO2 285/55/20 - haven't used it or tried it yet. Bought on the recommendation of folks here and a truck site. I'll probably try it before I need to use it but expect that it'll work.....

When I bought my 911 we spent 30 minutes looking for the spare tire. I Googled it and found out there is a slime kit and compressor in the frunk. Bought a similiar setup for my 4R, but have never had to use it.

I can't remember the last time I plugged a tire?

My new car came with runflats and no spare. I'm tossing the runflats and getting goflats in the spring. I bought a set of goflat winter tires and wheels and I keep a Slime plug kit and my ancient Craftsman air compressor in the trunk.

Recently, for a friend, I pulled a screw and plugged the hole (no spare) so the car could be driven to the tire shop and properly fixed. The techs at the shop wouldn't patch the tire because it was a radial and said radials shouldn't be plugged because the damage to the belts can cause tire failure.

I've plugged a few tires over the years and have not heard this before, is it a valid issue? If so, and if I had known, I would have removed the damaged tire and brought it to the shop without plugging it.

quote:

Originally posted by Eponym:
I have the VIAIR 00088 88P and a Slime plug kit in my car for temporary fixes. I haven't had to use them so far.

This is what I would do if I didn't have 110psi load range G tires. Because of those tires, I have the Viair 400.

A plug kit and compressor don't take up much room, but the reality is that you probably won't notice that you've picked something that created a pluggable hole. My experience is that screws and nails don't leak much and don't leave you stranded on the side of a road with a flat. Plugs don't help with blowouts which do leave you stranded on the side of the road. I carry two mounted spares for the 5th wheel and one for the truck. I've had two blowouts, one with our old travel trailer and one with our current 5th wheel. Spare tires are good.

One of my tires was plugged a year or so ago, has held fine. Same experience with other tires in the past. I know it's recommended to take it to the shop for a proper patch, but so far so good.

I have a Tooluxe kit. The tools are heavy duty and I've used the same type of plugs for years and never had one fail. Trust me, you want heavy tools with "T" grips because sometimes it's really difficult to ream out the hole and insert the plug...particularly if you're trying to work directly through the tread. I recommend a container of vulcanizing cement. Makes it easier to insert the plug sometimes. Now that I look closer it appears the newer kits come with cement. You'll also want a pair of wire cutters handy to grab the screw or nail and pull it out.

I bought a Safety Seal (made in USA) kit from amazon. The tools are a lot heavier built than the chinese kits I have bought in the past. Some of which failed in spectacular fashion when I needed them most.

excuse my quizzical look but don't plugging and patching have to be done from inside the tire?

the above sounds like the o.p. wants to do it while still on the rim , on the truck ?