sjracer

my friend had a flat tire today...he had his Z rated Bridgstone Potenzas (sorry for the bad spelling) that came stock on his '01 IS300 plugged...

i remebered reading a post on this board that Z and Z+ ratted tires should never be plugged or patched because it is unsafe...is that correct?

something about the tire compound being too soft...

of course it's not the sidewall that got repaired but the tread of the tire...

I did a search and nothing came yup...thanks

JimBlake

I believe if the tire is repaired, it loses its "Z" rating. I guess if your friend goes 150mph & the tire blows up, Bridgestone has an excuse for not honoring their warranty?

smokin rubber

Correct, the tire can be plugged, but the it no longer has a high speed rating.

BROOD

Always patch repair....internal patch.
Never use plugs to repair a tire.....I'd only plug tires if it were temporary and the only available option at the time. Plugs eventually cause more problems than you started with.

Never perform any repair (inculding internal patch) on the sidewall, only replair the tread/crown area.


[Modified by SLPR, 7:52 AM 1/28/2003]

TheOne

just curious but how many of ya'll that just posted, work for discount tire or have worked for discount tire?

T04-Terror

i dont work for discount tire but i do work for national tire and battery. the best type of patch is a patch/plug. it patches the hole from the inside while at the same time plugs it up. works great and is guaranteed to hold for the life of the tire. also the speed rating mainly describes the thickness of the sidewall. putting a patch in the tire wont lower the speed rating.

sjracer

okaie...from what i'm understanding is your guy's general consensus...a Z or Z+ rated tire can be repaired on the tread but it will lose its speed rating...

plugs should only be temporary and patches should be used for a some what permanent fix...

is this correct?

BROOD

Yep, that sounds about right. Although I have internally patched quite a few track tires that took alot of punishment without any problems after being repaired. I can think of a set of Kumho Victors on a Camero SS that ran tracktime on patched tires and he had no problems. Hmmm


[Modified by SLPR, 12:54 PM 1/28/2003]