My right rear tire has a slow leak and drops pressure every 48 hrs. My initial opinion was that the rubber was contracting because its starting to get really cold where I live, I've seen that kind of thing on some of my older cars.

Does anyone share that opinion? If its a slow leak is it worth plugging or should I just buy a new one?

 

a couple of questions to ask yourself;

1. how much treadlife does your tire have left?
2. is the hole, causing the leak, in the tread, or sidewall?

my opinion, based on these questions...

1. if you have more than 50% treadlife left, plug that thing. its still good and tires arent cheap. you have to remember, that if you dont have brand new tires, and you replace one, its a pretty good idea to replace the other tire on that end of the vehicle

2. its only safe to plug a hole in the tread of a tire. if the hole is in the sidewall, replace it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by k20roadrage &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My right rear tire has a slow leak and drops pressure every 48 hrs. My initial opinion was that the rubber was contracting because its starting to get really cold where I live, I've seen that kind of thing on some of my older cars.

Does anyone share that opinion?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No. (And if the pressure drops measurably every two days, that's not such a slow leak, either.) Nine times out of ten, leaks are due to a puncture - a nail or screw in the tire. The tenth time out of ten, it's due to a problem somewhere else - a leaky valve stem, or some other place on the tire. In any case, what you should do is take it to a tire shop. They will wet the tire down with soapy water to locate the leak. Then, if it's in the tread portion of the tire, they can fix it with a plug, patch, or (best) combination plug-patch.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by k20roadrage &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If its a slow leak is it worth plugging or should I just buy a new one?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Unless the tire is really really worn and ready to be replaced anyway, it's almost always worth spending the money (typically $5-15) to have the leak properly repaired, assuming it's repairable.

 

^^ good advice.... but my advice is to do it yourself. buy a kit and learn to do it yourself, because its really easy, and you will appreciate if you ever get a flat again. a kit costs like $5 and it seriously takes about a minute to plug a tire, after you find the leak. (the soapy water is definitely the best way to find it). plus, with the $5 you spend on that kit, you can probably patch like 8 tires (lets hope you dont have to lol)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2008fijibluesi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">^^ good advice.... but my advice is to do it yourself. buy a kit and learn to do it yourself, because its really easy, and you will appreciate if you ever get a flat again. a kit costs like $5 and it seriously takes about a minute to plug a tire, after you find the leak. (the soapy water is definitely the best way to find it). plus, with the $5 you spend on that kit, you can probably patch like 8 tires (lets hope you dont have to lol)</TD></TR></TABLE>

A do-it-yourself plug is not as secure as a combination plug-patch. To install the latter, you have to dismount the tire, which means it's not a DIY job. But at $5-15, it's not very expensive to have a pro do it for you.