I ran into this recently with my car. A plug kit goes a long way toward helping with the problem.

I had a nail puncture the corner of the right rear tire and it ejected at some point going down the road. Unforntuately without the nail in the tire the fix-a-flat in the inflator kit was pretty much useless. However a trip to the parts store to pick up a plug kit solved the situation and ultimately the sensor wasn't damaged (since the sensor is strapped to the wheel and you dont have to inject the fix-a-flat through the sensor as well aa being farther away from the stuff in general complared to a stem mounted sensor).

Anyways, hoorah TPMS for saving the tire from catastrophic failure (it triggered when I was on the highway in the fast lane doing 70 mph+), I had enough time to pull over and save the tire. The only downside to this whole affair was having to go get the plug kit and now having to replace the fix-a-flat. The former is no big deal since I keep the kit in the car and I'll see about the latter. Hopefully Ford doesn't charge to much for the replacement bottle of goo.

On another note, a plug kit is only meant to be a temporary repair. Depending on the location of the puncture (in my case the tire was trash) further repair or replacement will be called for.

If the puncture is across the tread face about a 1/2" in or more a patch covering the plug on the inside of the tire will complete the job. The two are actually needed in conjunction to effectively repair a tire. A patch on the inside merely seals the inner liner and does nothing to seal the inner plies or exterior of the tire, a plug does just that but does nothing to address the inner liner.

 

Personally, going with a factory jack and components makes the most sense to me. Also, shop around and you'll find a scratched wheel or blem and pick that up, throw a reasonably priced all-season tire and throw it in your trunk. You can just as easily take it back out on weekend trips to the track, and you've got the peace of mind that you can manage if something happens on the road.

 

Hey Bob,

So are you stating that the TPMS will not be affected with the stock tire inflator kit. Your suggestion to pick up a plug kit sounds like good advice ! Much cheaper then shopping around for another rim/tire. thx!

 

I had a nail in my tire a couple years ago. I pulled the nail out and plugged it without removing the wheel from the car. Never lost a whisper of air for over a year after the plugging. Replaced all four tires due to normal wear.

 

A plug voids the speed rating of a tire.

 

Yep, a big no-no for track day vehicles. Plug & patch ONLY or tire replacement via tire warranty.

 

The only time a tire place will use a 'patch' to fix a leak is if the hole is 'too big' to plug. At least thats how they do it in Clinton Tennessee LOL!!!

 

If you go in to a place and ask them to plug & patch a tire and they say no, find another tire repair shop.