Interesting. Why is this? Both the flat tires I've had on the Mustang have been the result of nails in the rear tires. In thinking back to other cars, IIRC most were in the rear.

 

When the front tire passes over a nail or screw, it flips it up. Pointy end up when the back tire goes over it. That's my theory anyway.

 

↑↑↑ Sounds about right, and I've heard the same thing from other sources.

For anything long term, I wouldn't put different tires on the same axle, as even the dry handling characteristics won't be quite the same in left vs right turns. I have run fronts different from rears, same size all around, and just that alters the handling up around the car's cornering limits enough to notice.


Norm

 

If it was a side wall I would understand them telling you it was damaged and needing a new tire , likely they would not even attempt to fix it. Any place in the tread is different, and while a plug is a temporary solution a puncture should almost always be patched from the inside. The vulcanization of the patch welds it to the inside of the tire and the air pressure combined should last the life of the tire.

 

You should not repair a puncture on the tread if it is close to either the outer or the inner sidewall--too much flexing. Usually a shop won't repair a tire if the puncture is in the groove closest to either the outer or the inner sidewall. The patch seals the tire, and the plug keeps out moisture so the steel belts don't rust. In some cases you can use a mushroom type repair that combines the patch and the plug. One reason you need to demount the tire is to inspect for interior damage. Sometimes the nail will chew up the inside of the tire. If that happens, the tire is toast, regardless of where the puncture is on the tread.

 

Makes sense, mine is somewhere in between the center of the tire tread and the outside wall. Maybe they changed their policy, but i've had 2 tire patches from this same tire shop before and they're like "it's patched, good to go" and not "its pretty damaged, cant guarantee anything"

I barely inspected it, but where the plug was, it looked like the rubber was a bit eaten up, maybe it was a nasty screw. I'm just glad I ordered a cheap tire so that I dont have to worry (whether or not there was a chance of failure) about this sketchy tire.

These tires probably have 1-1.5 years left, but i'm ready to get new wheels and tires here in maybe 6 months. My saleen replicas are neat, but there are far cooler wheels out there


edit: probably get new wheels then lower it a bit after that






20inches: