How Long Does It Take To Fix A Flat Tire?
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Flat tires are one of those problems that everyone experiences and no one wants to deal with. No matter when it happens, flat tires are always inconvenient, and they may even be difficult to handle. But what about repairing flat tires? How long does it take to fix a flat tire? How can mechanics tell when a tire can be patched and when it needs to be replaced? What are the signs that your tires need replacement soon?
Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with this article. We’ll cover how long it takes to fix a flat tire, repairable and non-repairable flats, and signs that your tire is worn out and likely to go flat soon.
Can All Flat Tires Be Repaired?
No, not all flat tires are repairable. Tire patches only work in a fairly narrow range of situations, usually when the puncture or leak in your tire is small, smooth, and easy to locate. Other kinds of damage like rough tears, large punctures, and unidentifiable leaks may not be patchable. In fact, attempting to patch some types of damage may not just fail but also leaves your tire (and wheels) vulnerable to additional damage when the patch fails.
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What Kinds Of Tire Damage Can Be Repaired?
Usually, if your tire only has one small, damaged section, like a nail puncture, your tire can be patched successfully. Even if your tire has multiple damaged areas, it might still be repairable as long as the damage is at least 16 inches apart.
Punctures also need to be in the tread area of your tire to be repaired. Wall punctures and punctures to other areas of the tire aren’t repairable because the non-tread area of your tire isn’t as sturdy and durable.
However, most other kinds of damage are considered non-repairable since a repaired tire will always be an increased safety risk. That means sidewall damage, large rips or tears, and tread separation are all non-repairable kinds of tire damage. Any of those problems may cause a flat tire, so if you’re wondering how long does it take to fix a flat tire, you should first ask yourself if your tire can be repaired at all.
How Long Does It Take To Fix A Flat Tire?
Fixing a flat tire isn’t usually a difficult job. Most tires, if they are repairable, can be repaired quickly and easily. Most mechanics and tire shops can perform simple repairs, which is good since you only need to get your car to the nearest shop after a flat.
However, you don’t ever want to rush a flat tire repair. Rushed repairs, or repairs that aren’t designed to last, can leave you in a worse situation than when your tire went flat in the first place. That’s why most mechanics don’t recommend DIY flat tire solutions; they aren’t as reliable.
For most kinds of repairable damage, it takes about 40 minutes to an hour to repair the hole. That gives enough time to locate the damage, evaluate it, repair your tire if possible, and test the repair.
How Are Flat Tires Repaired
Repairable tires usually have one small hole, somewhere in the tread of the tire, that’s smooth-sided and unlikely to tear further. That’s the kind of repair we’ll focus on trying to answer how long does it take to fix a flat tire.
Finding the Hole
The first step, of course, is locating the hole in the tire and making sure it’s in a repairable location and of a repairable size. What sizes are repairable doesn’t necessarily increase as your tires get bigger. That’s because tire repairs can only hold if they are relatively small, and the larger the hole is, the less stable a repair is likely to be.
Clean the Area
The next step is to clean out the area around the hole. Flat tires are repaired with tar, so it’s important to make sure the tar bonds with the rubber of the tire instead of debris or dirt in the hole.
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Scraping and Scoring
Scraping the inside of a hole in your tire might seem counter-productive, but it’s an important part of the repair process. Scoring the inside of the hole provides extra texture for the tar to bond with, making the finished patch a lot stronger.
Sealing the Inner Liner
Tires have several different layers, and the inner layer is just as important as the outer tread. A good tire patch helps seal the inner layer, helping maintain air pressure without bubbling the tire and preventing future flats from leaks.
Plugging the Hole
The last step in setting a patch is inserting tar into the rubber to fill the hole. The tar has to be able to reach all sides of the hole and bond with them, which is why the scoring step is so important. The patch also has to cool and set so that it’s roughly the same hardness and flexibility as the surrounding rubber; otherwise, it would crack quickly after you got back on the road.
It’s also important to make sure the patch has similar heat resistance to the surrounding rubber. If it doesn’t heat up and cool down at a similar rate, the tar will shrink and expand at different rates, putting strain on the edges of the patch and making it much more likely to break.
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Do Store-Bought Patching Kits Work?
There are quite a few different options for DIY tire patching kits that you can buy at most auto parts supply stores. However, these patching kits are rarely reliable and can be unsafe. Plug-only or patch-only repair kits don’t offer the strength of professional tire repair services. String plug repair kits are usually a little more reliable, but they still don’t offer the strength of a professional patch.
Spray on sealants and other alternatives might be good for getting your vehicle to a mechanic or a tire shop, but they aren’t good for long-term fixes. Many sealants are only good for a few miles, which means they are best used as a short-term solution, especially when a spare tire isn’t available and a tow isn’t practical.
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