Many people end up damaging their tyres by improper methods of tyre repair and today we are here to discuss some safe methods and tools. You will find many such useful tools from these best websites for online car accessories.
Do tyre repair kits ruin the tyre?
This depends. If you use some dangerous tools to repair your tyres with improper methods then your tyres can get ruined and you may need to replace them. So, let us start with what can ruin our tyres.
Here’s how you can repair your tyres like a professional:
Tyre repair procedures
The tyre manufacturers have joined up with a group called the rubber manufacturer association and they have established tyre repair standards. There are three things that everybody need to do:
Rule 1
Dismount the tyre and inspect it. First, we need to inspect the tyre for histories or any previous injuries. If it has a “non-rma repair” inside the tyre then you have to discard the tyre and buy a new one as these are not meant to be repaired.
Rule 2
Fill injury. The next rule is to fill all the injuries with a vulcanized stem product and also a patch on the inside which is going to seal the air from leaking out.
Rule 3
Seal innerliner with a repair unit to prevent air loss. You are also limited by where you can repair the tyre at. You need to stay in between the tread belt and if the injury is over a quarter of an inch then you can’t repair it.
In India, these will not mean anything but keeping these rules in mind can protect you from accidents and abrupt breakdown of your tyres on a trip.
Let us start with the repair:
- Mark the area of puncture where the nail has penetrated or a hole has developed. A good way to mark the area is by crosshair. This way you can find the leak even after removing the nail.
On the inside, use a torch to find the hole or you won’t be able to see what you are looking for. After you’ve found where the injury is, mark it so that you can find it later. Follow the same crosshair marking pattern.
- Then we will remove the nail straight with a pair of diagonal cutters. After that, we will use our probe to determine the angle of injury and the diameter of the injury. We need to make sure that the injury is straight through as that will determine whether we should use a one piece repair or a two piece repair.
If the angle of injury is more than 25-deg to the tread center then you should use a two piece repair. Otherwise, the sealing will not be proper and there will be air leak.
Final preparation steps for repair
- Clean the inside of the tyre on the affected area with the pre buff cleaner and scraper. Apply the liquid and then scrap with the scraping tool. Do it a couple of times. We are trying to get the silicone out here.
- Use a low speed buffer tool and drill the affected area. Do it from both the inside and outside about three times.
- Remove the carbide cutting tool from the buffing equipment and insert the buffing rasp. Start buffing the inside upto a velvet look. Take care not to expose or damage tyre casing body flies.
You need to buff until the shiny gray color is gone in the injured area. The color that should appear is a matte black color. Any gray area prenet will not let the repair sticker bond properly and it will not last long.
- Use a brass brush to brush off any rubber dust and dirt from the affected area so that the glue can bond better. You can also wipe with a cloth. If you have used a damp cloth then dry it out before repairing the tyre.
The repair process
- Next, we will apply cement to the injury channel. We will take the probe and dip it in the cement solution and insert it in the injury channel a few times.
Then apply the cement in a stifling around action in the surrounding area of th whole. Let it dry for a few minutes before proceeding to the next step.
- Now, take a single piece repair plug and uncover the inside plastic glue cover and don’t touch the glue part. Slowly insert the plug and pull the rubber part from outside with a pair of tweezers. Pull as much as you need to and leave it. It will seal naturally.
- The last step is to cut out any extra rubber part that is peeping in the outside. That is not required and should be cut off as if it gets caught somewhere it can damage the seal.
That’s how you should properly repair your tyre so that you do not ruin the tyre. After repairing the tyre, you need to inflate it. Here’s the best tyre inflator in India which you should use to get an accurate air pressure in your tyres.
