Can RFTs be patched?

[Juan Powerblow]

Hi. I had a puncture on my RFT today and was grateful that even after the warning came on, I could drive all the way from KLCC to Lim Tayar @ TTDI for a patch. I was told by an expert that it is not advisable for RFTs to be patched, something to do with the entire make-up of the tyre being different and non-homogenous. Can someone confirm this?

 

[maxxsp]

officially they cant be patched.
the reason why RFTs are not normally patched is because the sidewalls may have been damaged from driving with low/no pressure.

 

[Juan Powerblow]

officially they cant be patched.
the reason why RFTs are not normally patched is because the sidewalls may have been damaged from driving with low/no pressure.

Thanks! I was wondering though if the sidewalls are damaged, I should be able to "feel" it but I don't feel anything abnormal. If this is the case, RFTs don't make economical sense at all, shucks!

Anyone got feedback from using patched RFTs?

 

[Juan Powerblow]

officially they cant be patched.
the reason why RFTs are not normally patched is because the sidewalls may have been damaged from driving with low/no pressure.

Thanks! I was wondering though if the sidewalls are damaged, I should be able to "feel" it but I don't feel anything abnormal. If this is the case, RFTs don't make economical sense at all, shucks!

Anyone got feedback from using patched RFTs?

 

[astroboy]

Quikflyer's 1-series was patched at AB Glenmaries for I think RM20, no problem ma.

If I manufacture or sell tyres, I would educate all my customers to never patch their tyres, be it RFT or tubeless. Reason being once a tyre is punctured, it serves as a weak point to the tyre construction. That's a recipe for tyre explosion at stressed out high speed run.

I don't think maxxsp's concern is real because say you normally pump 30psi, the moment kena paku and leak, the indicator would prolly illuminates when its deflated to say... 28psi, which is a very safe pressure to run the tyre for the next.... 2,000km without damaging the tyre wall. So why the worry? Unless you continue to drive, ignoring the RFT alarm for months and didn't even bother to refill the lost pressure, then I rest my case la..

Worn tyre wall can quite easily be seen from the outside surface... you surely won't have a terrible inside surface with a perfect outer surface.. I'm sure if any internal worn will some how have sign externally but to be on the safe side, like what any "honest" tyre shop will tell u, never patch your tyres!

 

[Jules]

worn tyres walls may not be so visible from outside.......this is from personal experience. Remove tyre from rim and if you rubber shreds falling out - u r screwed. best is check inside walls properly. ( external too which could already show cracks )

tyre repairs via plugs are ok mostly cos we dun do constant >160kph runs. Done properly, the plug seat firmer onto hole due to centrifugal force at increased speeds.

However if u do many highspeed runs, change lor for peace of mind.

 

[astroboy]

...tyre repairs via plugs are ok mostly cos we dun do constant >160kph runs. Done properly, the plug seat firmer onto hole due to centrifugal force at increased speeds.

However if u do many highspeed runs, change lor for peace of mind.

The key point is this.."tyre repairs via plugs are ok mostly cos we dun do constant >160kph runs."

"...plug seat firmer onto hole due to centrifugal force at increased speeds..." ~ this however is true but its forcing onto the wound and may cause the wound to escalate into an explosion.. .... again at very high speed la.. I still won't recommend high speed run on such tyre with "injured" surface, despite patched.

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Thanks Bros! What would constitute "high speeds" though. I do occassionally do 140s when I get tionged.

 

[David Yong]

Anyone got feedback from using patched RFTs?

JPB, I have patched my RFT before previously when I was on RFT and so far so good. No problem

 

[astroboy]

...What would constitute "high speeds" though. I do occassionally do 140s when I get tionged.

Dunno le.. all my other cars patched tyres have done a common speed of 140kph.. no problem also. We need white rat to push the threshold further and see what is the average patched tyre disintegrate point.. u are welcome to be one..

I only know the higher the speed, the higher the stress on the tyre. The "injured" surface will give way first should a tyre disintegration occurs. :smokin: Common sense..

 

[Quikflyer]

Quikflyer's 1-series was patched at AB Glenmaries for I think RM20, no problem ma.

Just a point to clarify - I patched it at a tyre shop near AB Glenmarie, not in AB itself...the technician told me that 'officially' RFT shouldn't be patched for safety reasons, etc etc And yes, for Rm20 which I thought was cheap, compared to about Rm1500 per tyre or something

But so far...no issues after patching my RFTs...since then...the max I went was about 170km/h...still ok :stupid: come to think of it...quite dangerous...didn't thought of my patched RFTs.

It was just a small screw though...

 

[cempaka]

Actually it really depends on the location of the puncture. you cannot say all punctures/repairs dangerous etc. because each one is unique depending on type and location. Punctures on the central part of the tread are generally safe to repair and use even at higher speeds because of the steel radial ply construction used there.

For those that have never seen a tire dissected, it means that there is steel fiber embedded into the tread rubber. This means there is strong resistance to disintegration there. The most common puncture in this area is running over a nail or something as not much else (not glass, sharp stones etc) can even puncture it there because of the steel. Thus even if your patch were to somehow come out which is rather unlikely, you would experience gradual deflation rather than explosion.

However, the sidewall of regular tires is not reinforced with steel because it needs to flex. This makes punctures in this area impossible to safely repair because there is no support for the patch and no "backup" if it fails. It also means that if part of the sidewall fails, the rest can quickly disintegrate which is the classic tire blowout. Punctures near the corners, between the sidewall and tread may or may not be possible to patch depending on location but carry increased risk for obvious reasons.

RFTs are basically designed to give tread style strength to the sidewalls while maintaining low enough mass and enough flexibility to drive with. Repairing a center tread puncture on one should be ok if not much mileage was done in the deflated state. However, if you drive a deflated RFT for a long distance before fixing it (100+ km or so, depends on tire) then repair is not advisable because the sidewall may have been permanently weakened, as maxxsp said.

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Thanks Cempaka, I feel a lot better now! Your explanation made sense to me and was what I thought too.

 

[oligokoko]

agree with cempaka. as d other guy said, we cant c d damage of d sidewall until we open up d tyre n c d small rubber balls inside. so i think d safest way is dont patch rft tyres. but i do recommend patching it due to d price of tyre is expensive

But when patching, please choose to patch from inside. it may cause u sumwhere around rm30+ at lim tayar ttdi, but it is safer coz they need to open up d tyre 1st to patch frm inside. when they open it up, they can clean the small balls inside. n d technicians also can recommend d cust to change d tyre if they c d damage is really2 worst.

or u can c it n judge 4 urself. plus technically, patching from inside is more strongger coz d method used is almost similar to d " tampal tayar motor", which means tht d part they tampal is much larger than d puncture. d plug type is not recommended coz to put in d plug, as been said by astroboy, they force it into d puncture. + when d puncture is too small for d plug, they force open d wound to let d plug into it. n this will more likely b d weak spot for ur tyre. plus, d plug type can be seen clearly at d tyre tread, which also might come out when travelling long distance @ high speeds (ive seen this happen b4).

so d conclusion of all of my babbling here is, if u want 2 patch ur rft tyre, patch it from inside for ur own safety. it may cost u double frm d plug type, but it is safer. :top:

 

[pion]

...had my front RFT tyre repaired. Puncture caused by a screw near the sidewall. Air loss was minimal bcos immediately went to pump air when the sensor lit up. Repair was done with insertion of sticky rubber thread. RM5 repair.

Anyway.. thought i share wat i found with u all :

http://www.bmw-sg.com/forums/suspension-brake-tyres-rims-section/6112-run-flats-repair-change.html

 

[Rahmath]

Hi,

This evening I found a small nail sticking out on the sidewall of my RFT.

Can someone please advise if I should pull it out myself or drive to a tyre shop and get them to pull it out and patch the tyre for me? I gather from this thread that it is ok (but not recommended) to patch RFTs.

Thanks

 

[astroboy]

Side wall? How it gets there?

 

[mohdazlanabas]

Juan,
To answer your question yes, RFT tyre canbe patched. But do not go to Generic Tyre shop or BMW service center. Call the manufacturer direct continental for instance and ask them the suggested tyre dealer shop. Go there, they will assess and patch if can. The repair is patching not plugging. But beware the the longer you drive running flat the lesser the chances it can be patch. Although patched depending on the damage, the higher speed you go excedding 200km/h the more chances the patch might come off due to heat. My suggestion, once detect tire flat immediately fix it patch it. Run in, thelonger the oatch get to stabilize the better it will stick. Si far I have one succesfull patch one fail one, so no one definite solutuion here.

 

[Rahmath]

{Side wall? How it gets there?}

@Astroboy: I suspect someone hammered it in! It's a very small nail and so far the pressure is holding. I just hope there isn't much damage.

I'll take it to the tyre shop after work today and let you guys know the outcome.

Thanks

 

[astroboy]

Wow~! Normally when tyre shop sees side wall damage, I don't advise patching.