So i picked up a screw sometime last week and had a slow leak that turned into an over night flat...

17 dollars later and about 30 minutes the local shop put a "plug" in the screw hole and told me it was all better....

How effective are these plugs? I was in a hurry to get some other stuff done so I did not stop and play 20 questions (yea I am that stupid)..

Any thoughts on Tire Plugs?

 

I've used tire plugs in the past and never had issues with them. Very easy to do and lasted a long time for me.

 

I prefer the plug patch. It does require the tire be removed from the rim, but...

 

I carry plugs and the couple of tools you need for them in my vehicle all the time. I've plugged a couple of my tires in the past and a few tires for family and friends with no problems what so ever. For some reason, people think the patch is better, and it may be, but I've never heard of anyone having a problem with plugs and in my own experience I've had none.

For the price you paid to have your tire plugged you could buy the tools and plugs and still have a few bucks left over. Cheap insurance when out on/off the road.

 

what is this? They did remove the tire from the rim, as apparent with the yellow marks on the location of the valve

 

See the attached picture. It is basically a patch that has a stem on it. The hole is marked, then a special bit is used to enlarge the hole and clean it out to allow the patch to work effectively. The inside of the tire is cleaned and roughened up to accept the patch much like a conventional surface patch in terms of prep work. THIS ARTICLE from Tirerack.com explains more about it.

Don't get me wrong, a plug kit will get your by in a pinch and is easy to do on the road if you have a small compressor with you to pump the tire back up.