repairing toyos

[nick-91Z]

Is there any general consensous on the "repairability" of the toyos?

 

I "nailed" one of them. the nail went in at about a 45* angle. I used a push-in plug for a day or two, then had a tire shop install a "patch plug" which is a flat patch with a rubber stem attached..the rubber stem is pulled through the hole and then trimmed off. from what I've read it's the safest/only repair method approved for speed rated tires whereas the speed rating can be maintained and the tire is safe. It looks "ugly" to me but I'm not experienced in these things... The 'scar' on the tread is due to the shallow entry angle of the nail, the actual puncture is a typical framing nail size.

 

Anyways, I just wanted to post a few pictures and make sure (A) this looks OK and (B) it's safe? it doesn't leak/bubble air, so at least it's air tight.

 

[Guest]

I'd do some serious research and before racing on that again. Once upon a time patching tires lost a speed rating on the tire. That may not be true any more...but those concepts are meant for street applications, not racing where everything is on edge the whole time.

 

Lets look at it from another angle...lets say that tire is worth $150. Lets say a blowout at speed costs you $3000. (not far fetched...it could cost you a pile more!). That means its worth changing that tire if the probability of failure is in the 5% range. That's pretty low. I'd change it unless I found actual evidence of patch/plugs being acceptable for road racing (not auto-cross, not roundy round on the dirt...you get the idea)

[Tony G]

The other thing you have to be careful of is the heat factor, since in race conditions they get super hot.

I do know of race tires that have been patched and worked fine for the life of the tire,but as said above,you could be taking a slight chance.

Put it on the rear for sure,and watch it close after a few times on the track,then make a determination.

Good luck!

Tony

[Richard Pryor1548534703]

manohman...I sure don't want to be racing next to a guy that can't or won't spend $150 for a new tire...what other safety items have you skimped on? or is your driving judgment as bad as your safety considerations...scary...and it isn't even Halloween yet...rp

[nick-91Z]

don't worry guys, this tire will never find it's way into a CMC event.

 

they are on my 71 camaro on 16x8 wheels. I know the car is off topic for the board, but I figured since these are the exact tires you guys and gals use, it is fair game and would be useful discussion for everyone. (hope i'm right in that assumption - if not, my apologizies).

 

The short short version of the story is that I picked up the nail with only 40 or so miles on the tire. Kind of hard to bite the bullet and toss a brand new tire when the sticker isn't even worn off yet.

 

Once the car is into shape for silver state classic or driving school at thunder hill (or any competition event), then I will need to replace the tire, absolutely. By the time the car is ready for that...I'll probably be on my second set of RA1's by then anyways. It's a long term project car.

 

My main reason for posting was to determine if this tire is known to be unsafe to patch at all, since I don't have much experience with the RA1's or "competition" tires in general.

 

i know the picture looks bad. The treadblock damage doesn't go past the tread, the tire wasn't gashed open. the nail entered in the groove where the plug is, and created a clean single puncture through the tire. the nail body (the half sticking out of the tire) was flattened into the treadblock and that is what damaged the treadblock. if that damage went deeper than the treadblock, I woudln't have even bothered to have it repaired, and would have just replaced it. As it is, I'm still sceptical (hence this post).

 

i won't ask for thoughts/opinions on the street use of this tire (seems too far off topic to me) but I wanted to at least clarify my post.

 

thanks everyone.

[Keith]

I personally wouldn't use a tire with a patch on the track. Just me.

 

However, at my first-ever track day at Nelsons Ledges a few years ago (not a NASA event), a guy was there with a modified early 70's 455ci Trans Am. The car was heavy, with full interior and very fast. He got a flat and took the tire out for repair. It was patched and I asked if he was going back out. He said "yes, of course". I watched him proceed to pass everything on the track without incident. I was truly surprised given how hard he was pushing it and how heavy that car was...

 

Just information I suppose.

 

If you want to get an "official" statement from a reliable source, call Toyo.

[kincy]

Since you can patch street tires generally without incident, I would probably not worry about the patch if you are in fact using the car for simple street use only.

 

I certainly wouldn't want to be on that tire 5 wide after an inverted start in Turn 2 of California Speedway at a buck 45, however.

 

Perry