So as is normal with my great timing, right after I get my car, I ran over something and picked up a nail in my drivers front tire. It is a SLOW leak that went from 33psi down to 26psi over two days. These tires have literally 1000miles on them so buying a new one is just painful out of principle.

Is it worth it to patch it? Will a patch stand up to 170mph on the autobahn?

 

Just thinking outloud - and I'm not a tire guy - if I'm driving 170mph - I'm gonna be sure I'm on tires that do not have any punctures. $500 tire...or the worse outcome.... I'll pick the $500 tire every time.

 

Yea I am going to get it replaced, just commiserating on my luck....

 

What he said....

 

There is no option. I would never patch a tire on a car that I planned on "driving" at any high rate of speed.

 

Bummer! The tire industry association (TIA) likely wouldn't recemmond a patch on this type speed rated tire. Does it happen, sure, but I wouldn't do it.

 

I've done a plug patch for years. In fact many dealers perform the work and I've never heard of a failure. I've asked many Porsche tech buddies and they have not either.
I have no problem doing a plug patch for a tire I drive on the road. I would recommend against doing so for track use but that is due to the heat the tire will undergo as well as the constant flexing.

Of course the size of the hole and location are critical to your decision. I world stay away from eiter a sidewall or corner repair. Also the prep work is important as well as good adhesive.

Walt

 

I have had both my rears patched now and I searched around online for as much information as I could find about how it could be a safety issue on a high performance car at high speeds and I only found conjecture.

I recall actually coming up with some comments about people patching race tires and not running into issues.

If anyone has anything credible to cite on the topic, I'd certainly like to hear it.

 

It is definately in the tread of the tire, almost dead center. I found the guilty screw last night. I am going to run the car to the dealer and see what they think.

 

I believe this article highlights the point I was trying to make, which would be aligned to what you would find from TIA.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=77

Of course it's not easy to accept purchasing replacement tires at the cost we face, especially when the existing tires has plenty of tread left, but for full disclosure to the OP at least you're aware of how the manufacturer of the tire may react to a claim raised on a speed rated tire like yours that has been damaged/repaired. Please note, I'm not trying to anger anyone, as many have testified they have patched and experienced no affect, but again pointing to what TIA and the manufacturer would say.

This is more 101 of high performance speed rated tires tires and should be standard communication when going to a reputable repair facility for the fix.

 

Ordered the new tire.