Any tire shop professionals on this forum

Onefast99gsx · 10-03-2007

Hey guys, one of my front Yokohama Parada Spec2 tires has been losing air. I filled it on Sunday to 35 psi and yesterday it was down to less than 15# so I took it off to inspect it. Couldn't find a single issue with the road surface of it. Here I found about a 3/4" cut just above the normal side wall. I already ordered a tire on Monday but since this tire only has 3500 miles on it, I'd like to know if it could be repaired as spare. I don't know if where this cut is, that there are steel belting or whatever. The are not deformaties(bulges) of the sidewall from the damage the cut made. I've been read about patching from the inside where they run a patch from bead to bead. At $170 a tire I'd really like to use it later on down the road if needed. See attached pics.

Thanks for any info.

pecka · 10-04-2007

Well just by looking at those pictures it is sort of hard to tell where the cut exactly is. Depending on how high it is on the sidewall, it would be possible to put a patch-plug on it, but it's not 100% that it would hold. The patch that you are talking about that goes from bead to bead is called a boot. Not too many tire places use a boot anymore, and I dont think that would help you in your situation anyways. If I could get a better idea of exactly where it is at I could help you a little more on your situation.

b00stcreep21 · 10-04-2007

Where your cut is at is not going to be repairable according to RMA (rubber manufacturers of america) standards, and there are no steel belts there either. I wouldn't fix it. Sometimes shit like this just happens, but it's not worth trying to half ass it and just fix it and risking the tire blowing out on you. Where'd you buy the tire at?

polishmafia · 10-04-2007

that tire does not look repairable. i doubt a plug would hold, and even then i wouldnt use that as a spare. sorry man, shit happens.

TheBlizzard · 10-04-2007

It is not repairable; generally the hole or tear has to be atleast 1" from where the tread ends towards the inside of the tire. If you plug or even patch it from the inside and its even close to where the tire flexes it will not stay plugged generally.

You would have to do it yourself as well if you wanted to fix it because most tire shops will not patch them unless they meet certain requirements.

Onefast99gsx · 10-04-2007

Dam that sucks! Well thanks for the replies guys. I was hoping anyways. The hole seems to be so small too. Off the car, it hardly leaks at all. But with the weight of the car, then it leaks. Wouldn't care if it had a bunch of miles on it but it's nearly brand new. I should have bought the extra road hazzard warranty. It's an extra $20 per tire but how do you know something like this is gonna happen. I have 14 days to get the road hazzard warranty with this tire that is coming today but I'm sure I couldn't just turn in the other(bad) tire under this new tires warranty. They probably have each tire serial numbered.

TheBlizzard · 10-04-2007

Those road hazzard warranties seem like a rip off or a bad idea at the time but I have seen it come in handy so many times for issues just like you had. The extra 80 bucks would have been worth it in your case.

Onefast99gsx · 10-04-2007

Yep. I agree. Next time around when I buy all 4, i'm going to get it. It would be especially worth it for these 35 profile tires where there is very little sidewall. I'm certain that it was a pot hole that I hit late last week that caused this. Hit a bad pot hole with a low pro tire = not good. Not enough sidewall to cushion the shock. I guess just chalk it off as a learning experience that I hope everyone else whom buys expensive street tires opts to buy the road hazzard warranty the next time they buy tires. My tire did come today and I did find a Dodge dealer that will mount it on Friday. It's tough to find anyone in town that will mount these kind of tires because of the low pro. Dodge sells many vehicles with large rims such as the SRT8 that comes with 20" wheels so they should be able to do my 19" even though it's a lower profile tire than the SRT. I told the man on the phone that he can cuss as much as he wanted at the tire during mounting, just don't nic up my rim

AwdGSX13 · 10-07-2007

i work for tires plus, and for one sidewall punctures are not fixable. and on the other note road hazzard isnt a bad idea for next time because in your case as long as their is 50 plus percent of the tread left they would replace it for free. After 50% its pro-rated. it also comes with free flat repairs and all that good jazz...also if needed i can get some good deals on tires and i can mount them for you even if they are a 35 or 30 series sidewall.

Onefast99gsx · 10-08-2007

I remember your offer for next time. Hopefully it will be later than sooner. I got it mounted on Friday at a nearby Dodge dealer. How much? ... $42 stinkin bucks! It was the only place in my immediate area that would even touch it. The last place I took the tires to for mounting was out of town @ $25 per tire. I was willing to pay the extra amount just to get it done for weekend riding. Had it been all 4, it would have been another story. Shoot me a PM on how much you guys are for Yokohama Parada Spec2 215/35/19"

Thanks.

AwdGSX13 · 10-09-2007

pm sent and also i believe we mount/dismount for about 20 bucks.