On rare occasions, a damaged tire can be repaired instead of replaced, but as we said, these occasions are rare. The tire damage must meet certain requirements in order for us here at Scotty’s Automotive to be able to patch the tire instead of putting a new one on your automobile. We’re going to discuss below when a tire can be repaired and when it should be replaced. The most important thing to keep in mind is that your tires are a crucial part of your vehicle’s safety, so safety first when it comes to deciding whether to repair or replace your tire.
When the Tire Can Be Repaired
Part of what determines whether a tire can be repaired or needs to be replaced is the tire damage itself. Punctures need to be measured to see if they are able to be patched or if they are too big. The general rule is that a tire can be patched if the puncture wound is no bigger than 1/4-of-an-inch. This measurement is the diameter of the puncture. In other words, if your tire has been pierced by a small nail that has a diameter of less than 1/4-of-an-inch, we can likely repair it.
Attire can also be repaired if it has multiple punctures, but the punctures must meet a certain criterion. In this case, if you have more than one puncture in a tire, all of the puncture wounds must be more than 16 inches apart. If you have two punctures that are less than 16 inches apart, we cannot repair the tire. We will have to replace the tire in this case because it does not meet the safety criteria for repairing it.
When the Tire Must Be Replaced
Aside from the 16-inch rule discussed above, attire cannot be repaired if the puncture or damage has occurred to the shoulder or sidewall of the tire. The shoulder areas of your tires are the inner and outer edges of the tire tread. The sidewall of the tire is the side. If there is any damage to these specific areas, it’s safer to replace your tire than to repair it. The repair will not hold.
You must also replace the tire if it has serious damage. Serious damage includes punctures that are larger than 1/4-of-an-inch, slashes, cracks to the sidewall, or any other damage to the tire. Unfortunately, it’s just not safe to try to repair a tire that has been seriously damaged. This tire needs to be replaced.
If you’ve picked up a nail or have other tire damage, call Scotty’s Automotive in Montague, NJ, today. We can repair or replace your tire.
