Strictly Taboo: Some Truck Tire Injuries Aren't Repairable

By Mike Manges  Knowing what medium and heavy truck tire injuries can and cannot be repaired ensures customer satisfaction, minimizes expensive comebacks and in many cases, protects dealers from possible tire failure-driven lawsuits. What injuries are beyond salvage? Modern Tire Dealer posed the question to several industry-renown tire repair experts. Here are the answers:  Repair no-no's "You cannot perform a nailhole repair outside a tire's crown area, says Kevin Rohlwing, Senior Vice President of Education & Technical Services at Tire Industry Association/TIA. The crown is defined as "anywhere from an inch to an inch-and-a-half from either shoulder --- basically, the center of the truck tire. Anything outside the crown area, including all injuries to the shoulder and sidewall, are considered section repairs."  Nailhole injuries within a tire's crown are are repairable (above). However, any damage outside the crown area should be treated as a section repair, experts say. Injuries that occur near belt edges also should be treated as section repairs. "Belt edges are very sensitive," Rohlwing says. "Any damage that isn't properly removed can contribute to belt separation." Sidewall injuries must not exceed one-and-a-half inches in width by three and one-eighth inches in length. "The width measurement is always taken by measuring in the running direction of the tire," says Bill Johnson, Director of Worldwide Training for Tech International. "The length is measured from bead to bead." Any tire with an injury exceeding one-and-a-half inches in width should be taken off the highway and downgraded to yard tractor or pick-up and delivery applications, Johnson says. "These operations place less stress on the tire." Also, never exceed two section repairs per tire for line-haul operations.  Injuries within 2.5 inches of the bead area should not be fixed, according to Jerry Davis, Director of Retreading and Heavy Materials for 31 Inc. You can try, "but the tire will flex and torque and, running under heat build-up, eventually explode. These types of failures tend to be very catastrophic, leading to possible loss of vehicle control." Sidewall injuries should not exceed one-and-a-half inches in width by three and one-eighth inches in length Tires that exhibit bead area damage should be scrapped, he says. And trying to fix separation is a "no-no" though the practice was more common during the days of bias ply truck tires. "Radials are less forgiving. You have to understand what you're doing when you're working with them."  By the book: Use extreme caution when fixing medium and heavy commercial truck tires. Always plug and patch using a rubber stem repair unit, according to Rohlwing. "I don't care if it's a 1/16t-inch finishing nail in the center of the tread. There's no exception."  Follow tiremakers' guidelines when fixing tires, he says. "The tire manufacturer determines a tire's repair limits. They make the rules." Also heed instructions provided by tire repair material manufactures. "all tire repair material manufacturers publish charts that basically state, "'for an injury of this size, this is the patch you should use,'" says Jeff Young, National Sales Manager for Patch Rubber Co. "They're constantly reviewed and updated as tire patches change." It's tempting to improvise out in the field, he says. "but if you do it wrong, there's a good chance of failure. There's a procedure and a reason for what we do to insure that a tire performs the way it should."  DOT ON THE PROWL "Many truck operators don't want to fix anything bigger than a nailhole injury because they're getting so much flak from the Department of Transportation (DOT), " says Jerry Davis, Director of Retreading and Heavy Materials for Newcomerstown, Ohio-based 31 Inc.   The DOT, he says, is looking to fine truckers for improper tire repairs. "They're armed to the teeth and ready," he explains --- especially in the wake of the Firestone recall. This article originally appeared in MODERN TIRE DEALER. Reprinted with permission.

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