Kinda silly I know but bare with me here... So I pull into the parking lot at work this am and as I backinto my spot I seet he rear tire is going flat. Turns out a 1" long piece of wood about the size of a #2 pencile stabed the tire inbetween the tread. The Shell station I took it to simply stuffed a plug into the hole the wood made, cliped the excess, aired it up and mounted the tire back on my rig Now thease tires are factory w/25K miles on them, the dirvers rear is the wounded one( I never have rotated them). DO you guys think this plug is the correct way to seal the tire? Should I worry at all about a blowout before the tire is replaced down the road? Is removing the tire from the wheel and patching the inside any better than inserting a plug? I guess if it starts to leak then i know the guy (old, very old asian guy) didn't do it right? Just got me thinking that the tire is less than the other 3 now that it has a battel scar
Depends on how big the hole is really. Most of the time I just have plugs put into our tires that get poked around the ranch. I wouldn't worry about it if it holds air.
ya it's holding as of now so...no worries Upgrade! Yup...soooon I will prolly only go one size bigger...from the 245s to 265s or whatever the numbers are. I will remain stock with my suspension so I think I read somewere that anything bigger than a 265 will rub with stock setup... anyone confirm this for me? what is a good all terrain E rated tire?
You can Easily fit 285-75-16s on your truck without rubbing. They will fill your wheelwells much better than 265s. I know a few guys running 285s on stock 2500hds with no rubbing. As for tires, I have always liked the BFG All-Terrain, but I have also begun to like the Nitto Terra Grappler as well. I am considering the Nittos for my truck. Here is a link to National tire and Wheels website. They have the Nittos for about 125 and the BFGS are like 180 I think. http://www.ntwonline.com/acb/showde...7814650&st3=50068180&Product_ID=1372&CATID=10
Actually, 285/75-16 is about 33" tall and will fit the '01-'02 HDs with no trimming and only a little reshape of the driver's inner fender. It doesn't rub there unless you are backing, turning just right, and hit the brakes. Basically, there is a little squarish part that looks like some sort of box was intended to go behind it, but there is nothing there. I turned my tires to the point where they would rub, stuck some 2x4s in there to stretch it out, and put a heat gun on it till it deformed somewhat flat. Left the 2x4s in there till it cooled, took them out and had about 1" of clearance. On the '03+, the wheel opengin is slightly smaller. 265/75-16s fit fine, but 285s rub on the bumper valance a bit. Most people get away with nothing but trimming the corner off of the valance and slight reshaping on the inner fender. At least that is what I recall, but I never did one of those... [Edit] On the plugs, I'm really not up on the latest, but I had a tire plugged a while back and I liked what they did a lot better than the regular "rope" plugs. Basically they had a "plug" that looked sorta like a mushroom and went in from the back side. They scuffed the insided, coated the mushroom cap bottom and stem with glue, pulled it through the hole and rolled down the "cap" on the inside, then trimmed the "stem". I think it would be hard to beat that for a semi-permanent repair.
Why do you want bigger/different tires and wheels? I like your aluminum rims a lot, they look great for stock equipment. I could see going with a smoother running Michelin or something but why an A/T? I originally wanted to lift my truck a couple of inches but like the factory alums. just enough to keep them for a while. I might do some stock size Weld Super Singles one day but I think I'm going to keep my LTX M/S's. They ride great, are quiet, and are "E" rated. I hardly ever go offroad and when I do 4wd is plenty anyway.
Not wheels, just tires. I think the facotry wheels are fine. As for why A/T is just cuz I like a more aggressive tread for dirt roads,camping and gettin to the trail head when towing my K5. Not too aggressive to were I loose the E rating or towing aspect of the tire but I don't want a straight bald looking towrig tire imp:
It is my understanding that plugs are illegal in California. The tire is supposed to be removed and patched from the inside. I would not feel safe with a plug in an LT truck tire that is used for heavy towing. But maybe that's just me.
