Mushroom Plug Durability

[DeweyIsgod]

I picked up a nail last week in my rear PR2. The tire has 5000 miles on it with plenty of mileage left. The nail punctured the inside one of the grooves in the tread. Luckily, it must have been close to home because I didn't notice it until the next morning when a visual inspection prompted further investigation. I was able to install the plug so that it sits well below the tread (road contact shouldn't be pushing it inward). The tire is holding air perfectly over 4 days and 80+ miles since repair.

The box of mushroom plugs explicitly says - "for emergency use - don't exceed 100 miles." However, I know many who've rode on sticky string repairs until the next tire change. Is the box label just a CYA message or can it go longer.

 

[Toecutter]

5. Put (with glue) a sticky string plug in there, then keep it under 160 for the rest of that tire's life.

 

[tcfjr]

5. Put (with glue) a sticky string plug in there, then keep it under 160 for the rest of that tire's life.

That's what I do...

 

[JamesK]

I've "finished" off (1000s of miles) at least two tires with mushroom plugs in them. Never had a problem running them at triple digit speeds. And at the end of the day this is the REAR tire, so even it somehow it starts to deflate it's very controllable...BTDT

 

[NMRoadRunner]

I ran a plug for about 4500 miles before changing out both tires when they needed it. Didn't do alot of triple digits, but then I don't most of the time anyway. I don't need to get there that soon, and would like to get there alive when I do.

 

[rickcorwn]

With less than 1,000 mile on a PR2 I got a nail and plugged it with a mushroom style plug. Before I went another 1,000 miles I got another, this one like yours was in the tread groove. At somewhere around 7,000 miles the second one began a slow leak that got progressively worse. I re-plugged without any other trouble until I replaced it at about 10,000 miles.

YMMV, but you knew that.

 

[user 213]

My take on mushroom plugs is that they are installed w/o glue and do not vulcanize to the tire. For that reason, sometimes they wear/age and pop out, resulting in tire deflation. It's my opinion that this is the reason for the warning about emergency use and I treat them as only good to the next place I can better repair or replace the tire, dictated by the damage. I don't carry mushroom plugs, only sticky strings. That said, there are times when both are handy.

OTOH, sticky strings self vulcanize to the tire, becoming a permanent part of the tire. Properly installed, (best with glue), they last the life of the tire. This is because they become part of the tire, not just a separate plug in the tire.

At 5k miles on the tire, I'd say it's a toss up on replacing the mushroom plug with a sticky string or dismounting the tire and installing an inside patch that fits into the hole as well as over it. Not all shops will patch tires any more.

Don't slime the tire. You'll regret it. Corrosive, nasty to deal with later and makes plugging holes almost impossible if the slime doesn't work.

 

[k7lvo]

I voted patch from the inside, just to be "sure." I've had a plug come out; the sound of the air coming out was very noticable - no rapid deflating or problem controlling the bike, and plenty of time to find a place to get off the road. I just put another plug in, aired it up, and was on my way.

 

[majicmaker]

5. Put (with glue) a sticky string plug in there, then keep it under 160 for the rest of that tire's life.

+1, Keep riding it until you hit air! At that point, buy a new tire. I've done it many times! All will be good. :good:

 

[SkooterG]

5. Put (with glue) a sticky string plug in there, then keep it under 160 for the rest of that tire's life.

Gunny!

I have had only about a 60-70% success rate with mushroom plugs holding pressure in the long run. I have had 100% success with sticky strings.

 

[beemerdons]

5. Put (with glue) a sticky string plug in there, then keep it under 160 for the rest of that tire's life.

Gunny!

I have had only about a 60-70% success rate with mushroom plugs holding pressure in the long run. I have had 100% success with sticky strings.

Full agreement with Toecutter, SkooterG and OCfjr and the other gentlemen: Sticky string is only way to go for tire repairs!!

 

[Mcgyver74]

I personally am not comfortable running on mushroom plugs even for short distances (I've had em fail in cars). the mushroom plug is NOT rated to be a perm repair, just an emergency measure to get you to a place where you can get the tire properly fixed, I know a lot of people have used mushroom plugs and been fine, but it just takes that once that the plug fails at speed, or in a hard lean etc and the results can be bad.

Sticky string is actually used as a tire repair method and properly installed it's fairly reliable. Plus the kit isn't that expensive, so yes you may get thousands of miles out of that muchroom plug but you are gambling over a few bucks.., I personally feel that running a mushroom plug is a lot like playing Russian Roulette, If you don't want to pull the tire and patch it, then at lest spring for the sticky string which is much much less likely to fail...

That being said, I have lower levels of personal risk that I'm willing to accept, so when I travel I will carry sticky string and a pump for roadside repair, but for me that is a temporary repair , depending on the location of the plug I will probably finish my trip and not be too concerned since the string does vulcanize to the tire, However, when I get home, If it's a rear tire, the tire comes off and a proper patch goes in, if it's a front I replace it no matter what...

Again this is based on my own personal tolerance for risk, YMMV

 

[Bounce]

I had to choose more than the first one. It's possible to plug and ride to the end of the tread life, but when you do, it's recommended that you treat the tire as at least 1 speed/load rating lower than original.

 

[DeweyIsgod]

Seeing as option 5 seems popular (replacing the mushroom plug with sticky string), how would I go about removing the mushroom plug? Will it pull through completely or should I push it inside the tire and let it roll around there until the next tire change?

 

[user 213]

Seeing as option 5 seems popular (replacing the mushroom plug with sticky string), how would I go about removing the mushroom plug? Will it pull through completely or should I push it inside the tire and let it roll around there until the next tire change?

Just snip the end off and push it inside. Then ream the hole and install the sticky string per the directions with a nice coating of glue. FYI - There are different sticky string kits, some come with only an insertion tool and strings. You want a kit that comes with a reamer, insertion tool, strings and ideally, glue. but you can just buy the glue separate if necessary. If the hole is even and clean, the glue is overkill, but I like overkill, so almost always use glue.

Just an aside - The OR State Patrol motorcycles routinely plug tires with sticky strings. They get a lot of flats due to pulling off on the shoulder and the debris there. Their rule of thumb on plugs is no more than three, with no two in the same third of the tire and zero in the sidewall.