Danny D. wrote:
Paintedcow wrote, on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 13:13:55 -0600:

I never knew they make such a thing. Sounds like a good idea though.
A local tire shop will patch a tire for $10 or less, so I just let them
do it

You live in a different world than I live in, because NOTHING
is $10 "or less" at a repair shop. Absolutely NOTHING. Maybe you
live in Kansas or Texas, or some other cheap state, but this is
California. Absolutely nothing is $10.

I just called three local tire-related shops.
Most charged $30 for just the patch (not the patchplug).
The cheapest was $20 for a plug from the outside only.

Anyway, the cost isn't the issue.
They *never* do the job right.

It's not that they don't KNOW how.
It's that their CUSTOMER generally doesn't know how.
So, they cheat.

Every single time.
You can NOT get a good job from them, unless you ride herd on
them, and you may as well just do it yourself.

Besides, I've changed and mounted my own tires using the Harbor
Frieght tool. For low-profile performance tires on aluminum rims,
the job is EASY. As easy (almost) as changing brakes and rotors.

It's not difficult at all (until/unless you get to the really
thick sidewall tires such as SUV tires - which ARE harder!).

You don't balance them when installing yourself?