On Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:45:29 -0500, in
aweb.com, Unquestionably
Confused wrote:

If I assume correctly that the plugs you mention must be inserted from
inside the tubeless tire after breaking the bead and removing the tire
from the wheel, I believe I have the answer to both your questions:

Yes. That's the only way to properly repair a tire at home or in the shop.

a) you can't find smaller quantities because the folks that use them
(the most) are shops with the proper (read expensive) equipment. It's
not generally a DIY thing.

The equipment to lift the vehicle, remove the tire from the vehicle, break
the bead from the rim, remove a tire from the wheel, patch it from the
inside after marking locations, check the static balance, and then put it
back is not expensive.

But I agree with you that many people don't have those tools, just as many
people don't have a table saw, or a drill press, or even a router or a
bench grinder, all of which are about the same cost for the tools.

b) which would tell me that if I wanted or could go through the hassle
of removing the tire from the wheel and using these patches, I should
probably go a local garage that does tire repairs and offer to buy a
small quantity at a premium price.

You're dead wrong.

It's so easy to change a tire that it can be more of a hassle to bring it
to the shop than it is to just change it at home, depending on how much
hassle you consider it to be to waste your time at a shop for such things
that can easily be done at home.

The only reason people don't change their own tires is simply that they
don't want to - which is fine. If I had a baby in the house, I'd have
someone else change the diapers too - but that's not because it's difficult
to do.

That's sometimes the cost of indulging one's fantasies.

I'd say your advice is extremely bad, since *none* of your assumptions are
even close to correct save for the one which is that most people don't do
it.

Just like most people don't paint their own houses, or that most people
might not maintain their own lawns or pools, I understood that well
*before* I asked the question, so your answer provided nothing new.

Who doesn't know what you seem to know, which is that most people don't
patch their own tires. Everyone knows that. You added nothing.

While I can find sources on the net for five patchplugs at a time, I was
asking for the best sources out there. I have been to the tire shops to ask
and they just give me a handful gratis, but I don't want that.

I just want to know if any of you know of a good source on the net for a
handful of patch plugs. If you don't know of a good source, there is no
sense in replying and wasting everyone's time.