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Can your tire be repaired?

Where the damage is decides it as much as what caused it. Pick the spot on the tire and the kind of damage to see what USTMA and Tire Industry Association repair practice says. Only a small puncture in the tread area may be repairable, and only after a technician inspects the inside of the tire.

The tool

Try it

Can this tire be repaired?

Pick where the damage is and what it looks like. See what industry repair practice says, then book an inspection.

Tire cross-section with four zonesA tire cut across, sitting on its wheel. The center tread runs across the top middle, the shoulders are the top corners, the sidewalls run down each side and the beads sit at the bottom where the tire meets the wheel. Selected: Nail or screw, 1/4 in (6 mm) or smaller, center tread.Inside(inner liner)WheelCenter treadShoulderSidewallBead

Tap a zone on the diagram, or use the list. Selected: Center tread. The flat middle of the tread that touches the road.

1/4 in is about 6 mm. If you can't tell, a technician can measure it.

Nail or screw, 1/4 in (6 mm) or smaller, center tread.

Have it inspected

May be repairable, only after an inside inspection

A small puncture in the center tread is the one case the USTMA and TIA repair standard allows. Whether this tire qualifies depends on what the inside looks like, which can't be seen from the tread. An outside plug on its own doesn't meet the standard.

The USTMA and TIA repair standard

  1. Tread area only. No repairs in the shoulder, sidewall or bead, or where the damage runs into the shoulder.
  2. The puncture is 1/4 in (6 mm) across or smaller.
  3. The tire comes off the wheel so the inside can be inspected. USTMA says never repair from the outside or with the tire on the wheel.
  4. A plug-patch combination: a rubber stem fills the hole and a patch seals the inner liner. A plug alone or a patch alone doesn't meet the standard.
  5. No overlapping repairs, and a tire with an earlier improper repair isn't repaired again.

A technician must inspect the inside of the tire.

Book a tire repair inspection

Installation and repair service is South Florida only. This demo is a guide to industry practice, not a diagnosis of your tire.

Sources: USTMA Tire Repair Basics (opens in a new tab); Tire Industry Association, Tire Repair (opens in a new tab); Michelin, Sidewall Bulge or Bubble (opens in a new tab); Michelin, Tire Damage Guide (opens in a new tab); NHTSA TireWise (opens in a new tab)

Text version of this demo

Maps where on a tire a puncture may be repairable after an internal inspection and where damage means the tire should be replaced under industry repair practice. A technician must inspect the inside of the tire before any repair.

Step by step

How to use it

  1. Find the damage and tap its zone on the diagram (center tread, shoulder, sidewall or bead), or choose it from the list.
  2. Choose what it looks like: a nail or screw, a larger puncture, a cut, a bulge, cracking or a curb scrape.
  3. Read the result. Replace means it isn't repairable under industry practice. Have it inspected means a technician needs to look first.
  4. Check the pressure with a gauge. If the tire is flat or dropping fast, don't drive on it: put the spare on or call for help.

Questions

The things people ask next

Can a tire with a nail in it be repaired?

Sometimes. Under USTMA and TIA practice, a puncture 1/4 inch (6 mm) or smaller in the tread area may be repaired with a plug and patch together, fitted from the inside, once the tire is off the wheel and the inside has been inspected.

Can a puncture in the sidewall be patched?

No. USTMA says punctures or cuts in the sidewall or shoulder can't be repaired, because that part of the tire flexes the most and lacks the tread area's reinforcement. Replace the tire.

Is a plug from a roadside kit a proper repair?

No. USTMA calls a plug alone an unacceptable repair, and a tire with an earlier improper repair isn't repaired again. A plug pushed in from the outside can turn a repairable tire into one that has to be replaced.

Can a bulge or bubble be repaired?

No. A bulge means the tire's inner structure is damaged. Michelin says a tire with a bulge or bubble can't be repaired and must be replaced.

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