Hi guys, long time no post. We continue to enjoy our 05 GG Element.

Recently we got a flat. It was a nice nail that decided to implant itself in our NokianWR. When I brought it to the shop they said it was unpatchable.

I saw two things that I thought were of interest, first, the nail goes in...almost at the side of the tire but not quite, and second, is this tire even patchable considering the ribbing that is on the inside? I can't imagine that it is.

Please view photos and comment:

The corner of the tire moves around as you turn, the patch would eventually work itself loose. If it were more centered it would be patchable regardless of the rib's.... They say "patch" but it's basically a plug.

I am queen of finding random nails! I've been told by 3 different tire places that if the nail enters anywhere near the side of the tire its not repairable.

Good luck!
Diana

Trust me, A plug will not work in the sidewall of a Nokian!

I tried on one of my wife's tires. It lasted about three days. The tire shop told me it was a waste of time. But I had to wait 2 days for the new tire to come in. So they plugged it for me.

It's the radial sidewall design. It causes the plug to move excessively.


Dom

Well I won't consider Nokian's. They clearly are a nail magnet!
Nice nail.

Tech Tire repair patch plug would work as a temporary repair for a few days while you're waiting. Tech plug kits are over $100 and are vulcanizing plugs, everyone uses the gummy plugs b/c they're cheap. Our local rep used to stab holes in his sidewalls and use the plugs to show how cool they were. there was almost 200 plugs in the sidewall of his tire. not the smartest move, but it was good for shock value. the patch plugs go from the inside out and look like a huge rubber nail.

Tech Tire repair patch plug would work as a temporary repair for a few days while you're waiting. Tech plug kits are over $100 and are vulcanizing plugs, everyone uses the gummy plugs b/c they're cheap. Our local rep used to stab holes in his sidewalls and use the plugs to show how cool they were. there was almost 200 plugs in the sidewall of his tire. not the smartest move, but it was good for shock value. the patch plugs go from the inside out and look like a huge rubber nail.

Inside-out patch is the only way it would last. IMO. I DO have a 'spared' Nokian WR which was switched out due to sister being curbed and otherwise violated. Which side do you need, since these are directional? This one has 6-8 left on tread....

Your tire in pic 4 looks almost bald......if they are all like this please consider new ones.......only an observation.....whadoIknow?

Hi guys, long time no post. We continue to enjoy our 05 GG Element.

Recently we got a flat. It was a nice nail that decided to implant itself in our NokianWR. When I brought it to the shop they said it was unpatchable.

I saw two things that I thought were of interest, first, the nail goes in...almost at the side of the tire but not quite, and second, is this tire even patchable considering the ribbing that is on the inside? I can't imagine that it is.

Please view photos and comment:

The main reason it's not considered repairable is because some of the radial cords are probably cut in the sidewall. Once the tire's back under pressure again, it can end up splitting and blowing out when you're back on the road and this is why a hole in the sidewall is always considered unrepairable.

Hi guys, long time no post. We continue to enjoy our 05 GG Element.

Recently we got a flat. It was a nice nail that decided to implant itself in our NokianWR. When I brought it to the shop they said it was unpatchable.

I saw two things that I thought were of interest, first, the nail goes in...almost at the side of the tire but not quite, and second, is this tire even patchable considering the ribbing that is on the inside? I can't imagine that it is.

Please view photos and comment:
Is a tube an option?

As Element5 pointed out, the tread appears to be down to the wear bar. If that's the case, then the nail appeared at just the right time.

He actually has plenty of tread left on that tire. If you look at the image below, the area marked 1 is not a wear bar, but part of the tread. The area marked with a 2 is the wear bar. Nokian tyres are designed with a 3 stage wear indicator. They have wear bars at 4/32, 8/32 and 12/32. He looks like he's still between the 4 and 8 bars. The ones marked by the 1 are the 12/32 wear bars.

Hope this helps. :-)

It's #2 that I was looking at. Does that mean there's a wear bar #3? I'll have to go look at my Nokians ...

Just to clarify.....I would not even let my tires get that worn. They are dangerous.....I don't see any tread left. Replace them or let me know when and where u are on the road so I can avoid u.

My family had a small chain of tire stores for many years. The main reason that tire stores are very reluctant to patch or plug tires is liability. There have been many cases where tire dealers are sued because the repair failed which may have led to an accident, or at least that's what the lawyers claim. Our stores would first plug the hole them apply a patch on the inside. This was the only way we would do it and we would charge about $15 because the tire had to be removed from the wheel. We would NOT repair any hole on or near the sidewall.

It's #2 that I was looking at. Does that mean there's a wear bar #3? I'll have to go look at my Nokians ...

Nokian has 2 types of wear indicators. The standard bumps as seen in this pic as well as a numbering system where each number is the 32nd equivalent so that as each wears away you know how much usable tread you have left.

This tire actually has quite a bit left.