Patched tire

[eph94]

I was checking tire pressures last night prior to my Mont-Tremblant trip and discovered that one of the tires had a flat--losing 1 PSI per 12 hours. Luckily, I was able to get the tire patched this morning prior to the trip.

Question, and I think I already know the answer: how idiotic would I be on a scale from 1-10, where 1 is not idiotic and 10 is absolute lunacy, to take a patched tire to a track event?

There is no way I can get a new one in time for the event, and I plan on replacing it as soon as I can get a new one. A related question. I have about 5K miles on the tire. Will I have to replace both rears or would replacing the single tire be OK?

:confused:

Joe

[Aronis]

that's a tough question!

I would guess, NO WAY!!!!

But, they say (who they is I can't say) that a patch on the inside for a small puncture is fine for the life of the tread, and they also say the same for a plug...

I'd rather have a patch myself, like you have, but I would not run a race with a damaged tire!

But you could perhaps answer the question for us all by doing it LOLOLOL..

I had a tire plugged, drove on that until the replacement tire came in and now that plugged tire is sitting in my office still LOL.

Good luck with the race!

Mike

[Hy Octane]

generally, it is wise to replace any tire that has been compromised altho for low speed city driving a patched radial should be safe.. to track a patched tire adds a few more elements to the equation, namely how much heat that rubber patch cement can handle before it comes unglued.. I personally dont want to find out.. Since the RS6 is a hi performer, better safe than sorry.. BTW., You should never plug a radial tire.. doing so will render the tires structure unsafe.. patch only..
HTH :race:

[nene]

I have no clue as to how it will handle the racing event. Clearly the tire integrity has been compromised, and the extra stress of the racing will affect it.

Is there any chance that you can transfer this trip to a later date?

[Aronis]

AH HA!

I was waiting for that response.

I had read quite a lot on the subject when I got a nail in my tire which was brand new! 50 miles on it, dam..

Anyway, from what I have read (multiple sources) plugs are not bad for radials, at all.

If the hole is not too big to plug then the structure of the radial belt is not disturbed by a small plug. In order to damage the radial component, the hole has to be bigger and thus the tire cannot be plugged nor patched.


Originally posted by Hy Octane
generally, it is wise to replace any tire that has been compromised altho for low speed city driving a patched radial should be safe.. to track a patched tire adds a few more elements to the equation, namely how much heat that rubber patch cement can handle before it comes unglued.. I personally dont want to find out.. Since the RS6 is a hi performer, better safe than sorry.. BTW., You should never plug a radial tire.. doing so will render the tires structure unsafe.. patch only..
HTH :race:

[Benman]

Originally posted by JJV-MA

Question, and I think I already know the answer: how idiotic would I be on a scale from 1-10, where 1 is not idiotic and 10 is absolute lunacy, to take a patched tire to a track event?


:confused:

Joe
Let me say this. It is wise to change it. However I will say this (and yes I KNOW I will be flamed by some!), when I was at the Nationals last year (Bauer and jimmy among others were there) I was running with a right rear that had been patched. No, I did not baby the car (ask those who attended) and yes I know that it was a stupid idea. In the end the patched P Zero held up. No problems. Credit the P Zero. Credit luck. Would I do it again? No. It's not worth the chance.

I'd rather you use me as the guinee pig:D
Ben:addict:

[GmbHouse]

Run on the spare.

[Bauer]

]
Run on the spare

Remember to keep it under 50mph:D :D

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by Bauer
Remember to keep it under 50mph:D :D

Definitely! Anyone who has seen the spare or read the manual should know it is for temporary or emergency use only -- low speeds and limited distance. Anyone who has used it, as I have, would emphatically confirm such limitations. Track use for the spare is not even worth considering, in my opinion.

[eph94]

Originally posted by Benman
Let me say this. It is wise to change it. However I will say this (and yes I KNOW I will be flamed by some!), when I was at the Nationals last year (Bauer and jimmy among others were there) I was running with a right rear that had been patched. No, I did not baby the car (ask those who attended) and yes I know that it was a stupid idea. In the end the patched P Zero held up. No problems. Credit the P Zero. Credit luck. Would I do it again? No. It's not worth the chance.

I'd rather you use me as the guinee pig:D
Ben:addict:

I've read stories on the web about people who patched R-compound tires and ran them until the tread wore out without failure. Of course, they also said they would never do it again. Ben, I am encouraged by your post and I hope that I am not the one to become the "cautionary tale."

The probability for rain is high up here for the event and I'm thinking that should work in my favor in terms of being forced to keep the speeds down and generally "babying" the car on the track.

I'm definitely changing the tire, but it is not possible for me to get one in time for the event. Unfortunately, our tires are not ones that tire shops keep on the shelf.

If it were one of the front tires, I would definitely pass on the track event given the heavy load the front tires must bear, but it is one of the rears. In previous track events, my rear tire pressures would only add 4 or 5 lbs. from cold to hot, while the fronts consistently added 8 lbs. of pressure. And I'm not sure if this makes any difference, but the puncture was also puny. It wasn't like a huge screw or nail embedded itself into the tire. (I know I'm trying to rationalize here, but it might be a valid piece of evidence.)

Luck be a lady...

Joe

[Benman]

Originally posted by JJV-MA
Ben, I am encouraged by your post and I hope that I am not the one to become the "cautionary tale."

The probability for rain is high up here for the event and I'm thinking that should work in my favor in terms of being forced to keep the speeds down and generally "babying" the car on the track.

(I know I'm trying to rationalize here, but it might be a valid piece of evidence.)

Luck be a lady...

Joe
Joe,

I can't say I don't know where you're coming from. Mine was also the rear (less weight). At the Nationals it was very cool out (again, this helps). Rain should be even better.

As for "babying" the car, that was my thinking as well. To tell you the truth though, you forget all about it after a few laps (it just gets too exciting).

Just be careful and use caution as I would not like to see you become a "cautionary tale" as well.:cheers:

Ben:addict:

[Hy Octane]

Well, talk about being the forbearer of bad news, last nite I heard a clicking sound out of the left rear... thought ( hoped ) it was a pebble in the tread.. This morning.. Flat tire..Big ass screw lodged right into the center rib of the Rosso. Went to Firestone and had it patched.. While there I spoke to 3 different tire guys.. all agreed.. a plug in a radial makes the hole so large that it damages the steel belts and renders the tire structurally unsafe for performance driving.. They also say that even a patched hole will degrade the performance of the tire.. This sucks as they have only 4500 miles on them.. Fortunately, I dont plan to track this beast anytime soon...This is the 9th nail i've had in the last 3 Audis.. never had a flat tire in any other car .. had 4 BMW's from 1976 to 1991 ansd never had a nail or a flat tire.. Weird man..

[Benman]

Hy Octane:cheers:

Sorry about the tire. That's the same thing that happened to me. Technically what the techs say is correct. Technically.:cheers:
Ben:addict:

[eph94]

Originally posted by Benman
As for "babying" the car, that was my thinking as well. To tell you the truth though, you forget all about it after a few laps (it just gets too exciting).


You are so right. Whenever I saw an M3 or a 911 come into my sights, though, the whole predator-prey thing kicked in. Yes sir, that was a 4200-pound sedan just passed you. There was a Ferrari, though, that just owned me. Those a truly beasts among beasts.

We only got a little rain during one of four sessions. Even though I had to slow down quite bit as the track got slight, you wouldn't believe how much "faster" I became relative to the RWD cars. After that brief experience, I actually prayed for more rain but the sun came out instead.

One day down... one to go...

Joe :addict:

[eph94]

Originally posted by Hy Octane
Well, talk about being the forbearer of bad news, last nite I heard a clicking sound out of the left rear... thought ( hoped ) it was a pebble in the tread.. This morning.. Flat tire..Big ass screw lodged right into the center rib of the Rosso. This is the 9th nail i've had in the last 3 Audis.. never had a flat tire in any other car .. had 4 BMW's from 1976 to 1991 ansd never had a nail or a flat tire.. Weird man..

Sorry to hear that. I once got a screw in the thick part of my tread when I had a BMW 540. I went to the tire dealer to have the "hole" patched. They took out the screw and it discovered that it never punctured the tire!


While there I spoke to 3 different tire guys.. all agreed.. a plug in a radial makes the hole so large that it damages the steel belts and renders the tire structurally unsafe for performance driving.. They also say that even a patched hole will degrade the performance of the tire..

It only makes sense. I just need to hope that the "degradation" will hold back for another 80 to 90 track miles...

Joe :rs6kiss:

[Benman]

Originally posted by JJV-MA
You are so right. Whenever I saw an M3 or a 911 come into my sights, though, the whole predator-prey thing kicked in. Yes sir, that was a 4200-pound sedan just passed you. There was a Ferrari, though, that just owned me. Those a truly beasts among beasts.

One day down... one to go...

Joe :addict:
Joe:cheers:

Be safe and have fun. With any luck you'll get through the event without incident. Hope all holds up!
Ben:addict: