DIY tubeless tire repair

Sometimes during the operation of the car, a problem such as damage (puncture) of the wheel arises. Either a sharp object gets into the rubber, or the tire deteriorates from excessive stress. Even if you have not brought a spare tire with you, you should not immediately panic and head to the nearest car service. If the defect is not very difficult, it is possible to repair tubeless tires with your own hands. All work will take no more than 15 minutes.

How to determine the type of tire

If you do not have information about which tires are installed on the wheels of your car, then look at the nipple. This part at the wheel with a chamber has either a conical shape or a small recess. On a deflated wheel, the nipple is easily pressed into the tire.

The tubeless nipple is characterized by the presence of a small rubber bump at the end adjacent to the rubber. As a result, it remains in a constant position even in a tire completely devoid of air.

How to find the place of damage

For locating damage in a tubeless tire it is important to keep in mind the most vulnerable areas where air leaks can occur:

1. A cut or puncture in the side of the tire. The side cut of a tubeless tire is not repaired, it only needs to be replaced. The puncture can be repaired with your own hands, but then the rubber will still have to be changed.
2. Punctured tire tread. This damage occurs most often. Its elimination does not present serious difficulties.
3. Poor sealing of the place of abutment of the bead section of the tire to the rim.
4. Depressurization can occur due to deformation of the wheel rim. For example, a car hits an obstacle and the disc is bent. Or rusted due to insufficient care of the machine. Do-it-yourself tubeless tire repair on the road in this situation is impossible.
5. The spool is bleeding air. This part can be long, abutting against the base of the nipple, or short, equipped with a spring inside the body. In order to stop air leakage for a short time, you can perform certain actions with the spool. But to solve the problem radically, you will need to replace this part.
6. Air passes through the nipple nipple. In such a situation, it is also necessary to replace the damaged nipple with a new one. You won't need a tubeless repair kit, but you should have and carry it in your car just in case.
7. Long-term operation of the wheel without pumping. Rubber tends to let air through over time. Therefore, the wheels must be regularly inflated. If you find that the pressure in the wheel of your car is not enough, then pump it up using an electric compressor.

We will need a compressor in any case. First, by inflating the wheel without pulling out the sharp object that pierced the tire, we will be able to get to a convenient place where we will repair the puncture of a tubeless tire. Secondly, it is easier to find the puncture point in a tire inflated to 2-3 bar.

If the puncture point is not visible to the naked eye, then pour the surface of the tire with a solution of soap. Escaping air bubbles will indicate where a foreign object has entered and damaged our wheel. If soap is not at hand, then you can get by with plain water. We also water the wheel and observe where the air bubbles come out. Having found the puncture point, mark it.

Note: if the puncture diameter is less than 5 mm, then the tire can be repaired by yourself. If it is more, then you will have to drive the car to a car service, where tubeless tires are repaired with fungus.

How to choose a repair kit

In order to repair a puncture in a tubeless tire, you will definitely need a tubeless tire repair kit. Previously, “First-aid kits for repairing pneumatic tires” were produced in accordance with GOST 5170-73. There were various but strictly prescribed ingredients.

Now each manufacturer considers it his duty to fill the repair kit at his own discretion. Fortunately, such kits are quite inexpensive. Below are the the most popular repair kits that you can buy for little money:

Each fixture from the repair kit fulfills its purpose:

• a rasp with a sharp end and rounded corners expand the hole where the nail or self-tapping screw entered, the handle in the shape of a "T" helps to easily screw the device into the puncture site, but a too "toothy" rasp can break the cord;
• the hole is directly sealed with thick, reinforced flagella made of raw rubber, a special material in their composition significantly increases the strength;
• using a special rod with an eyelet at the bottom (an awl or a needle), the tourniquet is inserted into the tire, after pulling out the rod, the tourniquet slips through the hole and clogs the damaged area;
• with a sharp knife, cut off the excess ends of the rubber flagella;
• glue for repairing tubeless tires is an activator that promotes faster polymerization of the composition, it is a must.

The acquisition of the above instruments separately will cost about 1200 rubles. Therefore, it is more profitable to buy a set for repairing tubeless tires and solve the problem in this way.

Tubeless puncture repair

So, we found the point of damage. Now we proceed according to the following algorithm:

1. Thoroughly clean the area around the puncture with a rag and detergent, then wipe dry.
2. If you previously inflated the wheel to the limit, now we reduce the pressure to 0.5-1.0 atmospheres.
3. We extract the culprit of the problem, the punctured wheel.
4. We expand the hole using a file with a spiral tip or a rasp (in common people this tool is called a "pick"), giving it a cylindrical shape. We lower the handle of the rasp and determine the direction of the hole by the roll angle.
5. We cover the surface of the rasp with glue and several times perform the following actions: screw the device into the rubber to the end and pull it out. So that in the process of preparing the next stage, the pressure in the tire does not decrease, the tool is not yet removed from the hole.
6. Next, we carry out the repair of tubeless tires with a tourniquet with our own hands. We take out one rubber band from the kit, insert it into the eye of the awl-shaped tool to the middle and coat it with glue on all sides with a thin layer.
7. We take out the "pick". Fold the rubber flag in half. Using an awl, we insert it into the puncture to a depth of 2/3 of the length. We screw in the tool, pushing the flagellum. Outside, the ends should not be more than 1-2 cm long.
8. We take out the awl with a sharp movement. The flagellum remains at the puncture site, clogging it.
9. With the cutter included in the set, and if it is not there, then carefully cut off the protruding ends of the flagellum with a clerical or breadboard knife. They should not stick out above the tread surface. Since the flagellum has a negligible mass, balancing of the wheel is not required after the procedure.
10. To check the quality of the sealing, we again treat the surface of the tire with a solution of soap or plain water. If air bubbles do not appear, then the patch has been put on the conscience.
11. We inflate the tire to an acceptable state and we can operate it until it gets worn out.

You should be aware that only tubeless tires can be repaired with this method. This method is ineffective for tires with a tube.

As discussed above, tubeless tires can release air for other reasons. If the wheel disc is damaged by rust, then remove the rubber and seal the place of its connection with the rim of the disc with sealant. In case of deformation of the disc, as a temporary measure, we level it with a hammer, and then at the first convenient situation we go to a car service - there the disc will be repaired or completely replaced.

|| list |

1. How to determine the type of tire
2. How to find the place of damage
3. How to choose a repair kit
4. Tubeless puncture repair