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Originally Posted by Ronzi
I'm not disagreeing with anyone about potential problems with repaired tires, either patched or plugged.
I will say, however, that along with probably a lot of others on this forum, I have driven on repaired tires on sedans, vans, and trucks for literally years at highway speeds and never had a problem. Was I just lucky? Maybe so, but I also think that the chances of a catastrophic tire failure on a properly repaired tire are pretty low.
Would I drive a repaired tire at high speed? No, as common sense would dictate that the chance of a failure increases with speed, as does the severity of the outcome.
Tire companies and auto manufacturers err on the side of caution. Why? Maybe I'm just a cynic, but I think it's liability in case of litigation.
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Hi,
I realize what you're saying and I don't necessarily violently disagree with it. But, as a former Fleet Aviator and a past and current SCCA National Competition license holder Safety has always been Center Stage in my activities. And, not to say that my resume' is a prerequisite to being Safety Concious, many people are so as well.
It's probable that a catastrophic failure at high speed is a small percentage, but do you want to be that guy?
But, while many here have agreed that high speed shenanigans are not advisable on a repaired tire, how realistic is this? People spend mega-$$ adding intakes, exhausts, headers, superchargers and the like to make their Boxsters even faster. How willing will they be to
geld their car and their efforts because of a repaired tire? Perhaps they do so for a week or a month, but I suspect that soon they return to their old habits totally forgetting or ignoring the fact that they are riding on compromised rubber.
And, just like the tire itself, the repair will degrade with age and use. You may not have a failure in the first few months, but the potential rises with time. In other words, it becomes more compromised with time.
If the tire was punctured relatively early in it's life, given the limited miles many people drive their cars, it could be years before the tire is replaced due to treadwear alone. And, Boxster owners seem to be keeping their cars about 5 years in general (a casual, not scientific estimate). Do you really want to own it for one or two of those 5 years pulling the reigns on it's performance?
As bmusatti points out, these are performance tires on a performance car. A passenger or truck tire may run at expressway speeds, even exceeding them on occaision. But, they do not generally have to repeatedly endure the stresses imposed on a Boxster tire.
Of course, people can do as they wish and ultimately will. But, I cannot, on principal, personally endorse an unsafe practice for someone seeking advise. Especially where the rubber meets the road...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99