You’ve just passed through a gnarly series of rocks and ruts in what seemed like a very difficult traverse in your Jeep vehicle. Then, all of a sudden, you find your tire has been severely damaged from an adjoining rock. You’re in the backcountry, far from civilization. What do you do?
[Not a valid template]If you incur a small sidewall split, your first line of defense should be to switch the damaged tire out with your spare. The damaged tire can then be repaired at camp or in a safe location.
The Ultimate Puncture Repair Kit contains both thick and thin plugs and you should try to fill the tear completely with a combination of both. With the split plugged, inflate the tire up to 25psi and see if it holds pressure.
If the plugs don’t hold pressure, a more extensive repair will be required. In previous articles we have covered breaking the bead, and removing and replacing a tire. You are going to need all of the skills and tools plus a little more for this repair.
Although merely removing the front of the tire from the rim can do this repair, I recommend you remove the tire completely. You’ll end up with much better access to the damaged area of the tire.
For this repair you will need the following tools from Ultimate Tire Repair Kit:
• Tire Reamer
• Baja Patch or Regular Patch
• Stitching Tool/Rasp
• Rubber Cement
• Chalk
You will also need:
• Solvent, such as brake cleaner
• Something to sew the sidewall with (i.e. waxed cotton thread)
• Shoe Goo or equivalent flexible glue
After removing the tire from the rim, make sure that whatever has punctured the tire is not still lodged in it.