patched/plugged tires safe for the track?

i only buy [lightly] used tires but stay away from anything that has been repaired. used tires are much cheaper than new and i go to the track regularly so i'm just ripping them up anyway. starting to see some info suggesting that properly repaired tires can still be safe as long as the damage was not in the sidewall. my top speed on the track is about 115mph and only at the end of the longest straights. seems like tires with a high speed rating and a proper patch or plug could still be safe. any opinions?

patch yes, plug....well your just asking for trouble.

any idea if plug vs. patch will be obvious upon visual inspection?

A plug is generally the easiest way of repairing a tire, and while normal driving it will usually last a while, under stress from cornering can be ripped out as the tire wears down at a different rate than the plug it self. A plug is applied by cleaning the hole up, taking a plug and applying rubber cement to it and inserting into the hole with a special tool, then trimmed down and flattened.

A patch is applied while the tire is dismounted and its basically like a patch for a pair of pants. It does not stick out from the other surface of the tire and will still remain in place as the tire wears down. The patch is also secured even more so by the pressure from the air inside pressing it constantly outwards. This is not typically the repair done for street tires, since the time, equipment, and cost generally out weighs the benefit over a plug on the street.

I have no iput however on if either is fine for on the track though.

Patch:


Plug:

Many HPDE track events prohibit tire plugs. Patched tires do not show up on a visual inspection. NASA prohibits repaired flat tires period. At road tracks with long straights I can get up to 125 mph. I would feel much more secure knowing that I had no tire plugs or patches entering turns after reaching those speeds, (especially in summer).
However I am running nitrogen in my tires now and the pressure flucuation is much less than with air. My friend runs nitrogen also and he runs his track days on tire patches, (but he is a little crazy).

If your going to do it, use what is called a plug patch. Uses a plug and a patch all in one, looks like a mushroom. This is the best way to fix a flat.

SicSpeed said:

If your going to do it, use what is called a plug patch. Uses a plug and a patch all in one, looks like a mushroom. This is the best way to fix a flat.

Click to expand...

i suppose if i found a good tire that was plugged i could have it redone with something like this.