I just hit 1,000 miles and wouldn't you know it, I see a screw in my tire. It is the Goodyear Eagle LS-2 275/55/20. I did purchase the tire and ...

I just hit 1,000 miles and wouldn't you know it, I see a screw in my tire. It is the Goodyear Eagle LS-2 275/55/20. I did purchase the tire and wheel warranty which will cover repairs. My main concern is how holes are repaired. I dont believe they use plugs anymore. Is this true? If the hole is repaired from the inside, I am very concerned that there will be damage to my rim. I am assuming that there are ways to protect the rim from scratches but I would like to be sure. I will be going to my dealer since that is where the repair will be covered under tire warranty that I purchased for $289 for 5 years.

They still use plugs. A softer possibly cord based plug is popular now and I've fixed several tires with that with no resulting problems.

I once took my neighbor to a tire place to fix one of his high performance low low low profile tires. He expected them to unmount and patch it and they said no they would plug it. Their argument was the patch leaves you with no support at the hole and esspecially that tire would risk a blow out at speed.

Again the results were fine with the plug.

I worked in an independent tire shop for 11 years, and I do not recommend plugging the tire. It's the easy way out. If you don't dismount the tire, you don't know what's going on inside. That little cut from the outside could be a major gash on the inside. And, we never knew how far the customer drove it on low air. It's a lot easier to spot sidewall damage from running on low air from the inside than the outside. Also, there's typically no re-vulcanizing that takes place with a plug. The recommended fix is to use a patch-plug combination. It's a little more work and costs a little more (if you're going to pay for it), but we never made money on tire repair, whether it was plugging a lawnmower tire for $4 or a complete teardown and patch-plug repair for $10-$15. It's worth it to take the time and do it right however. And if you're worried about them scuffing your wheels, ask them if they have the tire mounting equipment to handle it. If it's the dealership, I'd be surprised if they weren't equipped to handle it. Anymore, that's not a very extreme tire size to deal with.

Here's a link to the industry trade association's information on tire repair. http://www.rma.org/tire_safety/tire_mai ... lchart.pdf

"Screw in tire." I thought this was a new way to mount tires when I first saw the thread.

I fully agree with FairviewLT. Few months ago, we had a service truck front tire (Chevy 3500) repaired with a plug only, and after a day of driving on it, the service tech pulled the truck back into our shop and stopped in exactly the right spot. Two seconds later we hear the plug let go and shoot across the floor. Patch/plug is the only way to go.

@FairviewLT: Thanks for the detailed info. The dealer will fix it Sat. They will repair it from the inside and may even try to replace the tire for me since I said I will be making a long trip with an ATV in the back and another on a trailer. They assured me there would be no damage to the rim.

Good Deal - and I'm sure the rim will be ok. We have 2 machines in the shop, one for standard wheels and one for ones that we were concerned about the finish on. All the parts that contacted the wheel had plastic coverings over the metal. The shop has been open since 1998, and we haven't damaged a wheel yet. If they replace the tire, they're a good dealer!

I just got back from the dealer. The tire was fixed, not replaced since the screw was in the middle of the tire. Unfortunately, just as I feared, the wheel got a small crease in it where the wheel weight was. They claim this happened when they put the weights on at the factory. Am I to assume that when my tires are replaced, there will be creases where all the weights are? I think the tech may have creased it when he took it off. Either way, they said they will order another rim for me and let the service manager know on Mon. Here is a picture. Should I have let it go? Maybe I am being too picky.

Picky? Yes.

Too Picky? No - it's a new truck, and they ain't cheap!

I was thinking you were worried about the changer damaging your wheel, not the balancer. I think those wheels have a thin chrome skin on them, instead of being 1 piece. I'd suggest stick on weights inside the wheel rather than hammer-on to lee this from happening again. Don't be surprised if your other wheels have this when you change tires and they have to take the weights off...

Dang....
I was going to have mine static balanced, because I hate having the weights on the outside. I am not looking forward to thee possible damage, though...