November 28, 2023

Off-Road First Aid: A Guide to Emergency Tire Fixes

Trailside surgery when things go pear-shaped

In the previous Backcountry Skills, we delved into tire CPR 101, reviewing techniques and equipment for repairing basic punctures, broken valve stems, and how to dismount a tire from its wheel. But what do you do if a commie rock, branch, or whale bone slashes a gash in your sidewall? This issue recently landed front and center during a run guide for Sierra Trek on the Fordyce Creek Trail, a route that surpasses the Rubicon in technical challenges. Most participants were running 38- to 40-inch tires, didn’t carry a spare, and one of them had a run-in with the aforementioned foe. This month we are diving deep into our bag of tricks and exploring ways to bring an ostensibly dead tire back to life, albeit temporarily, and get you off the trail. what do you do if a commie rock, branch, or whale bone slashes To keep the attorneys at bay, we need to emphasize that the following are for emergency trail fixes only, are not approved by the DOT for on-road use, and the repaired tire should only be used at very slow speeds.

The Extreme Outback Products tire repair kit includes patches from mini to massive.

TIP: Per the U.S. Department of Transportation, shoulder and sidewall repairs are not permitted for vehicles driven on public roads.

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Now that we’ve covered the ‘Don’t try this at home’ disclaimer, there are several options for resuscitating a flatlined tire; traditional interior patches, surgical stitching, or a combination of the two, each of which will require removing the tire from the rim. The third, which we will get to in a moment, is a new product from GlueTread.

Patches? We Don’t Need No Stinking Patches!

01. Although I’m a big fan of self-vulcanizing tire plugs, installing an internal patch is a better option (this is what tire shops do). After removing the tire from the wheel, identify the damaged area, clean it with brake cleaner, and mark its footprint with a Sharpie or chalk.

02. Use a buffing tool, wire brush, or heavy-grit sandpaper to remove the membrane liner. The membrane keeps air inside the tire (rubber is porous) but must be removed to ensure positive adhesion where patch cement will be placed.

03. Select a patch large enough that it will extend an inch or more past the damaged area—this is a scenario where bigger is better. Apply a liberal amount of rubber cement to the patch’s contact side, making sure you have full coverage, and let it sit until tacky.

04. Put the patch in place and begin aggressively ‘stitching’ it with a roller tool. Work from the center out, then back and forth from side-to-side and diagonally. Don’t be shy, as without a proper bond there is a good chance the patch will fail. It should cure in about 15 minutes depending on ambient temperature, and you are ready to remount the tire.

TIP: Be sure to fully remove the membrane from the interior work area prior to applying a patch.

Scalpel, Please!

If welding with batteries is the Holy Grail of backcountry repairs (see Backcountry Skills #1, Tread Jan/Feb 2023), stitching a badly torn sidewall is a close second. The Extreme Outback Products and Power Tank kits include waxed sail thread and stainless-steel wire respectively, but if you are in a pickle, this type of surgery can be accomplished with bailing wire, tire plugs, and silicon. For this exercise we cut a 2.5-inch slice in the middle of the sidewall and went with the in-a-pickle scenario. You will find the process is akin to suturing up a laceration in your buddy’s leg…but with a little less finesse.

01. Supplies needed for stitching surgery include wire or thread, a heavy-duty sewing needle, pliers, silicon, and a large quantity of plugs.

02. The first step is to create a line of evenly spaced holes on each side about half an inch from the tear, half an inch from each other, and extending half an inch beyond the end of the damage. Not too close, or the stitches might tear through. This can be done with an awl, but I’ve found it much easier to use an electric drill and 5/64 bit (I carry a 20V DeWalt). As with the patching process, be sure to first remove the interior membrane from the repair area.

03. The first step is to create a line of evenly spaced holes on each side about half an inch from the tear, half an inch from each other, and extending half an inch beyond the end of the damage. Not too close, or the stitches might tear through. This can be done with an awl, but I’ve found it much easier to use an electric drill and 5/64 bit (I carry a 20V DeWalt). As with the patching process, be sure to first remove the interior membrane from the repair area.

Whichever method you use (wire or thread, silicon or patch) sidewall flex can be detrimental to this type of repair. Reinflate to the point that sidewall flex under a load is limited, but not to the point that the repair area bulges much (psi will depend on tire, wheel diameter, vehicle weight, and so on). So, it’ll hold air under a great load—though the bailing wire fix might have slow leaks, so you should swap it out for the spare, if you carry one. This Frankenstein fix will not be pretty, but it should get you off the trail or provide a spare if things go pear-shaped…again. If you must use it, avoid rubbing the subject tire against rocks, tree branches—anything.

01. Sutures should be five to six inches in length and bent in a U-shape like a staple. Starting nearest to the tread block, push each suture through from the inside, making sure not to skip a hole. Pull them tight from the outside and twist the ends tight to pinch the opening snug. Be careful not to deform the seam too much or tear the rubber.

02. Sutures should be five to six inches in length and bent in a U-shape like a staple. Starting nearest to the tread block, push each suture through from the inside, making sure not to skip a hole. Pull them tight from the outside and twist the ends tight to pinch the opening snug. Be careful not to deform the seam too much or tear the rubber.

03. Sutures should be five to six inches in length and bent in a U-shape like a staple. Starting nearest to the tread block, push each suture through from the inside, making sure not to skip a hole. Pull them tight from the outside and twist the ends tight to pinch the opening snug. Be careful not to deform the seam too much or tear the rubber.

04. Next, insert a gaggle of plugs along the full length of the cut. They should be close together but not so much that they create a buckle in the seam.

05. Working on the inside of the tire, apply a heavy layer of RTV silicon along the inserted plugs and over suture holes. Carefully remounting the tire and seating the beads is possible at this point, but don’t exceed 7 to 9 psi—this pressure will help force the wet silicon in where it needs to be. Depending on ambient temperature, it will take several hours (or longer) to cure enough to be suitable for use.

TIP: When stitching, be sure to cover the plugged area and suture holes with silicon from the inside.

If stitching with thread, it should be a continuous work of art, starting from one end and working your way to the other in a perpendicular and diagonal pattern, tying it tightly off at the end (the rest of the process is the same). Due to the low profile of thread and bailing wire, a better alternative to silicon is an interior Baja Boot–style patch, if available.

TIP: Inflate a stitched tire only enough to eliminate most sidewall flex.

Super Glue?

I met the GlueTread crew at the 2022 SEMA Show, and while I was skeptical about ‘super gluing’ an external patch for trail use, I listened to their pitch. While I’ve not personally trail tested this product, my buddy Tyler Laursen (of MORRFlate systems) recently slashed all four tires on his rig, repaired them with GlueTread, and drove the Rubicon Trail. Is this the miracle drug that renders dismounting tires a thing of the past?

The GlueTread kit, which was originally designed for UTVs, includes a selection of exterior patches, adhesive, sandpaper, bottle of accelerator, and detailed application instructions.

01. Identify the slice or damaged area, thoroughly sand around it with a wide margin, clean the surface, and let it dry. Place an appropriately sized patch over the area and mark around it with a Sharpie.

02. Open the gap with a knife, apply GlueTread adhesive to both surfaces, remove the knife, and make sure the edges are pressed together. It will cure in 60 seconds. Then, gently sand off any excessive adhesive.

03. Carefully apply adhesive droplets evenly per the supplied diagram, put the patch in place and press firmly for 60 seconds. Adhesive should be slightly oozing from the edges and corners. If not, raise the edge and give it a few more drops. Next, give it a good mist from the bottle of accelerator and allow one minute to cure. Done!

04. Carefully apply adhesive droplets evenly per the supplied diagram, put the patch in place and press firmly for 60 seconds. Adhesive should be slightly oozing from the edges and corners. If not, raise the edge and give it a few more drops. Next, give it a good mist from the bottle of accelerator and allow one minute to cure. Done!

TIP: For best results, be sure to precisely follow GlueTread application instructions.

Down the Trail

I’ve learned a lot since that commie push rod confrontation back in the `80s, and I am always impressed when someone comes up with a better mousetrap. After drilling, slicing, and dicing our test dummy tire, it begrudgingly held air for several days. Not bad! As for my crewmate’s GlueTread repair on the spareless Sierra Trek vehicle, he finished the trail and was having coldies with us around the fire in basecamp that night. If you follow the instructions, this stuff is pretty darn amazing.

Whether it’s stitching, patching, plugging, or super glue, pick your poison, get the gear, and practice, practice, practice in the comfort of your garage. Next time one of your buddies finds themselves in a tire pickle, you’ll be the hero of the day.

See you on the trail,
Chris