Safe to drive on this plugged tire?
 

Hey guys I own a 2012 370z. When I purchased the car it had a tire plug on the rear passenger tire. I was wondering if it would be safe to drive on because I plan on driving a long distance (about 500 miles), thanks.

It's not the best idea to drive it like that. Looking at where it is at, a patch may not work. I would replace the tire.

Alright. Well I've put about 2k miles on the car since I've got it and so far I problem, but that's only driving about 40 miles for every time I needed to drive the car. This coming June I plan is when I plan on driving a constant 200miles to my location, stay and visit for a bit (which will put some miles one it) then drive it back; which would total to be about 500 miles, maybe even more. Would you still recommend me replacing it before leaving town?

iffy, real close to sidewall....notice it wasn't repaired properly by taking tire off and putting the inside patch on....ive plugged many a tire with inject method but its always been in tread section.....tire gets a lot of flexing in that area. DD no problem,, long or high speed antics, no.

Alright thanks for the reply. I didn't even notice the patch till like a week after the purchase of the car. ***holes didn't want to replace the tire before selling it I guess. Yeah I'll get it replaced before I head out of town. Thanks again guys.

I wouldn't trust that especially for long distance drive. I did drove on a plugged tire for about two years which wasn't as close to the sidewall as yours.

v12's arent dat good anyway, id just swap out the entire set with RE11's.

When in doubt, switch it out ! Safety first. It's just not worth having a wreck!

If it wasn't so close to the shoulder of the tire (as Spooler mentioned) only on the rear & for short distances....if you plugged it yourself/you would be able to tell if it's in the meat of the tread or in the softer shoulder.
i've driven on mine a bunch before/but that location is iffy.

I wouldn't trust that even for a daily driver. Too close to the sidewall. Corner enough and that plug may work loose. Having a tire go flat around the corner is not ideal.

If there is a crash, the insurance company may go after you for damages due to negligence on your part.

I doubt a reputable tire shop would patch and plug at that location. It's on the side wall. If it fails, they are liable. So that means the previous owner plugged it only themselves, which could fail at any time

Bring it to any tire shop to confirm. $200 is cheaper than a wrecked car.

I worked for Michelin Corp. for years as a territory rep(LA), any reputable shop should not put a patch on it, too much liabilkity, just replace.

Replace it ASAP

As many others have mentioned, the plug is in an iffy place. I wouldn't trust it out on the highway or for spirited/hard driving. Tires aren't that expensive; a lot cheaper than a wreck. YMMV

We had a fender bender with our other car ('15 accord) the other week. Someone back into it while parked and damaged/crumpled one of the fenders. Damage was relatively simple to repair. Between the repair bill and the rental car, payout was around $1500.

You get a wreck as a result of a blowout, damage will be far worse.

That said, I did drive for almost a year with a plug in a tire. Hole was about 3-4" in from the sidewall in the tread area.