How To Identify Tubeless Tire Puncture? Most tires are tubeless these days, not just for the sake of being tubeless, but also for the fact that it offers the vehicle more balance and protection than tube tires would offer. Tubeless tires are not perfect though, they come with their own mishaps that appear as punctures.
If you happen to own a tubeless tire, and you aren’t sure where the puncture is coming from, follow the easy-breezy steps I will outline below to locate it and get it fixed.
Expert Steps To Identify Tubeless Tire Puncture
Step 1: Locate The Punctured Part
Locating an unknown puncture in a tubeless tire is very easy because of the sealant that appears where the hole is located (white substance). If the sealant happens to be dried before locating it, simply pump air into the tire and look out for where the white liquid will flow out from.
Step 2: Roughen The Edges Of The Tire
Once you locate the hole in the tire, use the special tool in your tire kit to roughen the edges so that you can easily carry out the next step explained below.
Step 3: Insert A Plug
After you roughen the edges, push the applicator (contained in your tire kit) through the punctured hole. Ensure that the application is even on both sides to get the maximum result you seek. Push it into the punctured hole, and ensure that half of the applicator is inside the tire, and half is sticking out.
Step 4: Pull Out The Applicator
After successfully carrying out step three, remove the applicator and leave the plug in place. Ensure the ends of the plugs are trimmed to match with the threads of the tire, then go ahead and re-inflate your tire, then carry on with your ride.
You should however note that some punctures might unseat your tubeless tire from the rim, so kindly check out our blog post on how to seat a tire on the rim on how to go about such.
First Of All, How Can A Tubeless Tire Get Punctured?
It is normal for a car to get a puncture. It is car trouble that most drivers are familiar with.
They pray not to even encounter it while in transit. Actually one should pray that prayer often when embarking on a journey. What then is it with tubeless tires and punctures? Tubeless tires can be punctured via the following:
1. Nails
How do nails puncture tires? The last time I checked, nails are not animate things that can move about. They cannot station themselves on the road to cause such mischief as a puncture to a car tire. How do we now find nails puncturing tires that have been commonly referred to as the top culprit when it comes to tire puncture? (Read Also: How Long Does A Nail Have To Be To Puncture A Tire?)
Truth be told, we are the ones setting ourselves up. We dispose of these nails without having it in mind they can cause such huge damage. Sometimes, it could be while we on the road and there are nails at the trunk of the car.
When they fall unknowingly, it will be found on the road to wreak havoc on car tires. Other times, it might be a bent rusted nail carelessly lying on the ground that gets a car tire punctured. (Read Also: Best Floor Jack For Jeep Grand Cherokee)
2. Sharp Objects Or Metals
The sharp rocks on roads can also wreck a puncture to a tubeless tire on transit. They may look nice to the sight but very dangerous to the tire. There is a need for great caution in avoiding these sharp rocks, objects, curbs, or metals as one drive. (Read Also: Can You Get A Flat Tire From Hitting A Curb?)
3. Broken Glasses
Broken glasses also have a tendency of inflicting a puncture to the sweet-looking tubeless tires. Avoid areas with much-broken glasses. Don’t say I will grind them to powder with my vehicle. You can do that but it won’t be fair on the tires. If you take care of your tires, the tires will in turn serve you better.
Furthermore, there are also some causes of punctures in tubeless tires such as the seal not being applied properly. That can cause leakage. And old tires tend to be punctured easily, although tubeless tires are more durable than tubed tires.
How Many Punctures Do Tubeless Tires Handle?
The more the number of punctures, the more the risk of more punctures. Like the saying goes a stitch in time saves nine. A tubeless tire can have more than 5 punctures but it is greatly advisable to act when it’s either 3 or 4 punctures.
How Do You Fix A Puncture On Tubeless Tires?
Most tubeless tires cannot be fixed when punctured. But punctures of tubeless tires such as UST tubeless tires and other tubeless tires with a butyl inner lining can be repaired using a vulcanizing patch kit such as the VP-1.
How Long Do Tubeless Tires Last?
Tubeless tires can last for a long time at the same time cannot last for a long time. Why do I say so? It all depends on the weather conditions of the geographical area you find yourself in. The geography and topography of the area also matter. (Read Also:How To Remove Tire Sealant From The Rims?)
Putting all these together, on an average level 3 months is okay for tubeless tires. It can last longer depending on usage and terrain of usage.
When Should A Tubeless Tire Be Replaced?
Tubeless tires are not really different from tube tires. What factors can cause tubeless tires to be replaced include;
1. Physical Factors
These factors include age, wear, and tear. The age should determine when tubeless tires should be replaced. Also wear and tear is another determinant factor.
If the tread in the tire is worn out beyond the recommended tread depth level, it should be replaced immediately to avoid stories by journalists except you have been secretly craving for paparazzi at your doorstep. (Read Also: How Long Can You Ride On A Patched Bike Tire?)
If the hole in the treadmill is more than 6 mm in diameter, the tire should be replaced. If the sidewall is damaged, that my friend is the worst puncture a tubeless tire can have. No further negotiations just change the tire.
2. Road Conditions
If the condition of the road is bad, it’s an indicator that a new tire is in view. Conditions such as potholes, obstacles, kerb, sharp objects, and speed bumps lessen the durability of tires in general.
3. Climate Conditions
It is said the climate is the weather conditions of a geographical location over time. Nevertheless, if the conditions are not favorable, you might need to replace tires more often.
Conditions such as extreme temperatures, rain, snow and ice, oil, grease, and other chemicals, strong light, and ozone are great indicators.
4. Driving Habits
Driving habits also contribute to whether a tire would be replaced or not. Habits such as overspeeding, quick starts, and emergency braking driving on damaged roads, failure to notice a change in handling, noise, or vibration, failure to consult a professional when something changes. All these are indicators of when a tire should be replaced.
5. Improper Usage
When tires are not used for their specific purpose, replacing them is always an option. Improper usage includes; using tires meant for summer for ice, mixing tire types, using the wheel and rim sizes that are not compatible, etc.(Read Also: Can You Use Super Glue To Patch A Bike Tire?)
Can You Drive On A Flat Tubeless Tire?
It’s not advisable to drive on a flat tubeless tire. You’ll end up damaging the tire.
Disadvantages Of Tubeless Tires
Before we will go into the disadvantages of tubeless tires let us see a few advantages of tubeless over the tube.
Advantages Of Tubeless Tires
1. Tubeless Do Not Get Punctured Anyhow
When the tube of the tire is pinched between the tire wall and the rim, a regular tire will easily get punctured. Yes, it is the basic way a tire gets punctured easily. A tubeless tire does not get punctured this way.
2. Lower Pressure Does Not Affect Tubeless Negatively
When the pressure inside the tube of the tire gets low, the tube can easily get pinched with the wheel which can lead to a puncture. Tubeless does not do that. It runs on lower pressures comfortably.
3. Liquid Sealant
The ability of tubeless tires to be filled with a liquid sealant puts it on a great advantage over tubed tires. Just in case there is a puncture, and the tubeless tire is filled with liquid sealant on the inside, the liquid sealant will immediately cover the punctured spot and dry up; thereby sealing the puncture. This is a great advantage as one can travel longer distances with no need to worry about a puncture.
4. Slow Escape Of Air
When there is a puncture in a tube tire, the air is almost immediately expelled. Not so with a tubeless tire. The air is expelled slowly thereby affording the driver enough time to pull to the side of the road. This is advantageous when you are at high speed. (Read Also: Can I Put A Tubeless Tire On A Tube Rim?Find Out)
5. Weightless
Fuel consumption is determined also by the weight of the vehicle. Since tubeless tires are almost Weightless, you can save more on fuel than when you use tube tires.
6. No Unnecessary  Friction
At high speeds, tubed tires have a tendency of experiencing friction within themselves. This leads to an increase in temperature that can even lead to the tire exploding while on transit. It is a disaster on-site to see a tire explode. Tubeless tires do not behave so.
7. Stability
The stability of a car with a tubeless tire is guaranteed since air is distributed evenly in the tire. But not so with a tubed tire. There are chances of uneven distribution of air in a tubed tire. The performance and efficiency of a tubeless tire are higher than that of a tubed tire.
Read Also: How To Change A Tire On A Single Axle Travel Trailer Like A Pro
Now that we have some advantages, we will now take a look into the disadvantages of tubeless tires over tubed tires. We can begin. Stay with me.
DISADVANTAGES – Tubeless Tire
1. Fitting
Tubeless tires are supposed to be airtight against the rim to avoid leakage. For this reason, the expertise of a professional is required for this. It is not everyone that can fit it airtight. Also, it is difficult to fit the rim.
2. Fixing Of Punctures
if you don’t have a tire repair kit on hand during a puncture, locating the hole especially if the sealant becomes dry can be really challenging. Except you have a pump with you, you are likely not to locate the punctured spot.
3. Sidewall Puncture
The worst that can happen to you is to have a sidewall puncture in a tubeless tire. If it’s a tubed tire, you can easily change the tube inside and business returns back to normalcy.
For a tubeless tire, if this occurs, it’s a new tire altogether. (Read Also: How Much Tire Sidewall Damage Is Too Much?)
4. Expensive
Tubed tires are cheaper than tubeless tires in replacement and maintenance.
What To Do When You Discover A Puncture
When driving for an appointment, and suddenly you notice a flat in your tubeless tires, the following is what you do:
1. Get A Spare
Good drivers always carry with them spare tires. Get the spare tire out of the trunk. At least when you do this you have shown you are in charge of the situation and not the other way around. Don’t get too fidgety about the whole situation. Calm down.
If you don’t have a spare, please don’t drive any further in order not to add more salt to an existing injury.
2. Call Your Mechanic
At this juncture, you have done all you can, the next thing to do is to pick up your phone and dial your mechanic’s number. Listen to his advice.
3. Call Tow Van
Peradventure your mechanic is a league away, surely the next available option is a tow van to tow the vehicle to his shop for repairs. Ensure to wait for them patiently.
How To Identify Tubeless Tire Puncture – Conclusion
In conclusion, tubeless tires are of more advantages than tubed tires. I highly recommend them to you for usage. Don’t focus your attention much on its disadvantage when it comes to a puncture. It will serve you greatly before that happens, that’s if it will ever happen.
They fit your tire more and also add more balance to your vehicle. It’s one choice you won’t regret, trust me.
This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here.
I am passionate about all things automotive and have a deep understanding of the topic. As a mechanic, I use my free time to share knowledge of everyday challenges that any car owner can experience – helping you make informed decisions about tires.