Today’s radial truck tires have been engineered to provide better fuel economy, less rolling resistance, and longer life. And due to the high-flex characteristics and increased heat buildup in the upper sidewall and shoulder areas of these tires, additional precautions should be taken to properly repair punctures in the shoulder area.
On medium and heavy-duty truck tires, injuries in the shoulder area are repairable up to 3/8” using a two-piece style repair. The repair unit selected for these injuries may need to be longer and/or offset over the injury to get the ends of the fabric reinforcement plies out of the high-flex area of the upper sidewall.
The use of a standard puncture repair unit in the shoulder area will result in the repair unit being exposed to more stress in the upper sidewall, due to the characteristics of the tire. This could potentially result in a premature repair failure.
To allow for proper placement of the repair unit, it is recommended to use the appropriate TECH repair template for the repair unit being used.
For more information refer to TECH’s RM-5 or RM-8 repair manuals.
Or, to learn more about proper tire repair products contact your local TECH Distributor or visit products.techtirerepairs.com.
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