Hot take: That $85 boot at the fairgrounds saved me a tow

My tire picked up a screw on I-25 near the Comanche exit about a month back and I didn't notice until the pressure light came on in the Smith's parking lot on San Mateo. I had one of those cheap $20 plug kits from a big box store and had already used it twice with mixed results, so I finally dropped $85 on a proper tire repair kit with a real reamer and good plugs. Took me maybe ten minutes in my driveway and it held air for the whole drive out to Santa Fe and back. My old man said the cheap ones blow out on the highway and honestly I think he's right, the rubber in the good plugs felt way different, more sticky and thick. I get that not everyone wants to spend that kind of cash on something you might use once or twice a year. But a tow from the middle of I-40 at night runs way more than that, and this city is not kind to people sitting on the shoulder. Anyone got a tire shop in town they actually trust for the stuff that's too far gone to plug?

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terry_barnes6d ago

Learned the same lesson the hard way after a plug let go on me near the Big I at rush hour. Now I keep a good kit in the trunk and practice on an old tire in the garage so I'm not fumbling with it on the shoulder. The sticky string plugs really do grab better than the cheap ones. For the too far gone stuff I've had good luck at the Discount Tire on Montgomery, they patch what they can and won't push new tires on you if a repair will hold.

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