Where can you buy a tyre repair kit.

By Chad Lückhoff 

Tyre, Tire. Colour, Color. Humour, Humor. Spell it how you want, no one likes it flat. And when it's you tyre that has left you alongside the road with places to be and people to see, it's quite understandable that your sense of humour leaves, along with the escaping air.

Not all cars have full size spare wheels anymore, some don't even have a space saver either. Weight is the fuel consumption's enemy, so many manufacturers are moving away from traditional spare wheels. If you're one of the fortunate ones that still has a replacement wheel tucked in the boot, you should be able to change it around and keep on going, at least until you get to where you need to be.

But what about that porridge wheel (pap wiel)?

A simple puncture doesn't necessarily spell the end of the road for that particular tyre and there are more cost effective ways of getting it into shape and back onto your car. But as with most things, terms and conditions apply.

You will only be able to repair a puncture if:

• The hole is on the tread surface of the tyre. Not the shoulder, and not the sidewall.
• The hole is less than 6mm in diameter.
• The tyre is of a regular tubeless design and not a run-flat.
• The tread depth is less than the legal limit of 1.6mm.

Most wheel and tyre service centers will be able to fix that tyre for you for a few rands, and best determine if the repair will be safe in the long run. However, if you are looking to attempt the repair yourself, you can find a few repair kits at your local superstore or spares outlet. Heck, we even found some online!

Shield Tyre Repair Kit	Game	approx R59.00
Tyre Repair Kit	Takealot.co.za	approx R79.00
GVDOR Tire Repair Kit	WantItAll.co.za	approx R495.00
Whitelotous Repair kit	WantItAll.co.za	approx R765.00

 Most kits will come with the tubeless tyre repair plugs, rubber cement, the awl / reamer and the insertion tool / needle. It does take an experienced hand to correctly repair a tyre using one of these kits, so we do recommend leaving this up to the professionals.

An alternative is to look for a repair kit that consists of a slime or goo that will penetrate the hole and solidify once it meets oxygen, and a compact 12V compressor. This will get you out of most sticky situations!