I love catching nails in my tire. Driving through construction zones. Waking up to a flat. Seriously we all know the joys. Here is the solution to the problem instead of whining.

This is assuming you have already identified the source of your pesky air leak.

Step One: Use a rasp to clean the hole.

If you can see the item great pull it out, if not just push the tool in and you may need to push through whatever is stuck in your tire. It may seem scary when you hear air pouring out your tire but make sure you get a clean hole all the way through the rubber so you can make a seal. Move the rasp up and down and clear way for the plug. If you hear a lot of air escaping you did it right.

Step Two: Patch the tire

Center the rubber strip in the eyelet tool. Then push through the tire. Try not to twist on your way out and be swift when you pull Excalibur from the tire.

Step Three: Cut the remainder

Leave a little bit out the end of the tire. Maybe like 1/3 or so of the rubber sticking out And use a utility blade to remove the remainder even with the tread.

Step Four: Test and Fill

Fill your tire up with air and pour soapy water on. Just pour the soap and test your patch dont be that lazy it takes a few seconds. It’s easier than swearing at your car in the morning.

This patch cost me $3 from a local store and less than 30min of my time. My rasp and eyelet tools walked off at some point or this would have cost me even less. But a new tire would have been well over $150 and took a few hours of my day. The tire still had plenty of life and with this quick patch will keep rolling on.