Hey fellow RX8ers...

I had the misfortune of running over something sharp this afternoon, blowing the right/rear tire. The hole is pretty big (see pic) and i'm unsure whether or not it can be plugged. These are the stock RE050s with 16K miles on them. Also, not sure if it matters, but this tire has already been plugged once (in a different spot). If I can't get this repaired then i'll be replacing all of them with kumho ecstas. The tires are from 2003 and have had to deal with our wonderful northeast climate....as you can tell by the cracking.

so...any opinions out there on whether or not I should bother bringing it to my local tire shop to have it plugged???

Thanks in advance

 

I'm sure it will have cut the cords...you will need a new tire. Plugs only work with nail and screw holes.......

 

u never want a pluged tire on a sports car. but even if u had the ***** to do it.... that tire is way to chopped up to get a plug.

 

I doubt you can plug a hole that size....you will probably need to replace the tire.

I have Kumho ECSTA SPT tires, and they're unbelievable....much better ride quality than the stock tires, and handling is top notch.

Can't beat the price, either. Sucks if you have to replace all of your tires, but at least they're affordable.

 

If you're gonna get Kumho's, do it quick - there's a $40 rebate for a set of 4, but it expires on Dec 31st.

Here's the thread with details:
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-55/kumho-rebate-expires-12-31-06-a-104468/

 

thanks guys.

yeah, i just needed confirmation that it needed to be replaced. obviously, at 16k miles, i have no choice but to do all 4. even if i wanted to replace the rears it would cost almost $500 (200+ each). Looks like i'll be ordering a set of 4 SPTs in the morning...

 

Buy them our sponsor tire rack. You will save a ton of money.

 

You can actually PATCH that tire. It is about $15 to do one. Is it really worth it? That's another story, but patching it is completely safe. You should really buy new tires at this point anyway.

 

+1 for a new tire...

 

wow, tire got owned.

 

+ 1 for new tires....16,000 is good mileage for the stock tires. I got close to 25k on mine, but don't have the elements to worry about here in So cal like you do.

 

ok...had the ectsta SPTs installed today by a local shop but havent had a chance to test them out. it was an unexpected expense, but i definitely did not want to try to plug that tire....the hole was suprisingly large and you could see that the cords were shredded (it's hard to see in that little pic).

also, i havent been happy with the potenzas (wet traction, road noise) and thought this was a good time to rid myself of them. i live in a very congested area with crappy weather (read, drive at 2/10s most of the time) and dont need superior dry handling anyway.

thanks for the input...