A tyre puncture doesn’t have to mean calling roadside assistance. This quick guide explains what’s inside a tyre repair kit, how to use it safely, and when a temporary fix is enough to get you back on the road. Learn when a tyre can be repaired — and when full replacement is the smarter choice.
If you regularly drive on uneven road surfaces, across industrial sites, or in areas with lots of potholes and potential obstacles on the road, then it’s well worth carrying a tyre repair kit around with you.
Designed to enable drivers to patch up a puncture or split in their tyre, provided it meets certain conditions, this repair kit makes it possible to limp on to your local garage for a proper repair – without calling on roadside assistance and towing vehicles.
Of course, there are occasions when a tyre repair kit isn’t suitable – more on that in a moment. But first, what’s actually inside a tyre repair kit?
What’s in a Tyre Repair Kit?
A tyre repair kit uses a sealant, which is pumped into the tyre and affixes itself to the inner structure to patch over any damage.
The kit includes a bottle of this sealant as well as a compressor to help reinflate the tyre once you’ve patched over the damage.
You will also find information about the recommended speed limit to stick to once you have repaired the tyre, and guidance on how best to use the kit.
When Can You Use a Tyre Repair Kit?
The tyre repair kit can be used in light of the following conditions…
- The puncture or damage to the tyre must be situated on the inner three-quarters of the tyres overall width – essentially nowhere near any of the edges of the tyre
- The puncture must be less than 6mm in diameter
- The tyre must otherwise be in good shape, meaning it suffered a clean puncture with no other damage to the sidewall or structure of the tyre
- The tread depth must be deeper than 1.6mm and therefore considered worth repairing
How to Use the Repair Kit
If your tyre and the damage sustained meets the above criteria, then you can unpack your tyre repair kit ready to complete a temporary fix and get your car back on the road.
The first thing to do is to identify the valve that you usually use to inflate or deflate your tyre. Fix the bottle of sealant from the repair kit to this valve, and pump sealant into the tyre.
Once you’ve pumped it inside the tyre, the sealant fixes itself to the inside wall and seals cracks, holes, or punctures up to 6mm wide.
NOTE: This sealant is removed and thoroughly cleaned from the tyre by a professional mechanic in advance of a thorough repair job – so don’t worry too much about the lasting implications of this product!
Next Steps: Getting Back on the Road
Once you’re back on the road with your temporarily repaired tyre, it’s important to remember the limitations of such kits.
A tyre repaired using the above process is typically safe to drive for around 50 miles before needing to be fixed professionally or replaced – depending on the severity of the damage. Any further driving on a patched up tyre can cause damage to the structure of the tyre or even to the inner structure of the wheel.
Once you have taken your tyre to the garage, they will be able to either repair it properly or offer support in sourcing and fitting a new tyre.
