Tires are expensive. Which is why a big tear in your brand new tire can be a bummer. A large sidewall cut like the one shown above may look fatal, but there is a good chance that the damaged tire still has a lot of life left in it. Instead of throwing $60+ on a new tire, here is how you can repair that tire and use it until it is fully worn out!

Tools and Supplies you’ll need:

Scissors

Rubber Cement or Tubular Tire Glue

A worn out tire to harvest a patch

A clamp or vise grip

Step 1: Find the Cut

Locate the hole or cut on the tire. I mark the hole with a pen so it’s easy to find later.

Step 2: Clean the Patch Area

Find the hole on the inside of the tire and remove all of the sealant residue that may have accumulated on the tire’s inner surface. It is crucial to remove all of the residue around the patch area. The rubber cement will not adhere properly to the tire otherwise.

Step 3: Cut a Patch

Here is where an old tire comes in handy. Cut out a long strip of sidewall from an old worn out tire to use as repair patches. You’ll want to size your patch to adequately cover the cut. For the 1/2″ sidewall slice pictured above I used a patch roughly 1″ x 1″.

Step 4: Apply the Glue



Using the rubber cement or tire glue, cover both the patch as well as the area inside the tire where the patch will go. Don’t be afraid to use too much glue!

Step 5: Allow the glue to dry for 15-20 minutes.

Step 6: Place the patch over the cut.

Make sure the patch is centered over the cut!

Step 7: Clamp the patch to the tire

Clamping the patch to the tire will hold the patch in the proper spot while the glue dries. If the patch is not clamped, the patch can move or may not conform to the shape of the tire as the glue dries.

Step 8: Allow the glue to dry!

I like to allow the glue to dry overnight at the very least.

Step 9: Remove the clamp

Be careful when removing the clamp from the patch, as glue may have dried to the clamp. Use a knife to cut the glue free from the clamp as you pull the clamp from the patch.

Step 10: Install the tire and GO RIDE!

I’ve had great results using this technique. I have repaired countless tubeless tires and put hundreds of miles on a patched tire.