I was wondering which one lasts longer (I'll be doing spirited drives) because i found out a couple months ago that i had a nail in one of my rear tires. I left it in for the time being but I think its about time I plugged it or patched it. Just need some guidance on which method to use

 

i plugged mine at a tire shop when i had a nail @ 90% tire.

plugged it and a few track days and canyon runs i'm down to wear bar. no leaks whatsoever

 

I patched mine on my RSX type-S (front tire) and 3 auto X events later no leaky.

I think you should be good anyway you go but I would advise saving up and getting a new tire.

 

I plugged mine and did many group drives and canyon runs until i was wearing through the wear bar. No problems at all.

 

patch is better then plug. i plug tires that are junk, and will need to be replaced sooner then later. i patch tires that are in good shape, and use umbrella patches to maintain their speed ratings.

when you plug a tire, you need to ream out the tire and this wreckes the belts, so the tire is not nearly as strong as it was prior. sure, it will hold air, but it will deflect/deform at higher speeds.

so, in a nutshell:

plug- quick, easy, ruins the tire
patch- more expensive, better for tire

 

There's a reason why tire shops charge less for plugging.

 

it really depends on where the leak is on the tire.

 

if it is on the sidewall, replace the tire. if it is on the horizontal part of the tread, and you want to keep the tire, patch it.

a few weeks ago i plugged an m5 tire because we plan on roasting the tires off the car, and it did not warrant plugging it.

 

I think you meant did not warrant patching it.

I feel ignorant, I did not even realize there was a difference! I wonder what they did to my winter tire when I had a nail in it last month. Cost about $35 and I waited around for quite some time so I'm hoping patch? Obviously I'm not exactly hitting the track on my snows, but either way I'd hope it wasn't done crappily. I'd rather pay a few more bucks for piece of mind when it comes to safety.

 

I didn't realise there was a difference either.
I do know I've had street tires plugged and then went on to wear the tires out without problems though.
Next time ,I'll check into patch's.