Project Farm Asks Which Tire Plug Works Best Off-Road

Ever wonder which tire plug will survive being drifted underneath the weight of a Chevrolet Tahoe? Neither did we, but Project Farm’s recent video answers the question all the same, to show how four leading tire plug brands survive on and off-road.

Dynaplug, Grand Pitstop, Slime, and Western Weld plugs undergo testing of their advertised features, such as the tools included and plug type, to their technical merits, from tested air tightness to adhesive strength. Pricing ranges from $14 for the Slime kit to $40 and $48 for the Grand Pitstop and Western Weld, respectively, and up to $54 for the Dynaplug kit. While the Dynaplug, Slime, and Western Weld kits use traditional tire plugs, the Grand Pitstop kit relies on shorter mushroom plugs to seal punctures. Alternatively, the Grand Pitstop kit includes a special mushroom plug insertion gun, differentiating itself from the more typical handled insertion needle included in the three competitors. Dynaplug’s kit is by far the smallest at 27 cubic inches while the Slime kit takes up slightly more space at 50 cubic inches. The Westweld and Grand Pitstop kits move into the triple digits at 240 and 112 cubic inches, respectively.

Price, specification, and size undoubtedly play a part in which kit consumers will pick but the true test of a tire plug is its road or trail worthiness. So the team at Project Farm gave each plug a litmus test by pitching a second-generation Chevy Tahoe sideways on gravel roads and manji drifting through a grass airstrip. Combined with a handful of more tame on-road miles, the only brand to have significant pitting and air leakage were the Grand Pitstop mushroom plugs.

Project Farm also takes the testing to more quantifiable levels by calculating the force required to pull the tire plugs out and the tackiness of the plugs with their adhesive. Western Weld’s kit required an average of 89 pounds of force to pull the plug out, beating its competitors by between 30 and 50 pounds. Again, Western Weld takes the lead with the most tacky adhesive while the Slime and Dynaplug kits remain comparable. Grand Pitstop’s mushroom plugs do not require adhesive.

After their extensive testing, Project Farm recommends the Western Weld plug kit for its price and performance, noting that the Dynaplug kit is great for those tight on space. For off-roaders on a budget, the Slime kit is the second smallest and a fraction of the cost of its competitors. Whichever kit you end up with, just make sure you remember a pair of long-nose pliers for removing the puncturing culprit.