Tire plugs are perfectly fine unless too close to the sidewall. My wife has a bad habit of getting nails and screws in her tires. I bought a plug kit at NAPA about 5 years ago, and it's one of the best things I bought. I have dug out so much metal from her tires in the last 5 years, that she told me I deserve the Tee shirt that says if it's got tits or tires your gonna have trouble. Anyways, when I road trip I take my tire plug kit and a lithium ion battery operated air compressor. Never had to use it, but it's nice to have with me.