I dunno if I would exactly call them be ridiculous for following recommendations from a higher order. You can argue what is a repairable tread block all you want; but just because it looks like a repairable tread, works like a repairable tread, does not mean it is a repairable tread (according to RMA), lol.
The Rubber Manufacturer's Association makes it pretty clear cut on what can or cannot be patched, and the outer tread blocks are not part of it, plain and simple. See below:
If you're curious, here's a link to how they recommend tires to be patched: http://www.rma.org/wp-content/uploads/prp_wallchart1111.pdf
If I understand correctly, these are the guys that pretty much develop the safety standards for all the tires on the road today here in the US, so it's kind of hard to argue with their guidelines from a legal standpoint.
I am pretty sure BJs is not in it just to make an extra buck by pushing a new tire; probably much more likely that BJs on a corporate level does not want to deal with the legal consequences (like most larger chain tire shops).
Kind of sucks that we live in the world where everyone sues at the drop of a hat, so if anything we have our peers to blame as well.
With that said, if you do plan to patch a hole that far out in to the shoulder I highly recommend one of these mushroom style plugs:
Patches at the shoulder go through a lot of more flexing and stress I think, and you really need all the surface area you can get when sticking it on. I've had pretty good luck with these type of plugs with holes right at the edge of the shoulder.
Not stating that this is right or wrong, just stating that it works for me, but your mileage may vary :cheers:
Technically the rma is not the authority on tire repair, that falls to the manufacturer of the tire and because of liability reason no manufacturer states that a tire can be safely repaired. Let's be realistic, if a tire is repaired properly following rma guidelines and fails, the rma is not liable, and the retailer who repaired the tire still is.
The flexing of the tire is not the concern. Tires flex continually as they roll. The concern is the strength of the area that is to be repaired. The reason you don't repair sidewalls is because there is no steel. The steel belting is in the tread area. The picture is a poor guideline. I don't know how you could point the area on a tire like a BFG A/T.
