I just received my new tie rod boot for my ZF steering rack unit. The originals were all cracked and being held together with hose clamps. I'll be replacing the tierod ends this weekend so I figured to do these too. the small hole end is 1 1/4 inches in diameter and the other end is 2 7/8" diameter. When I just crawled under the car to match and make sure they were correct, I notice that on the small end a hard rubber plug that would go into the end of the boot and fully cover the diameter of the tie rod itself. Should this plug also be replaced or is it OK to reuse it. Also, how should I secure the new boot, heavy duty tie wrap or hose clamps?

Thanks everyone for keeping me going for 307K miles plus.