toy4two

Got a tire with a slow leak, already removed the nail and plugged it, still leaks a little bit, enough where I need to reinflate it every month.

I added a bottle of 16oz. SLIME tire sealant, that bright neon green stuff. Does this stuff work? Does it throw off the balance of the wheel?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

you plugged it yourself or had it done at a shop?

as for the slime, i only used it on my big lawn mower worked perfectly.

toy4two

nah just plugged it in my garage, been doing this for years this is the first one that wasn't 100% fixed with just a plug.

Lex4RDNY

sorry to gravedig. I was wondering about this stuff also.Anybody used it?

bagwell

haven't used it, and I would ONLY use in case of an emergency; I swapped out my TT's runflats for regular tires and bought a cheap slime kit so I'm not stranded (hopefully)

toy4two

to followup, it actually did work for me to finish the plug job, no longer had the monthly slow leak.

I actually put it in my bike tire also and it saved me when I got a puncture a few weeks back.

So the stuff does work. Its a real mess in a presta valve bike and wouldn't do it again since it clogs the valve and sprays green crap all over my wall at 100+ psi.

CdeFabio

I thought I read somewhere that you should not use that stuff if you have tire pressure sensors because it will ruin the sensor, but I cannot recall where I read it. The sensors are expensive to replace.

KLF

No idea on the sensors, but make sure you tell the tech when you eventually get that tire replaced. They HATE that stuff, it makes a HUGE mess when they have to remove the tire. My son used to work at a Sears Auto place, and he says it can sometimes splatter all over the place when they have to pop the bead. It's nasty sticky goop, as you can imagine. If they knew it was in there, they would drape a tarp over the tire when it was in the machine. You might want to give the guy a tip, he's gonna have to spend some extra time cleaning it off the rim.

LexFather

This.

I've used it in the past but not anymore. It does work most of the time.

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

Yeah a lot of tire tech's hate the slime stuff, and you're going to make sure the sensor doesn't get too gummed up in that stuff.

Lil4X

Those self-sealing kits are pretty cool. I've used them on the lawn tractor with great success and when I used to ride motorcycles offroad in mesquite country, we literally filled the tires with the goop. A mesquite thorn is about the size of a 20d nail and twice as hard - the idea was to create a puncture-proof tire - or at least one that, when punctured, would hold enough air to get you 10-15 miles back to the trailer. It must've worked, I never had a second puncture on those tires.

Not sure as to the effect on unsprung weight or gyroscopic effects that purists might bring up, but Fix-a-Flat and it's brethren are pretty effective for emergency tire repairs.

You probably will be replacing that tire at some point anyway - those plugs aren't totally reliable, certainly not as much so as an internal patch. Now as to the long-term effects of that gunk in your tire, I'm not sure how it would affect balance. Sure, while semi-liquid it will distribute itself around the tire, actually fine-tuning your balance as it seeks equilibrium. But once it starts to stiffen up with heat and evaporation, it might not re-distribute itself so well when driven day after day.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

That stuff sounds pretty nasty....

mmarshall

This is one reason (among many) why automakers should give up their incessant cost-cutting and start using REAL spare tire/wheels again, not temporaries, donuts, run-flats, or tire sealant/compressed-air bottles. I constantly mention that in my auto-reviews....but it seems that only purpose-built off-road vehicles like Jeeps, Toyota 4Runners, Land-Cruisers, etc....still have real spares.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I agree.
The last generation RX had a full size spare and matching alloy wheel.
New generation gone!

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

Most of these " Fix-a-flat" products are water based & will corrode wheels & TPMS & make them unbalanceable. I have carried them in my trunk for 30 years so I have the option of using it if need be. (much faster than changing tire if you are in a dangerous location & I would rather risk a TPMS & tire than a wheel if you drive on it. You should get the tire repaired correctly ASAP with a internal patch & alert the tire tech before they dismount the tire & make sure they rebalance it not just mark it & replace tire in the same position on wheel.