Do you use tire aerosol sealants ??

[Only4Gold]

Two questions:

1. do you recommend usage, in an extreme emergency, of aerosol tire sealants/inflators?

2. for those Forum members out west, like those that frequent places like Death Valley in summer, is it safe to keep a can of this stuff in your 4Runner, or not? The can says explosive over 120degrees.

I'm planning a trip out to the desert southwest shortly, and am trying to decide if it is safe to carry this stuff in the back of the 4Runner for extreme emergencies, or not.

Ideas? Experiences? Recommendations?

Thanks

 

[SteveM]

I think you'd be better off with a plug kit and a 12V compressor.

Those aerosol tire sealants make one helluva mess when you have to dismount the tire. I wouldn't let a tire store dismount one without telling them that stuff was in there.

 

[darktiger]

You don't. Plug kit and a 12v compressor. Since you are in the desert, keeping one around wouldnt hurt for extreme emergency, but I would worry about that temp in the desert. You would have to replace the tire afterwords, because that goo corroides the insides of you tire.

 

[aj884runner]

:iagree:
That aerosol crap will take the paint off the inside of the rim causing the rim to corrode. Also, some products destroy the inner layer of rubber of the tire. Get the kit and compressor. You will thank us later.

 

[SteveM]

LOL, I was speaking from experience; I used to work as a tire mechanic while in school. We used to hate when those gunk filled tires would come in for a flat repair.

Commercial tire shops these days (in Calif.) are not allowed to plug tires as the act of forcing the plug through the tire can damage the belts. The best repair for a hole in the tread area is a patch from the inside.

A plug is relatively easy to install in the sticks as an emergency only after you have used up your spare wheel and tire.

 

[kullenberg]

Tire Repair Goo

The owner's manual for the o4 4Runner warns against using the goo, as it can damage the tire pres. sensor.

 

[boston_kevin]

Avoid that tire aersol goo

I would avoid that stuff like the plague... It will mess up the air pressure sensor, cause an imbalance in the wheel/tire, could mess up the bead on the rim where the new tire will sit (causing someone to clean up the rim), and in general make a huge mess. Besides, if that can explodes, you'll never get that stuff out of the carpet.

I carry a small 12V air compressor in the back, and a tire plug kit. Also in the plug kit you should carry a large guage wood screw about 1 - 1 1/4" long, maybe 1/8" - 3/16" diameter. A thick shank wood screw will actually screw into the belts (and rubber) forming a tight seal to get you to a repair shop (you can even put a little goo from the plug kit on the screw). It will do nothing it you have a hole in the sidewall (neither will the aersol or plug kit), but anything you run over in the tread can be fixed quickly with this method. I wouldn't put hundreds of miles on this, but this does work well (tested in many offroad situations).

 

[my04runner]

Quick question, a little outside topic. How close can a hole be to the sidewall before the tire is considered un-repairable? I have had some people say that anything even close to the wall is un-repairable and friends say that it can be almost against the wall and it can still be repaired.

 

[boston_kevin]

sidewall repairs

depends on the repair method....

With a patch internal on the tire, you can patch holes in the sidewall providing that they are not too big (and not a rip).

With a plug patch, anything outside of the tread block (between the last channel of the tread and the sidewall) is unrepairable.

That being said, I would never repair a sidewall hole. Especially on a high profile tire - like the tires on the 4Runner. There is enough sidewall flex that it could loosen the patch and allow air to escape once again. Most tire places will not fix any sidewall holes, because unless someone intentionally put a nail cleanly through the sidewall, it will rip. If you are offroading, any sidewall injury will be a rip. Any curb or pothole related injury will be a rip.

 

[my04runner]

So If I was to get a nail in the tire close to the wall, but not in the wall, it should be repairable and should not need to buy a tire? That is if i keep the truck on streets only.

 

[SteveM]

So If I was to get a nail in the tire close to the wall, but not in the wall, it should be repairable and should not need to buy a tire? That is if i keep the truck on streets only.

Yes, but there has to be enough clearance so that the interior patch lays flat and still covers the hole (i.e. the patch is not bending at the corner of the sidewall and tread area). This can be a judgement call on the part of the tire store, so you might have to try more than one installer. If they all say no, then you probably need to buy a tire.

 

[my04runner]

Thanks for the input. Reason I ask is I had to buy three tires for my wife's Highlander that the store said were un-repairable. Good thing she got a new job and doesn't have to go over the train tacks everyday now.