Tire repair kit (air compressor + sealant)

S

SoFloT4Run

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Have any of you guys ever tried repairing oem and /or all terrain tires with this type of repair kit. I know some companys offer these kits instead of a spare tire.

My wifes Acura RDX has one too and i just wanted to see of this would be a faster alternative to get you back in the road in less time than it would take replacing the tire with a spare.


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There are some things I don't like about these "kits":
1. Even with a small tread puncture in the tire, if the bead has separated from the rim, the kit is worthless unless you are good at re-seating a tire while on the trail/roadside..
2. The sealant will ruin your TPS unit and the tire you put it in.
3. The sealant maybe will "fix" a simple nail puncture in the tread, but it will not seal a sidewall cut or larger puncture in the tread.
4, The inflate /sealant kit is a one time use item.


edit: corrected typos!
 
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TOYO74 said:
There some things I don't like about these "kits":
1. Even if with a small tread puncture in the tire, if the bead has separated from the rim, the kit is worthless unless you are good at reseating a tire while on the trail/roadside..
2. The sealant will ruin your TPS unit and the tire you put it in.
3. The sealant maybe will "fix" a simple nail puncture in the tread, but it will not seal a sidewall cut or larger puncture in the tread.
4, The inflator/sealant kit is a one time use item.
Click to expand...

Every one of these is spot on. And you can add to #2 that this gunk will also coat the inside of the wheel, such that who knows whether a shop will even fool with it afterwards. Ever price a new TPMS unit?

I'd could see carrying a kit for "desperate times" but I'd never have a vehicle without some kind of spare. Tempting Murphy.
 
As I understand it, the fix-a-flat type kits are a one time temporary use. They are intended to get you to the nearest tire repair place and that's it. Low speed short distance only. Then you are probably replacing the tire because you can't really clean all the gunk out and properly balance things again. Better to have a spare.
 
I've used those slime kits in the past and I still keep them in the 2 door coupes and 4 door sedans as a backup/emergency, next to the jumper cables. So they do have their place.

However, in my pickups and SUV's, I already carry a vaiar compressor, so it made more sense for me to buy a real tire repair kit (30 bucks on amazon).

In real world usage, I found that it was faster for me to fix a puncture the correct way with a patch kit and with a vaiar compressor (15 min), than it was to use the slime kit (mainly due to the 12volt compressor taking 40 minutes or longer to inflate a tire).

So those kits make sense if you are making a road hazard kit or something, but if you already have a compressor for offroading, it makes more sense to buy a regular tire patch kit, or piece together your own kit.
 
philsey said:
Every one of these is spot on. And you can add to #2 that this gunk will also coat the inside of the wheel, such that who knows whether a shop will even fool with it afterwards. Ever price a new TPMS unit?

I'd could see carrying a kit for "desperate times" but I'd never have a vehicle without some kind of spare. Tempting Murphy.
Click to expand...


+1

Wife used this stuff once, dried on wheel, needed a scraper to get the dried, hardened material off. This is a Band-Aid of the highest order, that may not always get you back on the road.

Killed the TPMS unit. Never again.
 
I talked to one of my coworkers the other day about these. He spotted me checking out the forums and air compressors (bought a Viair 400P). His new Hyundai hybrid comes with no spare, just the emergency kit. This guy is 74 years old and said he doesn't think he could even use the kit. Wrestling a spare into position isn't much better but I think a doughnut would be better than the goo kit.

The "fix-a-flat" I've seen in the past used a flammable propellant to push it into your tire. I don't know about the new stuff. It's quite dangerous for the tire guy who's gonna try and purge it later and mop up all the goo on the inside of the tire. As has already be mentioned you may get yourself down the road but you may end up ruining several hundred dollars worth of tire/rim/sensor.

I've got the plug kit in the truck but have never actually used one (watched a bunch of YouTube videos though :jump::jump:). I threw in some spare valve cores, a core tool, and of course the compressor. Over the weekend I tried breaking the bead on one of my old tires using my Hi-Lift. I wanted to know if I might be able to swap out a valve stem in case that was damaged on the trail. Well....it was a huge pain, pretty dangerous (I pinched my thumb a bit) and took a lot of work. I'll stick with my spare tire and plug kit to repair punctures as they come. I'll keep a ratchet strap around for attempting to re-seat the bead too but I doubt my compressor has the volume to accomplish that.
 
TowMeOut said:
.... His new Hyundai hybrid comes with no spare, just the emergency kit. This guy is 74 years old and said he doesn't think he could even use the kit. Wrestling a spare into position isn't much better but I think a doughnut would be better than the goo kit.
Click to expand...

Just bought my wife a new Kia Sportage ... they euphemistically call that the "Tire Mobility Kit". On her car anyway, you can buy the mini-spare for $140.00 ... there's space for it. Maybe the Hyundai's the same?

Tire Mobility Kit, my ass!
 
mrblah said:
I've used those slime kits in the past and I still keep them in the 2 door coupes and 4 door sedans as a backup/emergency, next to the jumper cables. So they do have their place.

However, in my pickups and SUV's, I already carry a vaiar compressor, so it made more sense for me to buy a real tire repair kit (30 bucks on amazon).

In real world usage, I found that it was faster for me to fix a puncture the correct way with a patch kit and with a vaiar compressor (15 min), than it was to use the slime kit (mainly due to the 12volt compressor taking 40 minutes or longer to inflate a tire).

So those kits make sense if you are making a road hazard kit or something, but if you already have a compressor for offroading, it makes more sense to buy a regular tire patch kit, or piece together your own kit.
Click to expand...

This is great advice. Im going to purchase one of these compressors and a regular tire plug kit.

Thanks
 
I bought this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ASY23I/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DIECCK/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

it also doesn't hurt to have an old school quality tire gauge (unlike the cheap 99 cent ones)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002SQYTG/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It seemed like a lot of the "all in one" kits were not good quality so this is what I put together. You can also get a valve stem tool with extra valve stems, as I have seen them leak after checking pressure before.

https://www.amazon.com/Slime-20088-4-Way-Valve-Cores/dp/B0020T17J2/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1500304026&sr=1-1&keywords=tire+valve+tool
 
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Crybabies. I used slime in one of my tires a month ago and it is fine. The TPMS sensor still works fine too. I know this because my tire will release air air if I go over too many parking curbs. The tire rotates fine. Just after the slime is in the tire it will wobble a bit. Once the slime has had a chance to smooth out, all is well. I do carry a small air compressor too.
I am not spending money on tires just yet.
 
I've got the ARB plug kit and a low duty compressor. Never had to use either on my own vehicles, but have fixed a couple people that needed help.
 
Muzzle of Bees said:
Crybabies. I used slime in one of my tires a month ago and it is fine. The TPMS sensor still works fine too. I know this because my tire will release air air if I go over too many parking curbs. The tire rotates fine. Just after the slime is in the tire it will wobble a bit. Once the slime has had a chance to smooth out, all is well. I do carry a small air compressor too.
I am not spending money on tires just yet.
Click to expand...


Says the guy driving a 15 y/o 986, you trust slime/plugs in your Z rated tires?

I guess if you never go over 60 m.p.h.:guitar3:

Wobbles a bit? Loosing air over curbs? You're not doing it right…
 
Muzzle of Bees said:
Crybabies. I used slime in one of my tires a month ago and it is fine. The TPMS sensor still works fine too. I know this because my tire will release air air if I go over too many parking curbs. The tire rotates fine. Just after the slime is in the tire it will wobble a bit. Once the slime has had a chance to smooth out, all is well. I do carry a small air compressor too.
I am not spending money on tires just yet.
Click to expand...

that was a lot of words to say it doesn't work well
 
Someone said sealant would fix a sidewall or huge cut. That is true but neither is a patch kit. Our last major flat had a 4in cut almost at the sidewall. Not really sure a patch kit would have been any help and sealant wouldn't have worked. Either way you are stranded with a spare.

If you are worried about small holes, running something like Ultra Seal would be the way to go. It's like Stans or Orange Seal, but for auto tires. You put it in when the tire is good and it will fill a puncture when it happens. Just like a tubess mountain bike tire.

http://www.ultraseal.com

I haven't used it yet. I was going to use it on my Jeep, but sold it before putting it in.

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no sealant or slime is going to make a difference on a big gash

and you can trail patch a big gash, its just a lot of work. it's going to involve sewing up the hole and using multiple plugs and patching. if a gash is bad enough to require that, no fancy slime is going to fix it.

sealants like ultraseal work on small punctures, the kinds of punctures that you can easily plug with a standard plug kit
 
My car doesn’t have a spare, which seems to be the trend for cars. I’ll call AAA or if needed, slime the hell out as a temporary fix while understanding I will be buying a new tire. The 4R? Take the damn spare.

If you are considering a plug kit as back up, find an old tire and learn how to use it before just tossing it into the truck.
 
slippers said:
Says the guy driving a 15 y/o 986, you trust slime/plugs in your Z rated tires?

I guess if you never go over 60 m.p.h.:guitar3:

Wobbles a bit? Loosing air over curbs? You're not doing it right…
Click to expand...

You don't read well do you? A great example of our wonderful education system I see. I have a plug in one tire on the Boxster. It is fine too. I runs well way past the limits we see posted.
 
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