Which is better Slime or Fix a Flat? I've looking for an emergency tire sealent to put in my car in case I get a flat. comments? opinions?
Slime or Fix a Flat?
- Thread starter bigwillie
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I don't know which is better but you can leave slime in all the time.
Slime! Get the green stuff that has small chunks of rubber in it. Looks like little black dots in the green.
Honestly? Just use your spare. Fix-A-Flat is highly flammable, and due to the dangers, the shop i worked at a while back always charged quite a bit extra for the amount of work required to clean out the entire tire & wheel. Not to mention that the fumes are pretty toxic.
Anyhow.
Anyhow.
Slime is non-toxic and works great in mountain-bike tires. It's also non-flammable.
I've seen ads for auto applications but I don't know how well it works for cars.
I've seen ads for auto applications but I don't know how well it works for cars.
Pretty much no current can-based sealant is flammable. I think they learned their lesson after using flammable gasses and/or solvents. Fix-A-Flat is now a Pennzoil brand.
BTW - Did that stuff also seal off the valve once it hardened? Not that it matters when you're already going to replace the valve stem.
Used Fix-a-flat once for a nail puncture.
Did absolutely nothing but spray the goop out of the puncture hole until the tire was flat again.
If you want something more robust, carry a $20 12V compressor and a $5 plug kit.
Did absolutely nothing but spray the goop out of the puncture hole until the tire was flat again.
If you want something more robust, carry a $20 12V compressor and a $5 plug kit.
If it's a big hole fix-a-flat won't work. It says right on the can that it isn't permanent. It won't repair a tire, the can says to cut the nail or whatever it is as close to the base of the tread as you can and use the can, then repair the tire. If it was a nail use a $5 plug kit like Ler said or get it repaired professionally if you don't feel like trusting a $5 plug.
I however have used Fix-a-flat successfully twice. It was basically when I've had slow leaks where the tire would lose about 10 psi a month or less. I wasn't able to find anything that was lodged in the tire on inspection and couldn't spot any leaks using soap, it just leaked too slow. I used the Fix-a-flat and it fixed the problem permanently until I replaced all four tires when they all became bald. I carry a can in the back of my primary car right next to the jack. When I replaced the tires, I told the guys that I used the product and they said it really doesn't matter and I saw the rim when they demounted the tire, it didn't look dirty, and the new tire balanced with the same sized weight as the other tires.
My personal recommendation is to buy the "big tire" sized can unless you drive a compact car with really small tires. The big can brought my tire up to 25 psi when it was 10 psi, so it works as an inflator to an extent, at least to fill the tire the rest of the way.
I however have used Fix-a-flat successfully twice. It was basically when I've had slow leaks where the tire would lose about 10 psi a month or less. I wasn't able to find anything that was lodged in the tire on inspection and couldn't spot any leaks using soap, it just leaked too slow. I used the Fix-a-flat and it fixed the problem permanently until I replaced all four tires when they all became bald. I carry a can in the back of my primary car right next to the jack. When I replaced the tires, I told the guys that I used the product and they said it really doesn't matter and I saw the rim when they demounted the tire, it didn't look dirty, and the new tire balanced with the same sized weight as the other tires.
My personal recommendation is to buy the "big tire" sized can unless you drive a compact car with really small tires. The big can brought my tire up to 25 psi when it was 10 psi, so it works as an inflator to an extent, at least to fill the tire the rest of the way.
please don't put any of that crap on. the best thing to do as slug said is use your spare. it's just a waste of money to buy that stuff. spend the money on repairing the tire properly instead of using that stuff. i use to work at discount tire and i hated it when people would use fix a flat or slime and sometimes both at the same time. think about the guy who is going to deal with that stuff when he has to repair the tire.
Yeah, another vote for spare tire first, then when you get home use a plug and a cheap compressor. I don't know how crazy you want to get, but thorougly removing every piece of glass, gravel, etc. on a regular basis would be good PM, and you might find a nail before it got through...
While I agree with using the spare, I also keep a can of Fix-A-Flat in all my cars. I do not want my wife changing a tire on the side of the interstate. Too dangerous. She knows to use the Fix-A-Flat, and then drive to a safe location and change the tire. She also knows to tell any service techs that the Fix-A-Flat was used on the tire.
If we get billed extra for the tire change because of the Fix-A-Flat, I can live with that. Thankfully, so will my wife.
If we get billed extra for the tire change because of the Fix-A-Flat, I can live with that. Thankfully, so will my wife.
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