Car tyre puncture sealant - yay or nay?

Moanin

Hi all,

I have a slow puncture that I brought to my local tyre centre for repair. They showed me a pin hole on the side wall that cannot be 'plugged' like they would normally do.

They said to try one of the aerosol sealants that you pump into the tyre.

Has anybody any experiences with these?

The tyre (20'') has very little mileage on it and it would be a shame to have to replace with a new one.

Thanks

punisher5112

Eh????

They let you drive off.... Well technically can't stop you but fook me would I be driving it with that.
Replace.

sundodger5

Moanin wrote: »

Hi all,

I have a slow puncture that I brought to my local tyre centre for repair. They showed me a pin hole on the side wall that cannot be 'plugged' like they would normally do.

They said to try one of the aerosol sealants that you pump into the tyre.

Has anybody any experiences with these?

The tyre (20'') has very little mileage on it and it would be a shame to have to replace with a new one.

Thanks

Any sidewall damage should be replaced. That area is constantly flexing so no repair will last.
Using tyreweld or similar was bad advice.

Del2005

Moanin wrote: »

Hi all,

I have a slow puncture that I brought to my local tyre centre for repair. They showed me a pin hole on the side wall that cannot be 'plugged' like they would normally do.

They said to try one of the aerosol sealants that you pump into the tyre.

Has anybody any experiences with these?

The tyre (20'') has very little mileage on it and it would be a shame to have to replace with a new one.

Thanks

Tyre sealant is to get you home or to a garage at reduced speeds where the tyre is then dumped, not drive on for ever. Unfortunately the tyre is gone regardless of the mileage on it.

silver2020

Its a pin-hole slow puncture - hardly serious sidewall damage that would require the tyre to be dumped.

Yep, i'd use the sealant and it should effectively "glue" the pin-hole.

Tyre places hate it as it means its difficult to find a puncture if you need a puncture repaired - that's the only reason you hear tyre fitters not recommending it.

Moanin

punisher5112 wrote: »

Eh????

They let you drive off.... Well technically can't stop you but fook me would I be driving it with that.
Replace.

Yes with a Pin Hole

punisher5112

Moanin wrote: »

Yes with a Pin Hole

Ah now I understand, tyre manufacturers put pin holes in side walls as it's fully safe.....

Will you stop, it may be slow but I'm sure you went to the tyre place to rectify the puncture.

You can't leave a tyre like that.

I had 3 brand new tyre blow out on me on 2 cars.

Last one inner side wall exploded. This was a new tyre less then 1k on it.

Have you got access to a compressor? you could just keep topping it up as you go?

My rear driver tyre has a puncture that requires me to top it up with air every week or so. It's not really a hassle at all, and I wouldnt be changing the tyre over it.

punisher5112

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Have you got access to a compressor? you could just keep topping it up as you go?

My rear driver tyre has a puncture that requires me to top it up with air every week or so. It's not really a hassle at all, and I wouldnt be changing the tyre over it.

So you have a puncture and you believe the best option is keep the tyre and just top it up....

Really wish they would have stricter regulations here.


Plugging tyres is not a proper fix to be right the tyre should be removed and patched if it's the side wall the tyre is done.

I'd actually love for you all to contact RSA and your insurance and the tyre manufacturers and get back.


My tyre went flat and I stopped straight away the tyre was fooked after traveling 50 meters.

The tyre may well look ok outside but the inside can be destroyed from driving with low or no air.

jimbis

Any Damage or puncture, pin hole or not on the sidewall of a tyre cannot be safely fixed. Simple as that. Nothing to do with it being difficult to find (they clearly found it if they know its a pin hole).
Also the tyre weld/foam or whatever you call it would be your worst option.
Id say the lads knew you weren't gonna buy a tyre off them and that advice was a way off getting you out of there hair.

Bite the bullet and replace it with piece of mind of a new tyre on there.

enricoh

A 20" Tyre - it's probably a decent motor you have. Bin the Tyre, take the hit instead of driving around on something iffy

corks finest

Moanin wrote: »

Hi all,

I have a slow puncture that I brought to my local tyre centre for repair. They showed me a pin hole on the side wall that cannot be 'plugged' like they would normally do.

They said to try one of the aerosol sealants that you pump into the tyre.

Has anybody any experiences with these?

The tyre (20'') has very little mileage on it and it would be a shame to have to replace with a new one.

Thanks

Awful gook,but used one on a gpz 900 years ago ,got me out of trouble, wouldn't use it on my car tyres, anything over an inch is too big

the advice is - sidewall you get a new tyre

isn't this type thing better than sealant aerosol normally?


https://www.amazon.co.uk/TYRE-PUNCTURE-REPAIR-STRIPS-BESTSELLER/dp/B00ISFJVSG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=21YNB7GH0GZH4&keywords=car%2Bpuncture%2Btyre%2Brepair%2Bplug%2Bkit&qid=1583282509&sprefix=car%2Btyre%2Bpuntu%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-3&th=1

punisher5112

punisher5112 wrote: »

So you have a puncture and you believe the best option is keep the tyre and just top it up....
Really wish they would have stricter regulations here.

Why? Give an example of a downside to doing this.


Is it that I might get a puncture? And kill everyone in a 4km radius?


Nonsense. Top it up and drive on. Balls would i be paying for a new tyre if i have one that's grand, but needs topping up weekly. The dramatics on boards is cringey at times.

punisher5112

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Why? Give an example of a downside to doing this.


Is it that I might get a puncture? And kill everyone in a 4km radius?


Nonsense. Top it up and drive on. Balls would i be paying for a new tyre if i have one that's grand, but needs topping up weekly. The dramatics on boards is cringey at times.

I cringe that you actually share the roads with others and the mileage you do.

Tyres and brakes are the most important thing for any vehicle driven on a public road.


One should put tyres that give good grip and that they should also replace if damaged unless a safe proper repair can be done.

punisher5112

punisher5112 wrote: »

I cringe that you actually share the roads with others and the mileage you do.

Tyres and brakes are the most important thing for any vehicle driven on a public road.


One should put tyres that give good grip and that they should also replace if damaged unless a safe proper repair can be done.

With all due respect, you sound like an answer to a Theory Test question.


The tyre is grand, and will be fine until something else happens to it or the tread is worn too much. As is, it'll get me from A to B with the minor inconvenience of 2 minutes refilling it each week.

sundodger5

If a puncture is that slow then a weekly top up may be ok. But it depends on how much it has lost and how far it has been driven on.
If it is down 10psi then the tyre carcass has been under additional stress and heat for a good percentage of the week.
I bet even a pinhole in the sidewall is faster to deflate than a week.
Your slow puncture is in the tread i would say and the hole is partially blocked by the object that caused the puncture

punisher5112

I've had 3 blow outs in the past year and a half 2 the tyres were 1 week and 3 weeks old.... Not manufacturers fault, one was a drill bit and a huge screw in the other.

The tyres sh1t themselves at speed.

The last one to go was around 3 months old, screw went in and out the side wall, this exploded with a bang doing 120km/h.

I always had the best tyres I could afford on motorbikes too as the difference was night and day comparing the cheap dirt.

Del2005

[Deleted User] wrote: »

With all due respect, you sound like an answer to a Theory Test question.


The tyre is grand, and will be fine until something else happens to it or the tread is worn too much. As is, it'll get me from A to B with the minor inconvenience of 2 minutes refilling it each week.

No one can say if the tyre is grand or not without removing it. The tyre is comprised and most major defects start as minor issues which aren't noticed or ignored.

If the tyre is grand with a pin hole puncture why do manufacturers make them without holes?

sundodger5

sundodger5 wrote: »

If a puncture is that slow then a weekly top up may be ok. But it depends on how much it has lost and how far it has been driven on.
If it is down 10psi then the tyre carcass has been under additional stress and heat for a good percentage of the week.
I bet even a pinhole in the sidewall is faster to deflate than a week.
Your slow puncture is in the tread i would say and the hole is partially blocked by the object that caused the puncture

I'd say that's pretty accurate, to be honest, about the puncture location and situation. I'd say partially blocked is the reason Im getting away with it, but it's been going grand so far, in fairness.

Worst case scenario is I get a blowout on the motorway at 120km. Many people seem to think that the car will flip over and fly through the air, taking out a bus load of school children, whereas in reality, what will happen is the car will make a little bit of noise, slowly pull to the left a tad, and I'll pull over and change the wheel (this is what has happened any other time I ever had a puncture)

Del2005 wrote: »

If the tyre is grand with a pin hole puncture why do manufacturers make them without holes?

See what I mean about cringey arguments? :rolleyes: It's like primary school on here at times.

khaldrogo

silver2020 wrote: »

Its a pin-hole slow puncture - hardly serious sidewall damage that would require the tyre to be dumped.

Yep, i'd use the sealant and it should effectively "glue" the pin-hole.

Tyre places hate it as it means its difficult to find a puncture if you need a puncture repaired - that's the only reason you hear tyre fitters not recommending it.

First - you haven't a clue what you're talking about.

Second - if the sealant crap works 1 time in 20 i'd be surprised.

Third - it is not meant as a permanent fix. It is just to get you to a garage to have the tyre replaced.

Fourth - most of these sealants are toxic or at least hazardous to your health. This is one reason why tyre shops dont like them. Another is that the sealant coats the inside of the tyre which interferes with gluing the puncture patch on. And as to why tyres shops don't recommend it, see point 2,3 and 4.

Fifth - the sidewall is the weakest park of the tyre. Driving around with a pin hole in it is crazy. Relying on a bit of fluid to seal that pin hole when centrifugal force is being applied to that tyre and that fluid at 120kph is boarding on bat sh!t crazy.

Sixth - you haven't a clue what you're talking about.

punisher5112

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'd say that's pretty accurate, to be honest, about the puncture location and situation. I'd say partially blocked is the reason Im getting away with it, but it's been going grand so far, in fairness.

Worst case scenario is I get a blowout on the motorway at 120km. Many people seem to think that the car will flip over and fly through the air, taking out a bus load of school children, whereas in reality, what will happen is the car will make a little bit of noise, slowly pull to the left a tad, and I'll pull over and change the wheel (this is what has happened any other time I ever had a puncture)




See what I mean about cringey arguments? :rolleyes: It's like primary school on here at times.

Wtf



I've seen 2 cars spin off and one hit the centre barrier twice with the front and rear, the Daewoo was smashed to bits.....

I stopped as no other traffic would have seen them as it was m7 and no lights now on the car as they were all smashed.

I actually reversed back a bit as I was quite close by the tim I stopped as I was going to be overtaking.

I got the other traffic stopped so could get the car off to hard shoulder.

Alun

Deleted User wrote: »

Worst case scenario is I get a blowout on the motorway at 120km. Many people seem to think that the car will flip over and fly through the air, taking out a bus load of school children, whereas in reality, what will happen is the car will make a little bit of noise, slowly pull to the left a tad, and I'll pull over and change the wheel (this is what has happened any other time I ever had a puncture)

Having had a blowout in the UK at 70mph on a very busy M6 in the middle lane with heavy traffic, including lots of HGV's, either side, behind and in front I beg to differ. One of the scariest experiences of my life, and one I was extremely lucky to get out of alive.

sundodger5

Depends where your blow out is. Way worse on the back than the front.
Thats what they taught me in tyre school back in the day.
Leads into that understeer oversteer debate and best tyres front or rear....not getting into that again though.
;-)

punisher5112

punisher5112 wrote: »

Wtf



I've seen 2 cars spin off and one hit the centre barrier twice with the front and rear, the Daewoo was smashed to bits.....

I stopped as no other traffic would have seen them as it was m7 and no lights now on the car as they were all smashed.

I actually reversed back a bit as I was quite close by the tim I stopped as I was going to be overtaking.

I got the other traffic stopped so could get the car off to hard shoulder.

You shouldn't be reversing on a motorway. Guards - take him away!


In all seriousness - I have had a rear tyre blow out whilst doing 130km, during an overtake, on the M9. NOTHING happened. The car rumbled a bit and started pulling to the left.

People talk such sh/te. I barely noticed it happened.

Now, if i was a nervous wreck that shouldn't be behind the wheel in the first place and was gonna start dramatically steering all over the shop and pulling handbrakes, I might have a result like the one you mentioned above. Otherwise, as my own experience of the actual situation has shown me, it'll be grand.

StonedRaider

It's funny how many drivers of a lot of premium marques skimp on tyres. I see this every day at the school run. 171 Merc,Discovery using some brand I've never heard of.

wonski

Toxic. I heard it all...

Thank **** the rest of the car is not toxic these days...

punisher5112

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You shouldn't be reversing on a motorway. Guards - take him away!


In all seriousness - I have had a rear tyre blow out whilst doing 130km, during an overtake, on the M9. NOTHING happened. The car rumbled a bit and started pulling to the left.

People talk such sh/te. I barely noticed it happened.

Now, if i was a nervous wreck that shouldn't be behind the wheel in the first place and was gonna start dramatically steering all over the shop and pulling handbrakes, I might have a result like the one you mentioned above. Otherwise, as my own experience of the actual situation has shown me, it'll be grand.

I've given you my experience I've had 2 blow that caused no swerving etc.....
One did but not extreme but it can well happen.

I reversed on the motorway as it was just the other car and me at that time....

A buffer as you will, I had the car in gear and was hitting fog light on and off as I was doing the same with the brake lights and hazards on.....

It was late at night,

_Kaiser_

StonedRaider wrote: »

It's funny how many drivers of a lot of premium marques skimp on tyres. I see this every day at the school run. 171 Merc,Discovery using some brand I've never heard of.

A lot of the time with tyre places that's all you're offered in my experience, or they won't have the size needed in a premium brand.

Plus, most of the time you'll need to get something there and then, so people will take what they suggest.

Most people aren't going to go order tyres online, wait for delivery, hope they can find somewhere to fit them and dispose of the old ones without a fuss, and may not have somewhere to store them in the meantime.

_Kaiser_

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You shouldn't be reversing on a motorway. Guards - take him away!


In all seriousness - I have had a rear tyre blow out whilst doing 130km, during an overtake, on the M9. NOTHING happened. The car rumbled a bit and started pulling to the left.

People talk such sh/te. I barely noticed it happened.

Now, if i was a nervous wreck that shouldn't be behind the wheel in the first place and was gonna start dramatically steering all over the shop and pulling handbrakes, I might have a result like the one you mentioned above. Otherwise, as my own experience of the actual situation has shown me, it'll be grand.

Same happened to me once on the M3 one evening . Rear right tyre went but no dramatic loss of control or sparks everywhere or whatever.

As with your experience, there was rumbling and a bit of pull but plenty of time to get it onto the hard shoulder safely, at which point I just called breakdown assistance - no chance was I gonna try changing it myself with my ass inches from the driving lane

Del2005

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

A lot of the time with tyre places that's all you're offered in my experience, or they won't have the size needed in a premium brand.

Plus, most of the time you'll need to get something there and then, so people will take what they suggest.

Most people aren't going to go order tyres online, wait for delivery, hope they can find somewhere to fit them and dispose of the old ones without a fuss, and may not have somewhere to store them in the meantime.

Tyre places offer what they make most profit on and the no brand tyres have the most profits. Every tyre place will have good tyres in stock or can get them next day, it's just that most people are more interested in the little piece of plastic at the front and back of their car than the safety of its occupants, which is why they only buy NCAP 5 cars and then don't maintain them properly.

kirving

Had a blow out on the rear recently. RWD car at maybe 120kph. No drama whatsoever. I initially thought it was just the cold setting off the tyre pressure sensor, and took me a few km and some vibration to even realise it was flat. Fighting the car would have made it worse.

Drove 10k to get off the motorway as it was dark, put in sealant, which helped a little but not much as it was a big tear. Sealant lasted 8k, and did another 8k on the flat tyre to get to the garage. Tyre held up fine and got me there safely, and wasn't a run flat. Obviously it was ruined at that stage inside, so was replaced.

The biggest issue IMO isn't the pinhole at all. Any slight damage to the sidewall, or even the threads themselves act as much more of a stress concentration point than a pinhole would.

The real problem IMO is driving on a tyre that's slowly going low, and you forget to top it up, and you end up driving for long periods on a tyre with 20psi and causing damage that way.

You would want be be exceptionally unlucky, bordering on pure coincidence for the pinhole itself to be the cause of a blow out.

ambro25

Deleted User wrote: »

You shouldn't be reversing on a motorway. Guards - take him away!


In all seriousness - I have had a rear tyre blow out whilst doing 130km, during an overtake, on the M9. NOTHING happened. The car rumbled a bit and started pulling to the left.

People talk such sh/te. I barely noticed it happened.

Now, if i was a nervous wreck that shouldn't be behind the wheel in the first place and was gonna start dramatically steering all over the shop and pulling handbrakes, I might have a result like the one you mentioned above. Otherwise, as my own experience of the actual situation has shown me, it'll be grand.

Must have been a good FWD car, then.

I had a rear blow on a RWD (MX5, mk1) on the M1 Southbound some years ago. Picked up a screw on the junction coming out of work in Sheffield, I'd just passed the M18 North turnoff and was in the middle of the sharp-ish bend (Googlemap '53.38978, -1.280373') before the uphill run to Jct 31, ie the bit of commute with largest stress on tyre, doing about 75-80 mph in the overtaking lane. Late afternoon rush hour traffic, an'all.

The tyre went properly 'bang' and the car swayed laterally a bit, as if under an impact. I hadn't see anything on the road surface at all, so in the first second or so I thought that was either debris projected from *somewhere*, or half my gearbox or 'something' should be visible in the mirror, because although the car didn't spin or pull severely at first, the first thing I felt was an immediate loss of power (car losing speed despite pressure on accelerator pedal, downshifting didn't help much). Just as if an overriding 'limp mode' was instantly switched on.

I immediately hit the hazards, and was lucky that other drivers around me had copped on quick and improvised a brief 'moving roadblock' of sorts with their hazards, to let me cross over to the emergency lane. Was doing around 40mph by then, and car wouldn't go any higher (not that I wanted to either, mind, as I didn't want to wreck the rim if poss).

Now that was high summer and a dry road. I've owned and driven that car in all weathers and conditions for 19 years (and owned and driven mostly RWDs over that period, currently running 3): in the wet, at that speed with the tyre blown on the outside of the bend, I have zero doubt the car would have lost the ass and started to oversteer right away...good luck correcting that on 3 legs with little to no motive power.

Alun

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Most people aren't going to go order tyres online, wait for delivery, hope they can find somewhere to fit them and dispose of the old ones without a fuss, and may not have somewhere to store them in the meantime.

No need to store them anywhere, you get them delivered to the tyre fitter themselves who let you know when they arrive. I've done this twice with a mobile fitter, worked like a dream.

Tazzimus

Lot of nervous drivers on here.
Blowouts aren't that bad if you don't panic when it happens.
I've had a cv joint disintegrate at 80mph and try pull me towards the concrete divider on the M4, that'll wake you up.

Up to you really if want to chance driving on it for a bit or replace it.
If you're worried a blowout will cause the car to demolish a small town, change it asap. If not, be prepared to get a blow out at some stage in the future.

punisher5112

Tazzimus wrote: »

Lot of nervous drivers on here.
Blowouts aren't that bad if you don't panic when it happens.
I've had a cv joint disintegrate at 80mph and try pull me towards the concrete divider on the M4, that'll wake you up.

Up to you really if want to chance driving on it for a bit or replace it.
If you're worried a blowout will cause the car to demolish a small town, change it asap. If not, be prepared to get a blow out at some stage in the future.

Your joking right... Far from nervous.

sundodger5

Tazzimus wrote: »

Lot of nervous drivers on here.
Blowouts aren't that bad if you don't panic when it happens.
I've had a cv joint disintegrate at 80mph and try pull me towards the concrete divider on the M4, that'll wake you up.

Up to you really if want to chance driving on it for a bit or replace it.
If you're worried a blowout will cause the car to demolish a small town, change it asap. If not, be prepared to get a blow out at some stage in the future.

Two things, if you knew that the CV joint was iffy would you have been doing 80 on the motorway? i would imagine not?
The second thing is the word you use "chance". That is it exactly. Might be fine but you are taking a chance of as you put it "a blow out at some stage in the future".
Tyres are cheaper than bodywork.

punisher5112

It's worrying to think people are so lazy and uneducated about the importance of tyres....

Tazzimus

punisher5112 wrote: »

Your joking right... Far from nervous.

I don't believe I specifically mentioned you? It was a nice, vague, statement.

Some people seem to think getting a blow out = insta-armageddon.
As long as you don't react like a complete tube, you'll get the car pulled over.

punisher5112

Tazzimus wrote: »

I don't believe I specifically mentioned you? It was a nice, vague, statement.

Some people seem to think getting a blow out = insta-armageddon.
As long as you don't react like a complete tube, you'll get the car pulled over.

More so low profile I find make less of an impact but that's not saying things can't go South....

Say if one wasn't aware which I see many drive on flats or very much so under inflated, then takes a corner at speed this can be a major issue and much more of a risk of losing control.

I had a blow out on a moped years ago and once on a motorcycle but luckily these weren't at high speed and it was much easier on the bike to notice.

Look at YouTube if anyone is interested and look at bus or truck blow outs as if it's a front tyre it can be catastrophic.

Everyone's experience can be different and this isn't aimed at you but just because it never happened to one person or they never seen it doesn't mean it's not true or didn't happen....