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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ "Fix-a-flat" opinions???

Posted by: Curvie Roadlover Oct 18 2005, 07:00 AM

My wife feels that she would be more comfortable if she had a can of "fix-a-flat" in her trunk in case she gets a flat rather than change a tire on the side of the road. I can certainly understand her thinking that. What I'm wondering, is that stuff any good?? Does it mess up the tire/wheel?? Any contraindications?

Posted by: Mark Henry Oct 18 2005, 07:14 AM

They work...sometimes...

Some use propane as a propellent, turning you tire into a bomb. If you use it get to a gas station ASAP and change the air.

Yep they make a mess of the inside of your tire.

Posted by: URY914 Oct 18 2005, 07:18 AM

I have read that the repair shops don't like the stuff because it is a fammable gas and if the tire guy is smoking a cigarette (or a joint) if will explode in his face when he pops the tire off the rim. It has happened.

If they were as good as the say on the can, why wouldn't all new cars come with them?

Join AAA.

Posted by: itsa914 Oct 18 2005, 08:05 AM

I have found that it only works if the tire went flat while sitting, every time I have had a flat while moving the bead broke loose from the rim and fix a flat was useless.

YMMV

Posted by: Curvie Roadlover Oct 18 2005, 08:27 AM

Either way, if it gives her piece of mind having it, I guess it's a good thing. If it works, great, if not, she's no worse off than without it.

Posted by: anthony Oct 18 2005, 09:08 AM

I carry a can in all my cars. I'd rather use fix-a-flat rather than drive on a compact sized spare.

I've also used a little fix-a-flat in tires that don't hold their air long term. I've never had a tire shop complain.

Posted by: itsa914 Oct 18 2005, 09:16 AM

QUOTE (anthony @ Oct 18 2005, 07:08 AM)

I've also used a little fix-a-flat in tires that don't hold their air long term.

I did the same thing with my riding mower. It has tubless tires and there are two that always seems to need air. I needed to get the grass cut one day and didn't want to go buy some tubes so just used some fix a flat and haven't had problems since and that was two years ago.

Posted by: lagunero Oct 18 2005, 09:28 AM

QUOTE (URY914 @ Oct 18 2005, 06:18 AM)

If they were as good as the say on the can, why wouldn't all new cars come with them?

I thought some of the higher end Porsches are only equipped with a can. I guess if you can afford to own a car like that you can afford to ruin a tire

Posted by: gregrobbins Oct 18 2005, 09:29 AM

QUOTE
I carry a can in all my cars. I'd rather use fix-a-flat rather than drive on a compact sized spare.

I've also used a little fix-a-flat in tires that don't hold their air long term. I've never had a tire shop complain.

Ditto

Posted by: ClayPerrine Oct 18 2005, 09:39 AM

QUOTE (Mark Henry @ Oct 18 2005, 07:14 AM)
They work...sometimes...

Some use propane as a propellent, turning you tire into a bomb. If you use it get to a gas station ASAP and change the air.

Yep they make a mess of the inside of your tire.

The Feds outlawed using propane or any other flammable gas in fix a flat. It wasn't someone smoking, it was the guy using a steel plug kit. They would insert the reamer, and it would make sparks against the steel belts.........

KABOOM!!!!!

Now all fix a flat companies use inert gas for propellent.

Posted by: JOHNMAN Oct 18 2005, 10:11 AM

Ever try to balance a wheel with fix-a-flat in the tire?

Good luck.

Use the tiny spare and get the tire fixed properly.

For lawn mowers, it may work great.

Posted by: Joe Ricard Oct 18 2005, 10:50 AM

or get run flats.
I can sell you the 4 off the Mini Cooper S . Worst riding tire I ever had on a car. might as well wrap the rim with a rubber band.

High end Porsches has tire air pressure warning sensors. Mini, Beemers, Audi and probably others have this.

Posted by: Curvie Roadlover Oct 18 2005, 12:03 PM

QUOTE (JOHNMAN @ Oct 18 2005, 11:11 AM)
Ever try to balance a wheel with fix-a-flat in the tire?

Good luck.

Use the tiny spare and get the tire fixed properly.

For lawn mowers, it may work great.

I'm more worried about my wife trying to change a tire somewhere than I am about somebody trying to balance the tire later on. For myself, I'd change the tire, but for her, well, that's a different story

Posted by: spare time toys Oct 18 2005, 12:27 PM

I like that green slime stuff. We get nails and screws in our tires at work all the time. No gripes at Discount Tire yet when ever it is bad enough they needed to fix it, at least to my face no gripes.

Posted by: SirAndy Oct 18 2005, 01:22 PM

QUOTE (Curvie Roadlover @ Oct 18 2005, 06:00 AM)
is that stuff any good??

use it once, on the jeep. tire is still holding air ...

Andy

Posted by: kwales Oct 18 2005, 04:08 PM

If you squirt the can in and go for a long drive, the stuff dries as a fairly uniform coating on the inside of the tire and all is good.

If you fix the flat and park it, you get a nice unbalanced lump on one side of your tire......

You know, shimmy-shimmy shake-shake, whump-whump-whump.......

Tried it once in an emergency, bought a new tire.

Ken

Posted by: lagunero Oct 18 2005, 04:17 PM

QUOTE (Curvie Roadlover @ Oct 18 2005, 11:03 AM)

I'm more worried about my wife trying to change a tire somewhere than I am about somebody trying to balance the tire later on.

it works for that

Posted by: Elliot Cannon Oct 18 2005, 04:57 PM

I carry fix-a-flat. I also carry a puncture repair kit. For air I carry a small scuba bottle with a first stage scuba regulator. Fix-a-flat is great for emergencies. A puncture repair kit works good if you have plenty of time and the weather is good and have the skill to use it.
Cheers, Elliot

Posted by: flesburg Oct 18 2005, 05:04 PM

If I was concerned about my wife trying to change a tire, I'd buy her a cell phone and get a list of emergency phone numbers for her to keep in her purse

Posted by: Elliot Cannon Oct 18 2005, 05:06 PM

QUOTE (flesburg @ Oct 18 2005, 04:04 PM)
If I was concerned about my wife trying to change a tire, I'd buy her a cell phone and get a list of emergency phone numbers for her to keep in her purse

AAA card and a cell phone. Never leave home with out them.
Cheers, Elliot

Posted by: markb Oct 18 2005, 05:27 PM

QUOTE (Elliot Cannon @ Oct 18 2005, 04:06 PM)

AAA card and a cell phone. Never leave home with out them.
Cheers, Elliot

Amen to that.

Posted by: brp914 Oct 18 2005, 09:14 PM

first off, the name is a misnomer - it doesn't fix anything. at best, I really mean at best, it might be considered "slow a leak". If you have an open puncture, it wont do anything. I havent tried it on a car, but on a motorcycle it does not work. It just slowly oozes out, gets slung around the inner fender until there's none left, and then the tire goes flat. On a bicycle, the tire slowly looses pressure anyway, and when you try to put air in, some of that stuff shoots out which is a nuisance. But more importantly, it interferes or prevents patching the inner tube. The puncture repair kits have worked for me as a medium term (weeks) repair, but you need to ream a proper sized hole for the plug, and its unlikely you'll be carrying around a set of reamers.

Posted by: Curvie Roadlover Oct 19 2005, 04:07 AM

Still..... It's a good idea for my 4' 10" 100lb wife to get her off the side of some desolate road in a hurry without having to sit and wait for AAA (that's if she can get a cell phone signal out in the middle of rural Ohio) I have already bought a can and given it to her. "fix-a-flat" or "slow-a-leak" it's $3.99 well spent in that situation.

Posted by: URY914 Oct 19 2005, 06:05 AM

I wish $3.99 would fix my wife form complaining.....