How do you avoid a mess by using Fix-A-Flat and throwing away a repairable tyre?

Simple, don't use Fix-A-Flat. Use Slime. It's water soluble & non-toxic.

Clean both rim and tyre with *warm* water asap.

Do NOT leave it in the rim.

Also, make sure you have a 12-volt compressor as the slime contents are not under pressure.

Differences with slime vs Fix-A-Flat are that it's contents aren't under pressure (so you can store it safely), it has a lower freezing point, you don't have to use huge amounts of it, and it's water soluble for easier cleanup (still a PITA).


Best case, use this stuff to drive home. Then remove the rim/tyre and take it to the shop. Have them remove the tyre, and you take it home to do a *proper* clean-up. This includes cleaning the valve core. After clean-up, take it back to the shop for a mount & balance. Once complete get back home and mount it back up. Now your Good To Go!

Worst case if your not anywhere near your home, use it to get to a shop to plug the tyre *FROM THE INSIDE*. Then later on down the line (hopefully at least WITHIN a day later) once you get home follow the 'best case' scenario above to do the clean-up.

If your tyre is beyond repair, call the flatbed!!!

Cheers,

Jason

Note: Please feel free to modify this post and clean-up the directions maybe post a sticky.

 

If it's not under pressure, how do you get it into the tire?

 

Dude it looks like you just squeeze the crap in there...hrm.
they even sell a kit that includes a compressor... and a tire gauge.. ooooooh.. ahhhhh

Slime Kit

Edit: Upon further investigation it comes with a valve core remover tool so you yank that out pour slime in and re-inflate.
Pretty good deal though really.

Official Slime Site Info

 

OK, this looks... interesting. Anyone out there actually used the stuff?

 

I bought a 12-volt compressor and a 'massive' bottle of it at walmart. Real cheap. Cheaper than the amazon link that had the bundle. Plus the amount of slime i've got is 3x the bottle size. :-P

I haven't used it yet (praise the Lord), but i was researching into this issue heavily after a fellow member recommended taking out the spare.

I make it sound like you need to clean the slime out within a day but in reality since it's water soluable you'll be ok if you left it in for several. Just need to use *warm* water to remove it. Soap doesn't hurt either. In the end the clean-up will be more thorough and easier (though still a pita) than Fix-a-flat.

 

A radial plug kit from Autozone's about $6 US. An air compress with battery charger and light's about $30-50. It takes about 10 minutes to dismount the wheel, plug the hole and re-mount the wheel. Hell, I've put plugs in without even dismounting the wheel.

It's just my personal preference but, I'd rather not stick goo into my wheels. Nothing but plugging's a permenant solution IMHO.

I'm not clear why someone would take the spare out. It weights at best 20-30 lbs.

 

[QUOTE=Ek9,Aug 11 2006, 06:59 AM] A radial plug kit from Autozone's about $6 US. An air compress with battery charger and light's about $30-50.

 

A nylon push plug is one of the worst things you can do to a tire. They leave the tire open to moisture and allow the belts to rust possibly causing a belt seporation. A tire should be patched from the inside and the hole filled with a rubber filler plug. Fix-a-flat and slime are only temporary uses to get somewhere, but why when you have a spare? If you don't want to carry a spare, get AAA. It makes repairing a tire so much harder with that stuff in it....

 

i use a heavy duty plug kit as a temp (just push into rim) and call #FHP for free air in the tire.

and its good.. forever. had a few nails in 19's on my old civic




of corse the above is a temp solution and then id order new tire

 

Unless your flat tire happens in a parking lot, I do not recommend changing a tire. Especially when you may have to swap the front to rear THEN put on the temp. It's just too hazardous, even during the day. Couple of guys got killed putting on a spare over the past few years here. Flatbed it and be safe.

I'll be looking into the Slime because if I can lose the donut, plus get a lighter cat-back, along with a few other weight saving measures, I hope to drop 80-100 lbs off the car.