TheSamba.com :: View topic - how long does fix-a-flat last?

Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:12 pm

ok i have this pinhole in my tire. weird story- picked up what looked like a chrome plated wire at the scrap yard- the straight part of a spring i think. but that was a year ago, and i left the wire in there figuring it would go flat otherwise. also figured it would not contact the road being that it was half inch up the sidewall. anyway, it worked... the tire didnt leak air at all for over a year- in service! finally, the ice pulled the spring out 2 days ago and the tire went flat. so the question is: how long will the fix-a-flat last?

Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:23 pm

Not only does fix a flat not work, it makes a hell of a mess for the poor bastard that has to take that tire off the rim next time. You have a hole in the widewall of the tire. That tire unfortunately is garbage and is not safe to be driven down the road.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:27 pm

If you have steel wheels until it rusts them out. As to whether it will stop the leak 50/50, sidewalls really take a lot of flex.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:34 pm

screw fix a flat you can get a proper plug and patch kit for like $5 more
they last forever if applied right, i have 45 k on one of my jeeps tires 4x4ing and everything, these used to be considered the proper patch for the longest time, or to go one step further why in the hell don't you have a spare tire and a jack?

Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:36 pm

Quote: they last forever if applied right

Not for the sidewall unfortunately.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:38 pm

fix a flat is a bitch to clean up does damage to your wheels, doesn't fix the problem should i continue????

i'd rather park my car and walk than dare put fix a flat in it

Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:38 pm

Yeah, Fix A Flat sucks. Use Slime instead!

(Just KIDDING!!! SHeesh!)

Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:46 pm

For sidewall damage you need to replace the tire. There is no correct way to repair it. It is unsafe.

That being said, Fix a Flat does work in a pinch on small leaks. It's not the right way to do and there are problems with it but it will seal a small leak and partially inflate the tire.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:42 pm

I have always been curious about "run flat" tires. Commercial claims that you can run up to 30 miles on a flat. Is that before or after you figure out you have a flat. So you pick up a nail that you don't know about and you can run an additional 30 miles. Could be 30 miles closer to help or could be 30 miles further away if you don't know you had a flat.

........no weed was involved in the making of this question

Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:50 pm

Run flat tires work by having a special thicker and reinforced sidewall, keeping a little of the shape of the tire even when completely devoid of air. Extra-reinforced sidewalls for a bus tire sound like a good idea just by itself!

Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:01 pm

Nokian Hakkas. I checked my tire pressures on Sunday and found one was down to like 15psi. Instead of the 40-ish it should be.

I hadn't noticed a difference visually or in driving. :shock:

Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:36 pm

put a screw in the hole.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:29 pm

i didnt actually use fix a flat yet, and from all the bad reviews here and elsewhere, i will not use it even in an emergency. my local guy says he wont even use plugs, but thinks that a patch from the inside is a safe bet due to the size of the hole and location.

according to the info i got, the belts that maintain tread integrity extend 1 1/4" up the sidewall making patches safe up to that point only. unlike patches, plugs have been proven not to work within that inch and a quarter.

i figure this- if it was incredibly unsafe to drive a tire with a pinhole in this area, why didnt it blowout over the last year? certainly doesnt seem to cause a structural problem at the edge of the tread.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:35 pm

just stuff yer tire with dried leaves...its the green alternative

Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:59 pm

Fix a flat is a great temporary fix if you don't have access to an air compressor but the availability of plugs on the market along with a way to air the tire up practically makes fix a flat obsolete. But if the hole is on the sidewall you will need a new tire, no way around that.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:49 pm

I worked at a tire store for 4 years and know a lot about repairing tires since I did repair thousands of tires. Fix a Flat is Bad bad bad!! It rusts your wheels from the inside out and makes it a real mess when you have to change them. The older it gets the worse the smell, and most likely when someone goes to take the tire off they end up getting a bath in it.

Repairing in a side wall of a tire is a heated topic. Also is the topic of patch verses plugs. However what we did is this. First of all we never NEVER used rope plugs. All those did was leak. We used an all rubber plug with a vulcanizing compound. This would fuse the plug and the tire together, making a repair that is superior to a patch. We still used patches they have their place but all rubber plugs are the best.

When fixing a side wall you never want to use a patch. The reason is because the side wall is always flexing and the patch will eventually work its way off. I have fixed many side walls that were patched by competitors just days before and the patch was just laying inside the tire. What you want to do is plug the side wall with an all rubber plug. This will work if the hole is small but once you get to a hole the size of a 8 penny nail it is best to replace the tire. I have fixed my own side walls and drove 50,000 more miles on them with out a problem.

That is the proper way I have learned to fix a side wall.

Steve

Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:00 pm

I have fixed my own side walls and drove 50,000 more miles on them with out a problem.

That is the proper way I have learned to fix a side wall.

Thats cool if your rolling by yourself but you never want to do this if you have loved ones in your vehicle.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:02 pm

Put a tube in it! They do make radial tire tubes.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:12 pm

X2 on the tube. 8)

Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:19 pm

Karl wrote: Put a tube in it! They do make radial tire tubes.

yes i wanted to do that, but couldnt find the right size. perhaps i should tell the shop not to patch that tire. they claim success, but i would rather just tube it. most shops will tell you that tubes cn work their way thru the hole in the sidewall, but this hole is sooooo small- like a sewing needle. anyone know a good source for tubes?