SHO Limping....

[haydenm315]

I was getting ready to leave the restaurant when I noticed that my front right tire was flat. Luckily I had a bottle of fix-a-flat. I'm so lucky that the damn fix-a-flat plugged the leak and I don't know where it is. I gave it a number of examinations and there is no visible damage to the tire. I know it was still leaking before the fix a flat got in and spun around. my tire still has decent tread. My guess is that the nail or whatever fell out and the hole is too small to see. What shall I do?

 

[SHOTerror]

Check pressure for the next week, if pressure remains keep on truckin! thumb If its loosing pressure being it in to Discount Tire Co./Americas Tire Co, and have them take care of it. For 10 bucks or so they'll find and patch the leak, and most likely rotate and balence your tires.

<small>[ July 05, 2003, 03:29 AM: Message edited by: SHOTerror ]</small>

 

[Slo-Sho]

FWIW, don't tell them YOU put the fix-a-flat in. Tire guys hate that stuff, tell them your lil sis did it. boink bs

 

[haydenm315]

Pressure is good but the ride seems not as smooth. My guess is that the fix a flat threw the tire balance off some.

 

[Zap]

Fix-A-Flat will definitely off balence a tire. What it does is when you put it into the tire, it will fill the tire partially with the liquid from the can, then when it finds the leak, it seals the leak and that is that... however if the leak opens again, the FAF will then seal it again, etc... This obviously depends on how much you put in, but the tire will NOT balence anymore because there is liquid spinning around in the tire, so the conditions are constantly changing. I had this same problem and found this out with a tire on my '95 when I got it.

 

[haydenm315]

Can the fix a flat goop be removed or is it very difficult to clean it out? I'm guessing that it's possible but difficult because someone said the tire people get mad. At least it was my more worn front tire. You can definately feel the difference in the tire on the highway with some feedback in the steering wheel.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Getting that crap out of your tire?

You have to remove the tire from the wheel. No way around it.

Just replace the tire. The tire guys wont care about just replacing it. When they try to patch a tire that has had that crap in there is when they get a bit upset. It's a gooey mess

 

[FOSHO94]

yea, I used to work at belle tire, let me tell you, that stuff is nasty, it smells bad and burns your skin when you get it on you. If the tire is still loosing air and you want to locate the leak you can remove the wheel from the car and run water over some areas, and wherever it bubbles thats where the leak is.

 

[sdpatt]

Fix-a-Flat type products are for emergency situations the car ignorant people and are bad for the tire. Tire stores hate it for good reason. Get an air compressor that you can plug into your 12V outlet and keep it in the trunk for those low tire pressure times. To properly repair a leak, the tire must be removed from the rim and the hole patched from the inside. Any patch will negate the speed rating of a high-performance tire. Check the tire manufacturer's literature for repair information.

 

[yamahaSHO]

sdpatt:
. To properly repair a leak, the tire must be removed from the rim and the hole patched from the inside. Any patch will negate the speed rating of a high-performance tire. Check the tire manufacturer's literature for repair information.

From personal experiences and from working in a garage when I was younger, using a plug is just as effective as using a patch. A properly placed plug will last the life of the tire.

It is not the patch nor plug that affects the speed rating of the tire, it is the hole that is already in the tire.

<small>[ July 08, 2003, 08:23 AM: Message edited by: yamahaSHO ]</small>