We'll be driving down to the Vendee in less than 4 weeks time & altho our van is only 6mths old I'm a bit worried about having a blow-out.
Have been thinking about getting the tyres injected with sealant but have just read this on the AA website & now not sure what's the best thing to do. Any advice anyone?
Pre-puncture sealants
These are put into the tyre as a preventative measure either at the time the tyres are fitted or by injection through the tyre valve. The aim is to prevent air loss if a puncture does occur so the driver can continue the journey without interruption.
The seal is pretty much instantaneous after the tyre has been punctured and the concern is that the driver will have no idea whether there's been a puncture or not. A large screw or nail in the tread of the tyre will cause further damage over time and could lead to more catastrophic failure.
Advice from tyre experts to users of pre-puncture sealants is to inspect the tyres VERY often, ie every time you use the vehicle. If the pre-puncture sealant has been activated there should be signs of the sealant (usually white latex based) on the outside of the tyre. If there are any signs of this or of a penetrating object, then the tyre must be removed from the rim and properly inspected to see if it is suitable for permanent repair.
Have a read of this site Link might be different stuff
You can get a large nail or screw in a tubeless tyre with out the tyre deflating so what is the difference? Except that if the nail or screw comes out with the fluid in the tyre the tyre stays inflated rather than deflating, disintegrating and wrecking your wheel arch and half the internals of your caravan while you drive on oblivious to the problem
Surely you check over your tyres periodically to ensure that you haven't picked up a nail?
Those that don't - are they the ones that suffer blow outs?
All I can tell you is that motor cyclists swear by it (if they get a blowout they tend to get a hole in the head rather than a hole in a wheel arch) and either Parcel Force or The Royal Mail fleet uses it (I forget which)
And the AA have to have something to say about something, whether they know what they are talking about or not...
------------- Caravanning is a way of getting a cheap holiday out of an expensive hobby
One of the problems is, you do have to lie under the caravan to check the tyres, because there might be something in the inside wall. Also it only slows down punctures and does nothing at all for blowouts.
Then again, the tyre usually can't be mended once it's had something like that in it.
I would far rather know when there's a problem, so I can do something about it.
If, as you say, it's blowouts you're concerned about, I would forget it. The holes are so big with a blowout it won't help at all.
and as a point if it is in the wall this stuff does nothing to help as it only sits on the inside of the tread area personaaly i hate the stuff weather its green white or pink tryi it get an old tyre fitted with it in get a drill size it says it MAY repair up to drill hole it goes down yes i have tried it!!!!
I put it in the tyres of my mobility scooter, I does not really matter if I get a blow out in that after I have had it injected in it's tyres, as I am pretyy sure that I could bring it safely to a standstill !
------------- Regards
Terry Birch
Our tourer days are over and we have moved on to a Hobby Motorhome
I use it on my caravan. If you get a nail in the tyre during the journey the chances are you may not know about it until its too late. If tyre partly deflates during the journey this will create heat which can lead to a blow out.
Using these products permanently seals the puncture. I would prefer to check more often than suffer a puncture that could lead to a blow out. As others have said this won't protect from a tyre defect of side wall dame.
I have used a the linked product in my LR wheels for the last 6 years and never had a problem with it. If it is safe for half the Police Forces, Ambulance Services and Fire Brigades it will do for me.
Interestingly it also means I don't need to pump the tyres up so often.
Quote: Originally posted by Grampian91 on 13/7/2010
Problem with the sealant is tyre shops often refuse to repair any tyre filled with it.
Tyres rarely blowout, Most will shred themselves to pieces after being driven for many a mile whilst flat from a puncture, Thats not a blowout.
I have adjusted my mirrors or even the cars rear headrests to line up with a fixed point in the van whilst towing.
If it doesnt line up i stop and check everything is OK.
Only ever had 1 tyre go down but it happened whilst onsite the valve failed.
You are confusing this with after the event sealant such as tyreweld which is used to inflate a punctured tyre and repair the puncture,which as you say tyre centre's won't touch. Pre puncture sealant is water soluable and is simply washed away when you come to take off the tyre for tyrewall damage or low tread.
We do check the tyres every time we take the van out. My main worry (something that terrifies me) is trying to keep control if we had a proper blow-out at 55-60MPH. If this sealant woudn't prevent a blow-out then we don't really need it.
The max we'll be driving for in a day will be 6hours so we'll just have to check tyres at every rest stop to make sure we're OK.
Next question is where can I buy one of those mirrors on a long arm (like the ones they use to check for bombs under cars) from so we don't have to be constantly crawling under the van to check the inside walls? Off to look on ebay....
i travel in the sahara and use green slime called oko. its marvelous stuff .have seen green up inside the wheel arch sometimes so have to reinflate the tyre to correct pressure. its possible to get as many as a dozen punctures in a day caused by desert thorn it grows just under he surface of the sand. . yes its difficult to clean it up enough inside the tyre to repair. also if you put a tube in its hard to get clean enough to get patches to stick . in africa they use the old heat vulcanising. that works. wish i had kept my old vulcanizer .just cut a piece of old tube and hot weld it to repair. the africans also inject rubber strip to repair tubeless tyres .they arent legal here but they do work .you dont even have to take off the wheel fix in place takes acouple of minutes.great bit of kit.
Quote: Originally posted by Grampian91 on 13/7/2010
Problem with the sealant is tyre shops often refuse to repair any tyre filled with it.
Tyres rarely blowout, Most will shred themselves to pieces after being driven for many a mile whilst flat from a puncture, Thats not a blowout.
I have adjusted my mirrors or even the cars rear headrests to line up with a fixed point in the van whilst towing.
If it doesnt line up i stop and check everything is OK.
Only ever had 1 tyre go down but it happened whilst onsite the valve failed.
You are confusing this with after the event sealant such as tyreweld which is used to inflate a punctured tyre and repair the puncture,which as you say tyre centre's won't touch. Pre puncture sealant is water soluable and is simply washed away when you come to take off the tyre for tyrewall damage or low tread.
Hi, was thinking the same about tyre fitters not touching them, did'nt know of the pre puncture stuff, l learned something to day,only hope i can remember it later.good forum this.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
I use SealAwheel in my tyres and wouldn't be without it. Saw it at the NEC with the chap keep sticking nails in the tyres and they never went down at all. They will seal up to a cm wide and will do that for the life of the tyre, but of course will never stop a blowout. It just gives me a bit of piece of mind.
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Topic: Pre-Puncture Tyre Sealants
