# Punctures?



## Perseus (Apr 10, 2009)

Hi All,

Does anyone recommend any of the anti-puncture tyre sealants?

There seem to be a lot on the market and one wonders whether any are better than others.

John


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.
I didn't know computers could get punctures.. Well there you go! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Mod Note : The thread was started in "Computer Help" :wink:


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

not worth the tin they are put in to be honest.unless all you have is a small nail in the tread only.get a spare wheel.

cabby


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## blondy (Aug 23, 2007)

*Punctures*

I think tyre sealants are well worth having, I have it in my M/H,
Smart and Ride on mower, all have no spare and at least it's 
Hopefully helping to prevent problems, so far never had to pump up tyres nor had a puncture, especially the ride on which was a real
Pain getting punctures from thorns.
Why do many major manufacturers fit kits in their cars,admittedly
Slightly different, if it is no good?.


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## jud (Aug 15, 2009)

hi perseus i second cabby buy a spare don't use that sh*t if you get a split or the Tyre has gone down and broke the seal on the rim before you stop you will never get it inflated jud


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

It is just a cost cutting exercise from the car makers.

cabby


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## SpeedyDux (Jul 13, 2007)

Hi Perseus,

I reckon tyre sealants are no substitute for a serviceable spare tyre. It's been years since my last puncture so I was a bit out of practice when it comes to changing a wheel. I bought a can of that stuff you can buy from Halfords - makes it seem a doddle, just attach to the tyre valve, squirt and - Yay! Job done! Er ... no.

This July on the French autoroute A4 northbound towards Reims, without warning we came upon a pipe lying across 2 lanes. I tried to swerve to miss it but there wasn't enough time. The nearside front wheel must have hit the steel coupling at the end of the pipe. Result - front tyre literally exploded. Scary. I later found 3 splits in the sidewalls I could put a hand through. The tyre is scrap but it took the full impact at over 60 mph and by exploding probably absorbed most of the energy of the collision and saved the alloy wheel.

Luckily we were within a couple of hundred metres of an "aire de repos" and could crawl there along the hard shoulder, to change the wheel in relative safety. Also luckily the spare wheel was serviceable and the tyre had full pressure. The VW factory jack was surprisingly effective and easy to use. 

The culprit pipe was recovered by a passing SANEF security vehicle who also tracked down the Hungarian tanker lorry that had dropped the pipe, and persuaded him to do a u-turn at the next "Peage" and come back to see the havoc and exchange details. I acted as translator, because the Hungarian trucker (nice bloke, in fact - he apologised profusely to everyone) spoke some English but no French.

The can of tyre sealant gunge would have been absolutely useless. At least 4 other cars in the same aire had suffered punctures and in some cases severe wheel damage. We were told that there were other cars with punctures in the next aire. Some had spare wheels including space savers. One was a BMW with no spare, only run-flat tyres - also a bad idea, given the circumstances. 

SD


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

I have been using Ultraseal or variations on it for years. I was a Landscape Contractor and first started using it in wheel barrows, ride on mowers and small tractors. It cut my monthly bill for puncture repairs and replacement tyres very considerably. My brother sells and hires quarry machinery and uses it in those too, he also rates it highly.

Having had a good experience using it in machinery I decided to have the van tyres done. I can't produce evidence to say the it has worked in the van but I haven't had a puncture in a van ever. 

I regard it as a little extra insurance and at a cost of around £80 for all six wheels it is cheap if it saves me one puncture.

Recently I got a bolt through a back tyre. It went down slowly spilling some of the Ultraseal but by pumping it up every few days I was able to put the repair off till it was convenient to have it fixed. I can't be sure that was down to the Ultraseal but I think without it I would not have been able to keep the tyre inflated. 

I think it's a good job and would not be without it.

One word of caution, I would use only the water based stuff. It can just be wiped aside to repair a puncture. I have read that if you use the other stuff punctures cannot be repaired, Alan.


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## cronkle (May 1, 2005)

I also use Ultraseal as an added insurance. Obviously there are limits to the damage that it can overcome but iI have pulled nails out of tyres knowing that the sealant will fill the damage.

Presumably you are not asking about the tins of foam that some of the manufacturers were providing instead of a spare wheel. That is used after a blowout whereas Ultraseal is always in the tyre waiting for the damage to occur.


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Spare wheel everytime.

But prior to going on hols I did put Slime into Lady p`s bike tyres and my own.
On re inflating the tyres I blew up one tube in each bike.
Both were recomended 60-75psi.
The assistant in Halfords told me that they never inflate any bike tyre over 40psi.

Dave p


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## Mike48 (May 1, 2005)

I'm a fan as it gives additional protection but it does not act as a replacement for a spare wheel. One additional benefit is that the tyres never seem to lose pressure. I use Punctureseal. I telephoned the number here:

http://www.punctureseal.com/contact.htm

for details of a local agent. Within an hour a mobile tyre fitter turned up at my door and for £50 did all four wheels while the vehicle was on my drive. A fabulous service.


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## Bill_H (Feb 18, 2011)

Tyre sealants are very effective for nail and thorn sized punctures, but obviously nothing would prevent a tyre deflation should you be unlucky enough to run over a large metal object big enough to rip holes through the tyre and sidewall large enough to get your hand through, that's not really a reasonable expectation.
I've Ultraseal in the tyres of all my motorcycles as a puncture in a two wheeled vehicle can be a lot more dangerous that a 4 wheeler.
These products are primarily designed for tubeless tyres, but will still seal a tubed tyre as well. Ultraseal have a demonstration wheel and tyre with dozens of nails hammered through it, and members of the public invited to add more at some of the shows I've been to, and it still holds air.
There is still no substitute for carrying and being able to change a spare wheel, but tyre sealants have their uses, and I've found nails through tyres when I've got home without knowing anything was amiss.
It is wise to frequently check your tyres for foreign objects when you have a sealant inside, as you may have a nail through a tyre without realising it's there.


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