Fix a Flat
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,769
Likes: 7
From: Gretna ,LA.
Fix a Flat
Any body besides me love Fix a Flat or any of the other tire fix it stuff?I have used it many times to get me out of a bind.I carry a can on my 4 wheeler and a couple in my truck.I will be getting a new little kit for my 4 wheeler though, it has a plug kit, and some c02 cartridges to reinflate the tire.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 890
Likes: 0
From: small town, north dakota
i never really thought that it would work...but i was proved wrong. i had a small leak in my pickup tire, so i figured what the heck, and put a can in. it took a bit, but it stopped leaking. it lasted the month till i got my new tires. i now have a can in my pickup..."just in case."
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 588
Likes: 0
From: El Dorado Co., CA.
i do believe your supposed to tell the "tire guy" that there is fix-a-flat in the tire. something about it flamable, or something like that. i've used it before and had the tire guy thanked me for telling him it was in there.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 24,724
Likes: 74
From: Blue Hill Township
Yep, the stuff is very flammable. There could be a spark when removing the tire from the wheel, so you want to make sure to let the guy know if you are using it. That way he can keep his face, lol
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Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 30,255
Likes: 37
If you use fix a flat DO NOT use a pencil type tire gage on the tire ever again! It will destroy the tire gage. Use the "foot kick" method to see if a tire with sealant in it sounds the same as the others. A round face tire gage may work for a while but it will gum up the valves.
The only thing I use tire sealant on is low pressure AG type tires on lawn mowers, carts, and wheelbarrows.
The only thing I use tire sealant on is low pressure AG type tires on lawn mowers, carts, and wheelbarrows.
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Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,697
Likes: 3
From: Marengo, Iowa
Personallly, I will only use it as I really have to. If you have never patched a tire with it in it, you don't realize how hard it is to properly patch the tire with that stuff in it. The propellant in it is aersol, so it is flammable. The entire inside of the tire is covered with it, and the surface to patch to is practically impossible to get clean for sealing. I always hated to fix one that had the crap in it.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 5,643
Likes: 8
From: NE Texas
I use it all the time on my lawn mowers.
Just how in the world you get a flat tire on a lawn mower where the kids play barefoot all day long is a mystery to me...but it happens all the time.
Gremlins, maybe?
Just how in the world you get a flat tire on a lawn mower where the kids play barefoot all day long is a mystery to me...but it happens all the time.
Gremlins, maybe?
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,821
Likes: 19
From: South Dakota
I carry a can, only as a very, very, very last resort in my vehicles.
If i get a flat, I change to the spare, and then use the can if I encounter spare problems.
If you have a newer set of tires, I wouldnt put the stuff in as a means to get out of putting on your spare....this may cost you in the end, since it is dang near impossible to repair a tire with fix a flat in it, which could result in you having to buy a new tire.
Most tire stores will not even attempt to repair a tire with FF in it....they will just look for the size, and ring up a new tire.
If i get a flat, I change to the spare, and then use the can if I encounter spare problems.
If you have a newer set of tires, I wouldnt put the stuff in as a means to get out of putting on your spare....this may cost you in the end, since it is dang near impossible to repair a tire with fix a flat in it, which could result in you having to buy a new tire.
Most tire stores will not even attempt to repair a tire with FF in it....they will just look for the size, and ring up a new tire.
Last edited by superrangerman2002; Aug 2, 2004 at 12:32 PM.
Elder User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 974
Likes: 1
From: Alhambra CA
Doesn't that fix-a-flat damage rims? I used it once on an old set of tires I had, and when I took it in to the tire shop, the guy told me if the stuff got on my aluminum rims, he couldn't guarantee that it would come off. I had to replace the wheels, so I told him to risk damaging the rims. Long story short, the "stuff" leaked onto the rim, and most of it came off but they were certain spots where it didn't. He said it stained metal or something like that. Never used the stuff again.
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 11,314
Likes: 4
Originally Posted by Big Orn
I use it all the time on my lawn mowers.
Just how in the world you get a flat tire on a lawn mower where the kids play barefoot all day long is a mystery to me...but it happens all the time.
Gremlins, maybe?
Just how in the world you get a flat tire on a lawn mower where the kids play barefoot all day long is a mystery to me...but it happens all the time.
Gremlins, maybe?
guess their feet are tougher than our lawn tractor tires
And I always have a LARGE can of it as a last resort too...
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,821
Likes: 19
From: South Dakota
Originally Posted by fn250
Doesn't that fix-a-flat damage rims? I used it once on an old set of tires I had, and when I took it in to the tire shop, the guy told me if the stuff got on my aluminum rims, he couldn't guarantee that it would come off. I had to replace the wheels, so I told him to risk damaging the rims. Long story short, the "stuff" leaked onto the rim, and most of it came off but they were certain spots where it didn't. He said it stained metal or something like that. Never used the stuff again.
I've never seen the stuff damage an aluminum rim, but I have seen the stuff take the paint off a metal rim if it was left in long enough.
Most of the problems I've seen with aluminum rims was when the clear coat was rubbed off and allowed the rim to corrode and leak along the bead.
FF works great in a pinch, but I sure wouldnt leave it in any longer than I had too.
FWIW, IMO, Slime and AmeriSeal make a better sealing agent for ATVs and lawn equipment.