Question about Air & Seal emergency flat repair

[peng155]

Hey Folks....

Question for you... I was thinking of ditching my spare tire to put in a stereo sub-woofer in the spare wheel well... It's been a while since I've had a flat on any of my cars.. but still I prefer to be safe then sorry...

Anyone here ever use that Air & Seal flat repair stuff... I assume it only for emergency repair of the tire to get you to the nearest gas station/tire repair joint... I was just wondering how well it worked.. and if it can screw up the balance of the tire one way or another..

Thanks

[Virto]

Quite a few new cars are shipping either with an emergency repair kit or nothing at all, versus even a compact spare.

Some products work fairly well, but I don't know if those tires are then patchable and repairable after the fact. I suppose it could throw balance off, if the foam settles all on one side of the tire.

Honestly, I don't carry a spare anymore - they never get used and they rot out. I pay for a towing package through my insurance, so if the need arises, I just pick up the phone.

[psdenno]

Good for flats caused by screws and nails, not so good for sidewall cuts and blowouts. My Infiniti came without a spare - just an electric pump and a bottle of "Shoe-Goo" type flat fixer. Downside on that car is that the flat fixer clogs the tire pressure sensors and requires them to be replaced. Another downside is if the flat can't be fixed, finding a replacement tire of the proper size can be a problem on the road. I bought a spare for that car....peace of mind.
Dennis

[Oiluj]

I'm on keeping the spare side of this particular issue.

1) A guy at work had a tire failure this weekend when he hit something on the road. From his description, some canned goo wouldn't have cut it.

2) I've heard mixed reviews on the effectiveness of the canned air & sealant products.

3) When you are out in the middle of nowhere, 15 minutes to slap on a spare is far better than waiting two hours for a tow truck. One to two hours is not unusual during rush hours and weekends in urban areas, and if you are in the middle of nowhere, good luck...

I great sound system is nice, but I'd rather have a spare.

Just my 2 cents...

[rossiz]

i keep a plugger kit on hand - way better than a can of goop, and it doesn't make a mess of your rim, etc. and throw your tire out of balance. folks may tell you different, but i've run tires with plugs in them for thousands of miles with no problem - for the right puncture, it's a perfectly structural patch. of course it won't help for a big sidewall cut, but in 30+ years of driving i've never had one of those (better knock on my woodgrain steering wheel!)

i have a little compressor that screws into a spark plug hole and uses the engine compression to move a tiny piston back and forth filling your tire with fresh air. i've used these for years on my motorcycle - will fill a rear tire in a couple of minutes from dead flat. $15 item - just be sure to get a long enough hose to reach the left rear!

[peng155]

When you are out in the middle of nowhere, 15 minutes to slap on a spare is far better than waiting two hours for a tow truck. One to two hours is not unusual during rush hours and weekends in urban areas, and if you are in the middle of nowhere, good luck...

Oilju, This is exactly my thoughts as well....

[peng155]

i keep a plugger kit on hand

i have a little compressor that screws into a spark plug hole and uses the engine compression to move a tiny piston back and forth filling your tire with fresh air. i've used these for years on my motorcycle - will fill a rear tire in a couple of minutes from dead flat. $15 item - just be sure to get a long enough hose to reach the left rear!

Rossiz... I never really thought about a plug kit... I'll have to look into that.. also can you post some info on the compressor that screws into the spark plug hole?? That sounds real interesting ...

Thanks for your guy's input.... I'm probably gonna keep the spare in the car for the time being... and look into one of those external powered sub-woofer tubes.

[rossiz]

here's one example of the little compressor - it's shorter and more expensive than the one i have, but you get the idea...
Engine Powered Air Pump for Motorcycles - 5 ft Hose with Quick-Release Lever - Stop & Go International Inc Store

plugger kits are cheap - be sure to get one with a "T" handle for ease of use.

[peng155]

here's one example of the little compressor - it's shorter and more expensive than the one i have, but you get the idea...
Engine Powered Air Pump for Motorcycles - 5 ft Hose with Quick-Release Lever - Stop & Go International Inc Store

plugger kits are cheap - be sure to get one with a "T" handle for ease of use.

Thanks Rossiz