Fix a flat ...

[Sean McGillicuddy]

I have this annoying slow leak that falls under we can't fix that crap!
I have to add 10lbs daily less on warmer days..
we do not want to buy a new tire.... we want to run these crap tires untill we can get new ones in the spring..
Would fix a flat kind of fix that slowww leak ?

 

[Dataman]

Go to Tire Store. Fix a Flat is for Emergencies. It will cause problems long term on your wheel. Here Les Swab fixes flats for FREE. Of course they will try to sell you tire too

"As stated on the can, it is important to have your tire inspected and repaired within 3 days or 100 miles (whichever comes first). Be sure to notify the qualified tire care professional that Fix-a-Flat has been installed. At the time the affected tire is inspected by a tire care professional, they should clean the sealant from the tire, prepare the area and repair with a U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association …"

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

They will come up with " we can't fix that " crapp two have said that already..

 

[tlc1976]

What’s this for? A passenger vehicle? Or a tractor or something that gets used around the yard? My ex FIL would fill his tractor tires with sand and be done with it.

If it’s a bead or valve stem leak on a car, it’s an easy fix as long as they will do it. Find a small time independent shop, they’ve fixed stuff for me that someone like Wal Mart won’t touch. Like sealing up tires that were just going to be used on a plow vehicle that will never leave the yard.

You could always check out a junkyard too.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

2019 Ram 1500 pickup.. The tires have some descent tread but we want to run them down and not buy a tire..

 

[Dataman]

FB has people all the time selling take off tires if they are stock. Cheap too

 

[GadDummit]

To answer your question, yes. Fix a flat will solve your slow leak problem. Do you know where the leak is? If it's in the sidewall or bead you'll need to drive around a little farther than what it says on the can. Just wait until you're going on a long trip, let the air out of the tire, and run fix a flat in. Then air it up to normal pressure the rest of the way.

I've done this many times without any damage to my rims, tires, or pride. And I have a tire changing machine in my garage. Sometimes it's just cold outside and I don't want to mess with a tire until it gets warm again.

 

[ABMax24]

They will come up with " we can't fix that " crapp two have said that already..

Is it a leak in the sidewall? Generally that's the only leak that isn't repairable.

If that's the case you might want a new tire anyway, sidewall damage increases the chance of a blowout.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

The second whole was too close to the other to safely fix according to the two tire places I took it to.

 

[Corey]

I've had mixed results. If the leak is in a valve stem seat or valve core, FAF often won't seal that. If the leak is in the very corner of the tire or near the sidewall, (a common place shops won't repair) that seems to flex quite a bit and FAF has a hard time there. If the leak is right in the tread, FAF can sometimes work... for a while.

Though I would caution - as others have said - emergency use only. FAF also caused a wreck, totaling one car for me. It was a round-a-bout way, but my wife was complaining of vibration in her car for the first few minutes every morning. So I took it for a test drive. Sure enough, vibration for a few minutes, then it would smooth out. Just about the time I put all the pieces together and figured out what happened, another car failed to yield at their light and POW! hit me head on.

So the vibration cause... we had FAF'ed a tire hoping to get it into the shop in a few days. Well one thing lead to another and that led to a few weeks. The weather took a bitter cold turn, so that FAF would freeze into a block of ice in the bottom of the tire and acted like a tire weight, knocking the tire hugely out of balance, until it warmed up, turned to liquid and distributed around the tire. So I say FAF roundabout caused the crash because I wouldn't have been out test driving if it weren't for that!

If you can actually find the leak, you might have better luck with tire plugs or a new valve stem/core. Though again, if it's in a sidewall, there is a reason they don't fix those.

 

[festerw]

Skip the Fix a Flat and go buy yourself a cheap tire plug kit.

 

[salecker]

Plugs and Slime then run it to the cords
I have numerous tires with Slime or plugs in them for testing purposes.

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

If you have tire pressure sensors, any liquid you put into the tire could ruin a sensor - more $$$.

10 lbs a day should be easy to find with the tire submerged in a test tank. If a shop couldn't find the leak, I'd suggest trying another shop.

 

[Smokepole]

I have this annoying slow leak that falls under we can't fix that crap!
I have to add 10lbs daily less on warmer days..
we do not want to buy a new tire.... we want to run these crap tires untill we can get new ones in the spring..
Would fix a flat kind of fix that slowww leak ?

I had a leak like that several years ago. Found a pinhole in the wheel. The tire was fine.

 

[brenndatomu]

If you have tire pressure sensors, any liquid you put into the tire could ruin a sensor - more $$$.

10 lbs a day should be easy to find with the tire submerged in a test tank. If a shop couldn't find the leak, I'd suggest trying another shop.

This!
If you want to spend a couple hundred to replace the pressure monitor, use FAF or slime!
I'd have it checked by a different shop if they can't find a 10 psi/day leak! That's a pretty good leak...have them put it in a dunk tank...

 

[rottiman]

2019 Ram 1500 pickup.. The tires have some descent tread but we want to run them down and not buy a tire..

Get rid of the aluminum wheels and replace with steel. Aluminum rims are notorious for leaking especially in colder weather.

 

[GadDummit]

Hundreds for a pressure monitor? Now that's funny. Tire place charges $25.

 

[brenndatomu]

Hundreds for a pressure monitor? Now that's funny. Tire place charges $25.

I dunno...tire place said they couldn't do it and Honda quoted a couple hundo

 

[GadDummit]

Four f

I dunno...tire place said they couldn't do it and Honda quoted a couple hundo

Four for 42 bucks = Amazon product ASIN B078Y2V87C

 

[brenndatomu]

Four f

Four for 42 bucks = Amazon product ASIN B078Y2V87C

I understand you can buy aftermarket cheaper, but getting them programmed seemed to be the issue...may be different now though as this was a couple 3 years ago. No matter what, why gunk up your TPMS with goo that has a 50/50 shot of sealing the leak?
And FAF is totally last resort emergency use only for me...and slime type products stink for use in cars/trucks...especially a daily driver.

 

[PaulOinMA]

You just may need a little reset tool for TPMS depending on system. I have the Motorcraft one from Tirerack to reset the TPMS when I switch to snows and back to A/S in the spring for our Fords.

My previous VW was a passive system off the wheel speed sensors and didn't even need a reset tool. There wasn't a TPMS sensor on the wheel. It was just a reset botton in the glovebox.

It's B.S. if a dealer said otherwise.

 

[GadDummit]

I understand you can buy aftermarket cheaper, but getting them programmed seemed to be the issue...may be different now though as this was a couple 3 years ago. No matter what, why gunk up your TPMS with goo that has a 50/50 shot of sealing the leak?
And FAF is totally last resort emergency use only for me...and slime type products stink for use in cars/trucks...especially a daily driver.

It's a calculated risk. I've personally used fix a flat in my TPMS tires since 2005 without issue. Still going strong. No gunking up, no errors reading, nothing. With his small 10 lb/day leak he's got a much better than 50/50 shot of it sealing. I'd give it an 85/15 shot myself. But again, your mileage may vary. I wouldn't hesitate to use it in this case.

He did say he's planning on replacing the tire in spring.

 

[brenndatomu]

With his small 10 lb/day leak

10 lb per day is not a small leak...there is no reason they can't find/fix that...a 1-2 lb per day leak is "small" (and can be hard to find)

 

[GadDummit]

10 lb per day is not a small leak...there is no reason they can't find/fix that...a 1-2 lb per day leak is "small" (and can be hard to find)

Now you want to argue about what a small leak is?

 

[brenndatomu]

Now you want to argue about what a small leak is?

If there is anyone trying to argue about anything, I don't think its me...matter of a fact, I think I'll unwatch this thread so you can dazzle the masses with your superior knowledge without any further input from me.