do not use SLIME tire sealant

[highrollin113]

this is just my personal experience but i have decided to share it with everyone here to maybe save someone else from buying a new tire. I purchased SLIME tire sealant to carry with me in my kon incase of a flat to get me home or till a possible repair. the kit came with an air compressor and sealant. long story short i got a flat i folllowed the instructions to a t, the product guarantees the repair for 2 years, i drove home the tire flattened while i was driving, the sealant was coming out the hole(which was just a small nail puncture), the product FAILED! and caused sidewall damage and there for a new tire and me out $250. well i put in a claim and was denied of course. the company is acting like a typical power monster, treating me like a no one. when i told them i would take them to small claims court the guy litterally laughed at me, i do not know what other action to take. so i am sharing my story and looking for the support from my fellow automotive enthusiasts. i am not saying their product will always fail i am just saying it did in my case and instead of backing up their word like it says on the package they laughed at me and discarded me. $250 is not going to break me, or keep food out of my nonexistent kids bellys, but it is less i can spend on other things i enjoy, like my roll pan, lowering kit etc...

 

[TogaPC]

Sux man. Sorry to hear that. Seems like principles have taken a major hit in this country. Not sure how things are outside the U.S. but I remember a time here when your word was golden. Where have those days gone?

 

[fatnlowtahoe504]

the Slime also eats away chrome, if you have chrome rims, had it happen to a friend and the guy i knew at the wheel shop said if you put it in the tires with chrome wheels it will start eating away it, and it did, guess its a chemical reaction..

 

[ScottyBoy]

Slime is actually not good for ANY automotive tires. But for low speed applications, it works frikkin awesome. I've used it in my ATV to seal a fairly large puncture from a stick about as thick as a pencil. I was surprised, but it worked. My brother was a landscaper, and he used it on all his riding mowers and equipment. All his landscaping buddys swore by the stuff. Its also good in bicycle tires. But for a car, its only to be used in an absolute emergency, and you don't wanna keep that tire once you put slime in it. You also need to rotate or roll the tire at a very low speed for a few minutes to get the slime evenly distributed, before you start driving. If you leave the slime in your car tire, it will corrrode the chrome, and also **** up your wheel balance pretty bad as well.

 

[blueflamed03]

brings up a good conversation though:

what do all you use, or do you just swap to spare. Who carries a well know sealant, that works?

 

[yukondoit]

I've yet to get a flat with my current set up. But in the event, I'll just throw the spare on until I get it repaired.

 

[highrollin113]

my spare is no where near the size of my wheels so i was not goingto risk damaging my gears, and it is sold in a kit that states it can be used in z rated tires, and like i said i am not questioning the quality of the product i am sure it works they are making millions off it i am sure, its the quality of their word and ethics. as i said i followed instructions to the the letter it didnt seal, they guarantee their product on the label but then failed to back it up

as for now blue, i still use a sealant but i use our canadian tire house brand by motomaster, i have used it many times through out the years on many different apps without a problem. my tire shop is never happy when come in for a repair because they have to clean it out but at least i made it there

 

[bahollis]

You know, I never thought about what happens to you guys that replace OEM rims with custom ones. I guess there's no reason to buy a spare rim and tire and have it hang under the truck (except for this thread)

I have heard the same stuff about that sealant crap eating tires and ruining rims. You're supposed to use it until you can get to a place and get it fixed... then get that shit out of your tire and off your rims.

IMO you'd be better off carrying a tire plug kit & compressor.

or.... a can of Carb Cleaner, and a lighter! I dare you not to laugh at these dumbasses trying that trick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI38RZ2f6Ls&feature=related

BH

 

[Repo503]

I got a flat a couple of months ago and went to pull the spare, which is when I realized after I had all the locks changed out, they failed to do the lock cylinder for the spare tire. Ended up just calling a tow truck.

 

[Abstrastic]

the Slime also eats away chrome, if you have chrome rims, had it happen to a friend and the guy i knew at the wheel shop said if you put it in the tires with chrome wheels it will start eating away it, and it did, guess its a chemical reaction..

What you speak of is called "chrome peel". It is cause by moisture getting inside of the tire and can cause numerous problems. Majority of the time it is cause by some sort of sealant.

I don't recommend any sort of sealant for full-size vehicles as it can cause to many issues. It is a pain in the ass to clean up. I don't recommend a plug kit either.

To the OP: the destruction of the sidewalk you talked about is normal when a tire is driven on for a while when it is flat or close to flat. The correct term is called "run flat".

I see all of this stuff everyday the craziest thing I have seen so far is we had a guy come in with 4 flats on his bright orange avalanche with 28's. He didn't have "valve cores" in any of his valves. Talk about a bad day.