# Fix-a-flat



## bridget (May 10, 2002)

Can anybody tell me how long fix a flat will keep a tire inflated? I don't have the money for repairs for a few weeks.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Depends on the leak. Good brand fix a flat will seal bead leak permenently. And probably very small puncture indefinitely too. Fixaflat alas is not same stuff it used to be. After they did away with the old kind with propane or whatever in it, I tried can of new and it didnt seal anything. Then was desperate later and saw can with some special polymer stuff they bragged about on label in it. Over $5 but it was big enough to do two tires. It worked. At that price only worth it for emergency since around here usually $5 to put a plug in a puncture. $10 if they have to remove tire and clean rim or put regular patch on. Some rural shops will fix tire for $5 even if they have to remove tire. I liked keeping can fixflat in car trunk, but really only mostly ever used it when I had a bead leak. The old kind of fix a flat sometimes selling less than $1 was great for stubborn slow bead leak.


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## Clifford (Aug 14, 2004)

Fix-a-flat is a liquid rubbery sealant that is loaded into the tire from an aerosol can through a hose type nozzel from the can. You should put the whole can into the tire and run it for a few miles to heat the tire and to ensure overall application to the entire inside of the tire. It will work as a quick fix, but when you finally gave your tire repaired, expect to pay a little more as the will have to clean/remove the fix-a-flat from the rim to ensure a proper seal with the tire when it is remnounted.

I've used it before with some sucess. It is no gaurantee however, depending on the problem with your tire.


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## NELSELGNE (Nov 13, 2006)

WD-40 will disolve it from your hands or wheels.


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## legacy (Oct 16, 2005)

Usually, that stuff is good enough to get you someplace to repair the tire. If you know the origin of the leak, and it's not in the sidewall, I'd recommend a plug kit. It probably costs less than than fix-a-flat and it is likely to be a permanent fix. Just make sure you are able to add pressure to the tire as soon as you insert the plug (this can take some effort.) And the plug kit comes with several plugs so you can keep it for future use.

If it needs to be patched from the inside, consider the costs. Fix-a-flat costs about $5. The last time I had a tire patched it cost me about $12, and of course, it's permanent.


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## travlnusa (Dec 12, 2004)

Keep in mind that it can be hard to balance a tire/wheel with such products inside of it.


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## freeinalaska (Jan 21, 2005)

I've used fix-a-flat with greats results (permanent) and not so great (flat again the next day). Like others have said it depends on the leak.


travlnusa said:


> Keep in mind that it can be hard to balance a tire/wheel with such products inside of it.


If you drive the car immediately after putting the stuff in it will help evenly distribute it in the tire helping with balancing issues.


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## Jim S. (Apr 22, 2004)

I wouldn't trust it other than to get me home or to a repair shop. My luck is bad. It would go flat again on a deserted road. With no houses nearby. At night. In the rain. And no spare. With a dead skunk in the road right there. A-stinking to high heaven. Etc.


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## jefferson (Nov 11, 2004)

Not to hijack the thread, but what about SLIME?


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## FreightTrain (Nov 5, 2005)

yea, i second the use of Slime 
http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=3&paID=1024&sonID=710&page=1&productID=17387


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

jefferson said:


> Not to hijack the thread, but what about SLIME?


When i got my present truck one tire kept going flat at odd times, not regularly. Determined with tank water that it was a puncture Since I was home, I took tire off rim myself, as usually its best to start with clean rim and this was unknown condition. Well I found some green antifreeze looking stuff inside the tire and on the rim. Somebody on here told me it was SLIME, a mix of antifreeze and ground newspaper and who knows what else. It apparently was sealing part of time and not other times. It was absolute PITA to clean tire and rim. Did and put a patch on inside of tire and that was that. I would never advise anybody to use that SLIME stuff.

Again put a patch on a puncture, only really use the fixaflat for bead leaks, and never use SLIME. Thats my advise. And as somebody else mentioned, a plug kit is cheaper than can fix a flat anymore and though I am not fond of plugs, it does work and without removing tire from rim.


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## fixer1958 (Dec 12, 2005)

If you don't have the money, try it. It will either work or it won't. 
It's been my experience with radial tires that when you use plugs, 9 times out of 10 you will break/tear the cord putting them in shortening the life of the tire. There will usually be a bulge in that spot later. I've used them on ATV and mower tires and had good luck, but they are generally bias ply and not put in the conditions as an automobile.


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## wilderness1989 (Feb 23, 2006)

FreightTrain said:


> yea, i second the use of Slime
> http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=3&paID=1024&sonID=710&page=1&productID=17387


Me too for Slime. IMHO fix-a-flat is worthless.


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## james dilley (Mar 21, 2004)

I ran A farm tractor for A year with Fix-A-Flat in the tires abit there was 5 cans put into each rear tire. And you could put your fingers on the innertube thrru the tire, I use it very seldon know. I have A qt of slime that is A rubber based product that stays liquid till there A hole to seal. Its going into the 18 horse riding mower for the new house. Theres tons of mesquite trees and Cactus to go around .Meaning thorns.


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## RevJack (Jan 25, 2007)

Doesnt anyone carry a spare tire anymore?


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## blufford (Nov 23, 2004)

RevJack said:


> Doesnt anyone carry a spare tire anymore?


Yep, its always flat too!!!


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## Jim S. (Apr 22, 2004)

I used to fix tires for a living. The best way to repair a tire is to plug it and patch it from the inside.

I don't do that to my own, I just plug them. But that is not correct. I run the risk the plug will work loose as the tread wears.

The best fix is a patch/plug combo. Next best is a patch only. Next is a plug only. There is no other fix than these 3 that can be considered permanent.

Where I worked, we had a machine that would electro-galvanize a special patch on the inside of the tire. Man, that was top notch! It literally became part of the tire rubber. But most places don't have those.

Slime will rust and ruin your rims over time. Fix-a-Flat is designed as a temporary way to get to a service bay. I have heard hundreds of reports of guys who have used them and they have worked for the life of the tire. But they are not intended to work that way. Slime: "Product performance is guaranteed for two years." Fix-a-Flat has no guarantee that I can find.

Cost? By the time you get a bottle of Slime, you could have it fixed right by someone else. Or you could buy a Wally World plug kit to fix a dozen tires.


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