fix a flat,and aluminum wheels

[BIGREDFREAKE250]

if i use fix a flat on my new aluminum will it hurt it? front tire on my 250es keeps going flat

[Trike_crazy]

If I were you I'd use slime instead of fix-a-flat. Slime has little rubber chunks in it that helps seal larger holes and punctures. Also, slime is a bit thicker than fix-a-flat. Other then that check the bead on the wheel and make sure its not bent or damaged and check the tire for screws, thorns or anything else that might possibly puncture a tire. Good luck!

[f76]

If you change your own tires you will regret putting anything like slime or fix a flat in it. If you pay someone else to do it then who cares.
I have a strong dislike for liquid leak sealants and prefer plugs, but I also change my own tires.

[Scootertrash]

If you pay someone else to do it then who cares.

Most of the places around here will jack up the price for dealing with that crap. Slime and the like are meant to be used as EMERGENCY repairs, not a replacement for a proper patch job or putting in a tube. Plugs suck too. Patch the tire or put in a tube or have someone do it for you.

[Trike_crazy]

I suggested slime only because it seems like OP didn't want to swap out the tire for whatever reason. Slime can actually be used as a preventative to getting leaks. All that other stuff that I have seen says right on the label thats it's for emergency use only

[RubberSalt]

Fix a flat fixed(?) My tire 3 years ago. Hasn't gone flat yet lol

Tire had a hair line crack due to age then. Its still on the car, but it doesn't get driven.

[HairyJR]

Just before this years Invasion I decided to repair one of my paddle tires that had began needing air added every other day. This tire leaked several years ago and I repaired/fixed it by adding Slime. When I dismounted the tire found that the new leakage was from the corrosion created from the moisture (water) attacking the aluminum wheel inside the tire hidden from sight. IMHO don't Slime it and OH yes what a nasty mess. What I have been using lately is production called AmerSeal Tire Sealant.

"HJ" :beer

[BIGREDFREAKE250]

yea we change out own tires.so slim or fix a flat wont hurt the will?

[onformula1]

Here's my 3 cent's

Put any sealer you want in your tire, follow all the directions.

Maybe it will seal up maybe it won't, they rarely work on sidewall issues.

Wait a couple of days to a week then remove it and take it to a auto tire shop and have it spin balanced (If they can't do it take it to a buggy shop)

That's why sealer is used for emergencies only, until it can be fixed or replaced properly. The results are not good.

Plus when you change your tire the next time you will be wire brushing until the cows come home.

It can also plug your valve stem so you can't refill or remove air.

[Howdy]

Do a little searching and you will find these "Fix a flat" products are corrosive and will eat your rims over time. If some brings me a tire with the stuff in it I either won't change the tire or charge extra. It's for emergency only, not a life time fix.

I have thrown many rims away that this stuff had trashed the inside.
Howdy

[oscarmayer]

I think it really depends on where and the type of riding you are doing. for off-road in like a desert, Slim ahead of time would be a great idea, where's why. why would you want to be stuck ont he side of a trail or in my case side of a pasture w/o any air to fix the flat? if I put slim in ahead of time, any thorns or small punctures are fixed immediately and I do not even know till I reach my destination.

we use slime in our rims for riding in the woods and trails. thorns are everywhere. this stops flat tires from happening all the time.

anyway everyone has different ideas. and different situations. so you have to decide what works best for you.

[big specht]

Here is a pic is a wheel that I dismounted that had slime in them. These wheels were after market one I'm not sure if factory wheels will rot out that bad unless you put calcium in them ( don't ask how I know) lol 215179 I end up using silicone to fill the holes in they were not all the way thru the wheel yet

[Gearheadtom]

I got into changing tires on a Polaris RZR once at work that had that stuff in 3 of the tires. Absolute mess, rims were all corroded around the bead, took me twice as long to change the tires and clean the rims up. IMO tubes aren't much better, they always seem to hold moisture and rot rims out as well.

[yaegerb]

When fix-a-flat and slime first came out I was a teenager and it was all the rage. I would fill all my brand new tires with it to make them "puncture resistant" and tell my friends to do so. It only took 1 time of me changing tires with that crap slopped in there that I knew I would NEVER use it again for its "puncture resistant" marketing mumbo jumbo. It had almost ruined a set of douglas wheels (check out big specht's post...yeah, its that bad) and it took me forever to get that crap off the wheel/bead so it could be useful again. Do I still carry some, yes. I only use it in emergency and when I get home that tire is immediately taken off the rim for a proper repair/replacement.

If it's not a sidewall puncture, you are money ahead to fix the hole with a plug/patch.

[Dirtcrasher]

I have used it to seal beads that won't seal.

I forget but it's either cast or billet that it attacks worse.

A plug usually works great but when the bead leaks, what the hell can you do......

[Racer-X]

I would say just change the tire. Slime may be OK in a jam but I'm not sure about long term effects. But I did see a rim that someone used fix a flat on and it literally ate the rim way!!!!!! It looked like as porous as a sponge. I couldn't believe how bad it ate it away. I would never put that crap in my tires. On top of that, the chance it will actually work is slim.