Does tire inflator kit ruin the tire?

[brandon272]

I had a flat tire today and decided to use the tire inflator kit to fill/seal the tire. Does the substance that the inflator kit injects into the tire ruin it? Will I need to buy a new tire, or can it still be repaired assuming the hole would otherwise be repairable?

[KappaKadet]

The sooner you get it to a repair shop the better! They will need to remove all the sealer goop from the inside of the tire and properly patch the leak and re-balance.

[Carbon Sky]

The tire is usually salvageable as long as the puncture isn't too large, or in the sidewall. However many shops refuse to path tires that have had sealant used in them just because it's a pain in the ass.

If you had TPMS sensors in the wheel, you may have damaged that sensor with the sealant. And if so, will have to replace it, or you will have a warning message on every start up.

[rob the elder]

Depends on what tires and definition of ruine.

The GXP has VR rated tires. The only approved repair is with a galvanizing patch on the inside of the tire. once the inner face of the tire has been exposed to the solvents in the fix afloat, a patch will not adhesr properly after a few hours. My eerience is that if a service center sees the gunk in there, they will not repair it. It is a safety issue.

We removed the fixaflat and carry plugs. They will work and do not generally damage the tire.

[melissadunagan]

I used my inflator kit in one of my tires and had it fixed a few days late no promble. It did not hurt the TPMS sensor.

[Winter-Solstice]

that stuff is more trouble than its worth to use...

[JRinKY]

Given the choice I would not use it, but it will not automatically ruin anything.

There have been concerns posted that sealant will damage TPMS sensors, damage aluminum wheels, damage tires, and cause imbalance problems. All of those are possible, and using a plug instead will avoid all of them. While the self-vulcanizing patch is the only "approved" method of repair, the plug, if installed properly, is just as effective. The patch is "approved" because it is nearly impossible for it to fail catastrophically, and nearly all patch failures result in slow leaks. A plug can blow-out, resulting in fairly rapid deflation of the tire.

I had a tire on my truck that two different shops could not effectively patch. I put a bottle of Slime in it and drove on it for another 30k miles. There was no damage to the tire or the aluminum wheel.

The most important thing to remember is to tell the tire shop that there is sealant in the tire before they work on it. Nothing makes a tire-buster as unhappy as breaking the bead on a tire and having sealant blow ot in his face.

[SolMann]

I used that green goop(buy in a can) in my lawnmower tire. So far so good-seems to work well. Had to try it, the tire was old and seem to have lost its flex.

[dennisinmd]

2006 NA bought used does not have a kit. I have used Ride On tire sealant in many different tires, motorcycle and auto, including one with TPM, with no problems, and it works great. It only coats the tread area, dynamically balances the tire and washes out with water.

[Hulki U. My-BFF]

Originally Posted by JRinKY The most important thing to remember is to tell the tire shop that there is sealant in the tire before they work on it. Nothing makes a tire-buster as unhappy as breaking the bead on a tire and having sealant blow ot in his face.

Well, if the tire-buster was smart, he would have already removed the valve core and the air would be removed. Who breaks tires with air in them? I know I don't.

[JRinKY]

Hulki U. My-BFF : Well, if the tire-buster was smart, he would have already removed the valve core and the air would be removed. Who breaks tires with air in them? I know I don't.

"Blow out" is how it was stated to me. I suspect the correct description is more along the lines of "squirted" "pushed" "splashed" or "leaked". Regardless, the idea was to tell the tire guys about it so that they won't be surprised.

[mmccraw]

Just an opinion, but if my tire was flat, I would try the inflator and see if it would hold air. If it did, I would drive to a repair shop a.s.a.p. I would only use the inflatant as a last resort.