Fix a Flat? Good or Bad

compacttuner

New member
Is anyone familiar with Fix a Flat? Does it work as good as it sounds. It says its tire pressure sensor safe but I have heard yes and no. If anyone has personal experience with it will you let me know.
 

mobileoilchange

New member
i dont like it for use on automotive tires, but its ok for use on off road tires such as lawn mowers, tractors, wheel barrows, etc. I rotated a set of tires once on a vehicle equipped with TPS (tire pressure sensor) and once i finished rotating the tires and tried to reset the TPS one tire kept giving me problems and wouldnt let me reset the TPS monitor. after about 3 tries to reset the TPS i asked the customer if hes ever had the tire in for service. He said no but he as added fix-a-flat to one tire because of a slow leak. so i would steer away from using it on tires with TPS even thought it says its safe. fix-a-flat is a glue, and i blame it on the tires TPS for being bad.
just my thoughts.
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
I used it once to fix a small leak on the tread of the tire. I followed the directions down to point where I positioned the leak near the bottom where the chemicals would settle (I could hear it hiss and then gurgle) and then took a drive to spread the chemical evenly.

It was fine for a day or two, but the slow leak was still there. I think the application is good for emergencies if the leak is small enough and not on the sidewall, but otherwise I would use a plug before I would use another fix-a-flat.
 

contractor

New member
I have used Fix-a-flat and it has its advantages. I find it is very good where there is a slight leak at the bead against the wheel.

For a pucture, I use a plug. They are great. I did one yesterday on our van ... jacked the wheel off the ground, let out the air, plugged it and back in business without removing the wheel or rebalancing.:thumbup:
 

contractor

New member
I have used Fix-a-flat and it has its advantages. I find it is very good where there is a slight leak at the bead against the wheel.

For a pucture, I use a plug. They are great. I did one yesterday on our van ... jacked the wheel off the ground, let out the air, pulled out a 3" screw, plugged it, and back in business without removing the wheel or rebalancing.:thumbup:
 

bikerjoe

New member
The whole deal with Fix-a-Flat is that it works well in tires that can be inflated to a low PSI and still driven.

The liquid has some ability to plug small holes, but of the air pressure is too high, the air will blow the f-a-f right through the hole. My motorcycle customers sometimes try f-a-f to get back onto the road, almost universally without success. The reason is that a car tire can be driven on with 15 psi inflation, but a motorcycle tire usually requires 35 to 50 psi, far more pressure that will blow the liquid through the hole it is trying to block. Also, the stuff will throw your tires out of balance, and it will prevent you from avoiding a larger disaster down the road. With f-a-f in your tire, if you pick up a nail, or a jigsaw blade or something large, the f-a-f may seal the puncture for a while, allowing you to continue driving along, but if that object that has compromised the integrity of your tire suddenly catches on something, shifts position or whatever, it may rip the already weakened tire wide open without warning, causing sudden deflation and loss of control. I am firmly against Fix-a-Flat in vehicle tires, but it works great for things like wheelbarrows, garden tractors and golf carts, etc.
 

topless

Wichita, KS
Many tire shops will charge you extra if you take a tire in to be fixed after using Fix a Flat in it. It makes a mess when they break the tire off the rim. It's sticky and gets all over the machine and the operator.
 

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