Tyre sealant

[MyNameIsUrl]

In place of a spare tyre many cars now have a bottle of sealant to be injected into the tyre using a small compressor. If I’m interpreting the graphics on mine correctly, after using it I shouldn’t exceed 50mph and do a maximum of 125 miles before making a permanent repair or replacing the tyre.

But I was talking to a friend recently who was disappointed that following such a repair his tyre seemed to be going down slightly. After 18 months and over 20k miles at full motorway speeds! Can anyone beat that? Would anyone want to try?

[Slarti]

No and no.

I wouldn't have a car without a spare, even if I did have to call on the AA or other roadside service to come and change it for me.

Slarti

[Maroochydore]

As I understand it, tyre sealant is a temporary get you home solution however most people in the industry tell me that the tyre is pretty useless afterwards because it is too difficult to get rid of the sealant to make a repair. A new tyre is usually the order of the day.

All to save weight to get a few extra miles per hundred gallons.

[DrFfybes]

No and no.

I wouldn't have a car without a spare, even if I did have to call on the AA or other roadside service to come and change it for me.

Slarti

Sadly that isn't even an option on a lot of cars these days. We won't have a car with an electronic handbrake, touchscreen interface, or virtual cockpit, but I suspect that won't be an option in a few years.

Our Z4 doesn't have a spare as it would completely fill the boot. You can get a spacesaver for the Maserati, which still takes up half the boot. However if you use it then the one you take off doesn't fit in the boot.

FWIW we had the first puncture in our Carina about 3 years ago, the 1990 spare was completely unused. I had a leaky valve on the Camry in about 2002, and before that my previous puncture was fixed on my parent's drive, so probably late 1980s. I think i've had 2 or 3 on bikes as well, but a spare wheel is irrelevant there (and anyway I bodged one with some tape and a self tapper to plug the hole and get me home fairly carefully.

Paul (prodding fate with a pointy stick).

[Gaggsy]

Last time I had a puncture was in my Skoda Superb. Fortunately for me (or so I'd thought) I'd gone for the option of a spare tyre rather than the sealant thing when I'd bought it. Unfortunately, when the tyre blew at 70mph on the M1, it shredded, the rim welded itself to the wheel hub and I couldn't for the life of me get the wheel off to change it. The guy from AutoAid took a lot of brute force to eventually shift it.

Sealant would have been useless as the tyre was in bits.

[Slarti]

No and no.

I wouldn't have a car without a spare, even if I did have to call on the AA or other roadside service to come and change it for me.

Slarti

Sadly that isn't even an option on a lot of cars these days. We won't have a car with an electronic handbrake, touchscreen interface, or virtual cockpit, but I suspect that won't be an option in a few years.

Our Z4 doesn't have a spare as it would completely fill the boot. You can get a spacesaver for the Maserati, which still takes up half the boot. However if you use it then the one you take off doesn't fit in the boot.

FWIW we had the first puncture in our Carina about 3 years ago, the 1990 spare was completely unused. I had a leaky valve on the Camry in about 2002, and before that my previous puncture was fixed on my parent's drive, so probably late 1980s. I think i've had 2 or 3 on bikes as well, but a spare wheel is irrelevant there (and anyway I bodged one with some tape and a self tapper to plug the hole and get me home fairly carefully.

Paul (prodding fate with a pointy stick).

As a car is, to me, just a convenient way of getting from A to B I am able to be picky.
So my Avensis has a full sized spare and all of the tools to change a wheel, while Mrs S' Yaris has space save in a full sized hole, which is acceptable as it rarely goes more than 25 miles from home.

As for electronic handbrake and touchscreen, the Avensis has both of those and I hate the electronic handbrake with a passion (but with it being an auto I don't have to use it that often) and the touchscreen is only for the sound system and satnav and only gets touched twice a year as it also controls one of the car's clocks. The satnav is 9 years out of date and has an irritating voice while the sound system, now it is set up, can be totally controlled from the steering wheel.

My last puncture was a few months back when I came out of the house to find that the front left tyre was totally flat due to a self tapping screw in the side-wall. In the opinion of the tyre place it had been done deliberately, because of the location and because of the location, cost me a new tyre

Slarti

[jfgw]

My space-saver and plastic spacer went down the tip to make room for a proper spare. The tool holder sits where it did before. Calling the AA can involve a long walk to get a signal depending upon where you are.

Julian F. G. W.