Maybe I am behind the times just saw a commerical for Fix-a-Flat....they are claiming this is tire sensor safe???
Thoughts?
Experience?

 

No experience yet with this new "safe" claim but I've seen it too. Used regular Fix A Flat to get my son's F150 to a shop and it worked great.

Even if you are risking a $50-$100 (depending on model year system) TPM I'd say if this product gets you to a tire retailer then it's worth it. Sacrifice the TPM. You're saving the cost of a tow - and even if you have AAA (free towing) you're saving the potential damage from towing a car that regularly scrapes the street on it's own and doesn't take kindly to be hauled up on a flatbed or pulled at a strange angle.

 

Some good advice there - especially if you are in an unfamiliar location or just don't want to take the chance with a tow truck damaging the car. Obviously if you run run-flats you don't need this, but I would say keeping a can of it in the car for emergencies wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

Agreed good advice.....but the question remains, does it really NOT damage the sensor?

 

The new Slime works great! I've seen it used on 2 cars with TPMS systems(not vettes), and the sensors worked perfectly fine afterward.
All the tire tech did was take the sensor out, and blow compressed air into the pressure hole to clear it out, and put the sensor back in.

 

I keep a can of the fix-a-flat in every vehicle I own.

 

From what I hear this is the way to go and what I keep on hand just in case the plug won't work or not in a good area (safety or other wise) to attempt the repair. For now I also keep one of my old rear tires in my hatch as a spare should I get into trouble until I sell my old rims.

 

The best fix-a-flat, IMHO, is a AAA flatbed tow.

My Z06 doesn't have run flats. I do use the fix-a-flat kit that comes with the car for the air pump and tire gauge though. I used it at the track a bunch of times to keep the air pressure just right. I'd never try to fix my tire with the fix-a-flat stuff though.

 

They claim Slime is water soluble. I'll use it in a pinch. LIke someone else mentioned, the price of a TPS might be worth it to get home or to a tire shop. AAA is really great if they send you a properly equiped truck, one that can load a vette without wrecking something.

 

how far can you typically go when using the fix-a-flat or slime?

 

It depends on whats going on with the tire. In a lot of cases (slow leak) it stops the leak completely, you could go as far as you wanted.

Anytime Ive had to use it , its worked for me but I only went home and had the tire repaired the next day.

Never used it on the vette, but I would (better than a tow). I do use RF's but would put slime or whatever in if it wasnt hiolding air well. Like I said, I would probably be replacing the tire anyway but on the outside chance that it was something that was easily repaired and didnt effect the speed rating, Id want to not stress the sidewall between when I picked up the puncture and when I could get it fixed unnecessarily.

 

That stuff worked for me!

It was 30+ years ago when I walked out to the garage and found I had a flat tire. I remembered, I had bought a can of fix-a-flat so thought what the heck, I'll give it a try. The pressure in the can pumped up the tire to about 25lbs. That was good enough to get me the few miles to work. When I got to work I used the compressor to fill the tire to the right tire pressure. I checked the tire at lunch and it was still holding the pressure. I was going to get new tires, so I thought I'd wait and just have the new tires put on instead of fixing the flat. Well, a few days turned into a few weeks by the time I got around to getting the tires. I had all but forgotten about the flat tire. When the tire was pulled, the tire guy looked at me and said . . . take a look at this. It had three nails in it, all sticking through the inside of the tire.

That was when I was young and dumb. Didn't have freeways in that little town, back then. So, there was no high speed driving. Now that I'm old and tired, if anything goes wrong with the car it's straight to the repair shop.

 

Good thread. I think it was during "two guys garage" or whatever it is called. They mentioned this stuff being sensor safe. Got me thinking too. They mentioned it was easy to clean off the inside of the tire too.

 

Good in case of an emergency for sure. On their web site in the FAQs section it says that it can't be used in Z-rated tires???????

 

Yeah--I had a can in my hand at Wally World, but saw that and put it back... anyone have a good story??

 

can be used in z rated tires, just won't give you a z rating most likely not even a s rating, emergency only and low speeds for safety, reason most likely says no z tires is liability since these on hi-po, high dollar cars like the vettes.

 

Thanks!!

 

Well I would imagine it would have to do with unbalancing the tire. I personaly wouldnt put a squishy, free moving fluid inside my tire and then procede to take it up to (whatever a Z rating is) 150 ? but thats just me

 

I agree. Why didn't they just put a disclaimer with a max speed of 55 mph or whatever. It also indicates not for high performance motorcycle tires.
Z rating is in excess of 186 mph.

 

I'd be the guy in the slow lane with flashers on if I used the stuff...