Is it feasible to put...

[Catbird]

- S L I M E - in a perfectly sound, mounted tubeless motorcycle tire to lessen the chance of a blowout on the road?

[Tony_K]

No!

 

It dosen't work like that!

 

If you encounter a "blowout" on a bike something has gone terribly terribly wrong.

 

 

[Catbird]

I now realize that I shouldn't have used the word "blowout". I should have described the situation as a flat due to a nail or screw puncture in the tread surface.

[Tony_K]

Ok!

 

Personally I would stay away from any goop in between my tire and rim. Really not worth the clean up at the next tire change to me.

 

 

[E30TECH]

I now realize that I shouldn't have used the word "blowout". I should have described the situation as a flat due to a nail or screw puncture in the tread surface.

 

No.

 

Buy a compressor (like the SLIME unit) and some plugs incase you get a flat on the road. A plug is supposed to be a temporary fix - but I usually forget its in the tire

[T__]

Catbird, some of us use products like slime in our off road bikes but using it in a street bike tire has some side issues..

 

One of the issues is the problem of picking up a nail or screw then riding with it & not knowing it is there.. Not a big deal but if a sharp object it can harm the tire carcass by continued riding.. If slime is used you need to carefully check your tires for objects very often..

 

Probably one of the bigger issues with slime in a tire is that stuff doesn’t just stay in the tire,, it also gets in the valve stem so when you check the tires with your tire gauge it can foul up a good pressure gauge..

 

Slime can also hinder a proper tire plugging & repair (or at least make it more difficult)..

 

 

Twisty

 

 

 

 

[Catbird]

I do carry a small compressor and a fairly complete tire repair kit.

 

I was just wondering if it would be worth it to try to prevent a flat while on the road. You could be in heavy traffic or heavy rain or at night, etc. which could be somewhat dangerous.

 

It's just an idea that I've been thinking about.

[Boffin]

In the past I have used Ultraseal liquid sealant in my tyres for the same reason as you are considering. I have since stopped doing so for a few reasons.

 

1: cleanup, despite being water soluble, there is considerable mess to clean up.

 

2: presure changes due to water vapour from the sealant carrier - as the tyre heats up and cools down, the vapour changes volume a lot more than dry air.

 

3: Weight. The tyres are not designed to run with the weight of this liquid inside them. At elevated speeds the rotational forces would increase the effective weight of the fluid significantly.

 

4: Hidden damage. As alluded to above, if you pick up a nail and the pucture is sealed, the metal is in there digging at the tyre until you notice its presence. In addition, any damage from road debris/potholes that cause delamination as well as a leak may not be noticed until you do get a blowout.

 

5: Tyre warranty. In the UK at least, the tyre manufacturers will not warrant any tyre that has had a liquid sealer installed.

 

6: All of the tyre manufacturers state that liquid, or similar sealants, must not be used in road tyres.

 

7: The two times I did pick up a screw in my rear tyre, the sealant did not work and the back of the bike got a liberal spaying from the 'sealant'.

 

All that said, I do know of people who swear by the stuff.

 

Andy

[Catbird]

Thank you for the replies. I believe I'll abandon the idea for now.

[bobbybob]

But by all means do carry some slime in your tire repair kit. If you have a flat in the boonies and the string plugs still won't hold enough air (happened to me), adding some slime will usually make the difference between getting home or not. I used it once and not a drop came out the valve stem, since it coats the tire, not the wheel. And the stuff is water soluble--washes out pretty easily. I had no problems with it and would use it in a heartbeat to get home. When you're stuck somewhere, you do whatever it takes to get rolling again!

[T__]

Clip~ I used it once and not a drop came out the valve stem, since it coats the tire, not the wheel. ~clip

 

Bob, I guess I don’t understand this.. That stuff is a liquid,, you squirt it into the tire,, the tire is on the wheel.. How does it (the slime) know to ONLY coat the tire & not coat the wheel also?

 

On all that I have seen slime used on it does come out the valve stem occasionally when checking air pressure..

 

I do agree it works good to get a person home in an emergency if a tire repair doesn’t hold..

 

 

Twisty

 

 

[randys]

I have used Ride-On in all my motorcycle tires for the last 6 years, and it actually worked as advertised once. Had a puncture in the front, with about 1000 miles of tread left, so I left it, and just monitored the air pressure for 2 weeks or so. Lost maybe 2 lbs ever few days, till I replaced the tire as normal.

 

I dont see clean up as an issue, nor getting in the valve. The centrifugal forces put the liquid to the outside of the tire. This also means sidewall protection is less, but presumably air pressure would send some of the sealant to the puncture.

 

It also helps to keep the tire balanced.

 

I have heard that Ride-on has gotten more expensive, and is only available online, where as UltraSeal (I think), is available at various auto stores, and cost a bit less.

 

Personally, I will put one or the other in every time I change tires

[T__]

Randy, that centrifugal forces thing only puts the liquid to the outside of the tire when it’s rotating.. As soon as sit stops spinning that goo drips from the tire outer onto what ever is below it.. If it stops with the tire valve stem at the top the goo can drip into it.. Is it a big problem? Probably not if using a big old long hose large chamber analog tire gauge..

 

I run that Slime in my dirt bike tires & it screwed up my favorite small-air-loss digital tire gauge big time.. I now use my old analog tire gauge on the dirt bikes but that lets a lot of air out at each tire check..

 

 

Twisty

 

 

[Unhofliche_Gesundheit]

another disadvantage of the sealant that happened to me

 

8: the goop may settle in one spot & cause wheel to go severely out of balance (we are talking 2" rotational oscillation of steering wheel at 40 km )

 

 

[RBertalotto]

SLIME is messy , nasty stuff. I use "Ride On in all my tires.

 

I've had nails in my tires and not known it until it came time to change them. I'm not sure this is a good thing so now I frequently inspect the tires for nails etc.

 

Ride On is simply amazing stuff. Cleans out easily with water, isn't explosive and removes the last little bit of vibration from your wheels.

[Catbird]

As I've read and considered the replies here, I'm beginning to change my mind a bit. Rather than use SLIME, I've ordered a couple of bottles of Ride-On from an eBay seller. I will install it into my tires (w/ 4K miles on them) when it arrives.

 

Whether it turns out to be a mistake on my part or not, I'll report back with the results regarding felt vibration, clogging tire gauges, etc.

[randys]

Twisty, I really think the ride on acts differently that what you describe, but I could be wrong. I have never seen any on the hub on the wheel when I have changed tires, and while it could drip I think it just sort of slides along the tire if parked for a length of time, which unfortunately mine have been this year.

 

As I understand it Slime is a whole different animal and very well could screw all sorts of stuff up.

 

now if you use too much I am sure it could do what you describe, but following the dosing directions I think it stays on the inner part of the tire when stopped.