It was getting to the point that I was filling my tires 2 to 3 times a week. I took the worst of the tires and soaped it up. The leaking was coming from around the bang-on rim weight. I called up my local tire repair shop and they wanted $25+ to dismount, clean and remount the tire to fix the rim-leak. Since all four tires were leaking, it would cost me over $100 (with tax, etc.) to have all tires done. Then, I remembered Slime, and asked a guy at the auto parts store if it worked. He said that his tires were leaking like a sieve all around the side-walls, which Slime fixed. IMPORTANT: He said NOT to follow the instructions on the bottle and, instead, put in 8oz per tire for 24 in. tires. That is roughly 60% more than recommended according to the instructions on the bottle.
I was able to buy a 32oz bottle for around $9.00 where I live. When I got home, I got a ruler, placed the bottle upright on a flat surface and measured the amount of liquid in the bottle. I made 4 marks on the side of the bottle with an indelible marker -- dividing the contents into 4 parts (if the label goes all the way around the bottle with no gap, you will have to peel some of the label off so you can mark the bottle directly and see the remaining level of fluid inside as you squeeze the contents into each tire). I then took out my hydraulic jack; jacked up one side of the car in order to relieve the weight on the tires when deflated, then removed the valve from the stems in the two tires on that side. After all air was out of the tires, I squeezed in 1/4 (8oz) of the bottle into each tire, screwed the valve back into the stems, re-inflated the tires and dropped the car back onto the garage floor. I repeated this procedure with the other side of the car. All-in-all, it didn't take me more than 30 minutes to deflate all four tires, squeeze the slime in and re-fill them with air.
I then took the car out for a drive -- to work the Slime into all the crevices of the tire and rim. There was an immediate difference; and, within a few days of driving (because it takes time to work the slime into all the nooks and crannies) there were no more severe leaks. It was the first time I was able to go for more than a week without having to fill my tires. After 3-4 weeks, the tires are holding air and I don't even have to top them off anymore.
Interestingly, just last week before Christmas, I noticed that one of the tires on my wife's car was flat. Luckily, I noticed it while it was still sitting in the garage. I filled it up with air, and it was flat the next morning. I filled it up again, and it was flat that evening (it was getting worse real fast). I took the tire off and soaped it up like I did on my car. Wow! There were leaks all around both the inside and outside rim (must be all the salt and below-zero weather). So, like I did to my car, I slimed it and filled it up with air. I drove it around for about 10 minutes and parked it. A few days later, it still read the same pressure as I put in it a few days earlier after I slimed it. A few days later, I did the other three tires.
As I figure it, I saved over $200 in rim-cleaning & remounting costs for 8-tires with two $9.00 32oz bottles of Slime.
Also, be aware, that since there is so much slime in the tires (way more than the directions say to use, as explained above following the instructions from the auto-parts guy), at speeds over 35-40 mph, the tires will be a bit unbalanced for about a mile until the slime evens out from centrifugal force -- something that I have no problem living with, since it saved me over $200. After about a mile, everything smoothes out and the wheels automatically fall back into balance (kind of like those centrifugal balancing weights used on 18-wheelers). I have driven at speeds up to 65 mph for long durations with no noticeable shimmy or bounce after the slime re-balances itself inside the tires.
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Slime 10011 Tubeless Automotive Tire Sealant - 16 oz.Product Description: Slime Tubeless Tire Sealant prevents and repairs flats in tubeless tires caused by punctures up to a quarter-inch. Non-flammable, non-toxic and non-aerosol, this sealant installs easily through the valve, and for bikes, between the rim and the tire bead. Slime works repeatedly -- when a puncture occurs, the escaping air forces Slime with FibroSeal technology in the puncture wound to seal the puncture. This product is virtually mess-free, cleans up with water, and lasts for up to two years.
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Who ever thought I'd need a vavle stem tool in Iraq?? Well I did and this transaction was excellent. The valve stem tool arrived to me here in Iraq at my APO address in a reasonable amount of time and the price was reasonable.I'd have no problem with future purchases from the vendor again.Review by Mark Grant, author of Blood of Scotland, available through Amazon.com or Publish America
