There are several things to consider when it comes to using a tire sealant. First of all, do you even need to? What kind of terrain do you ride in? If all you ride is simple trails, and some occasional mud, you probably don't need it. If you ride in areas with sharp rocks, or thorns/thistles/briars, it's probably a good investment. 4 ply and up tires won't need it as much as a stock 2 ply tire. I've always had good luck with Slime. It cleans up very easy when needed. Basically, you can just wipe it out with a rag. Most of the aerosol products like Fix-A-Flat are water based, and over time can eat away at steel rims from the inside. If you have aluminum rims, this isn't a concern. They are convenient and easy to carry, but usually aren't thick enough to seal a large puncture. Also, if you do a lot of high speed riding, tire sealants can throw the tire balance off a little.

 

Thanks rubidude. I see very little mud here in Nevada, so we're mostly on dirt roads and trails. Occasionally we see some "high speed" (30-35 mph) running but mostly it's just 10-15 mph exploring. Didn't even give the "high speed" aspect and balance a thought. Good point. We've got the stock radial Carlisle tires, which have so far, been just fine. Just going flat with non-use...

 

IMO slime is the only way to go. fix-a-flat has an acid in it that tends to corrode the inside of yr tire. i only use slime when needed, like if i have a visible flat, but i have alot of friends that put it in before they ever even have a flat, its just a thing of reassurance. one of them had a piece of barb wire stuck in the tire and he just pulled it out and in the morning, the tire was still inflated because he had previously slimed his new razrs. tire plugs work too and i always have them when we're out riding overnight and stuff but they arent somthin that i keep installed permanantly, i always go back to the slime.

 

I carry Walmart sticky rope tire plugs, patch glue for the plug, and CO2 cartridges. I carry the plug material because I know without a doubt that I will nearly always be able to make repair and get back to the truck. I have had to use this plug material several times on road bikes with tubless tires and got home OK. The problem with slime or other material inside tires is that if the tire still leaks with the slime then I doubt that a plug will work in the contaminated hole. So for quads and road bikes all with tubless tires I will carry plug material and be confident in riding out.

 

hey man, slime is some good stuff, but if you want the best, go to best and buy highlifter air lock tire sealant, it is just the absolute best stuff you can buy go to www.highlifter.com and check it out, also there is a real testimonial on the page that shows you just how powerful this stuff is!!!

 

That does sound like awesome stuff. Unfortunately, the link to get to the testimonial yields a "404 Error". Since we have two ATV's, there's NO WAY my wife lets me buy anything for mine without getting it for hers as well. So now we're into about $120 for tire sealant, and my Wally World "sticky rope" (per old turtle) looks better and better. I've plugged two holes in our ATV tires with this stuff, one on our travel trailer, and one on our Powerstroke crew cab, so I have to swear by it. I can plug-n-pump all day...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

yea the link off of that page does not work, you get the 404 error, but if you go into the homepage for highlifter you can check out the testimonials, also one thing everyone should know about slime is that it is only good for TWO YEARS, unlike air lock tire sealant from highlifter.com which is good for as long as you own the tires and comes with a lifetime and satisfaction guarantee, and can plug holes a 1/4" larger than slime can!!!

 

The very best ATV tire sealant is multi seal. This stuff rocks. You can have a 5/8" hole in the tire and it will seal it right up and you might never know you even had the puncture. You gotta try it there is nothing like it. Won't mess with the tire balance and won't corrode the rim. You can even scoop it out and put it into your new tire when the old one is worn out.

 

I like Fix-a-flat as you don't have to remove the valve core. I had a large thumb tack in one back tire several years ago and I used it and I couldn't show you now where the spot even was.

 

I've had good luck with Fix-A-Flat on light truck/SUV tires. I even re-seated the bead on one using nothing else. It only aired the tire up half way but that was good enough to get me where I was going. With ATV tires running so much less pressure it should fully inflate the tire.