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Slime tire sealant

OfficerImpersonator

Seattle-area Rounder
The rear Metzler ME880 on my R1150RTP was loosing 10 psi/24 hr. period. Several close inspections of the tire revealed no obvious punctures or leaks or other damage or defect in the tire. The tire still has about a 1000 miles of life left in it, so I didn't want to replace it if I could fix the leak.

I've had amazing success with 'Slime' in bicycle tires, and I was curious if it would work on a motorcycle tire. I visited the manufacturer's website, and discovered the product is recommended for all pneumatic tires - wheelbarrows, bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, cars, trucks - if the tire is designed to hold pressurized air, you can use 'Slime'.

The amount of 'Slime' required is dependent upon the size of the tire. The recommended amount for a motorcycle tire is 16 ounces, so I purchased 16 ounces of 'Slime'. I deflated the tire and used the tool included in the product cap to unscrew the valve stem. Once the last few psi of air escaped the valve stem, I pumped 16 oz. of 'Slime' into the tire, and then replaced the valve stem. I then pumped the tire up to 42 psi. The directions say to rotate the tire after pressurization to coat the inside of the tire with the substance. I decided to go for a 20 minute ride to ensure all was well, including approximately 10 miles of 70+ mph on the freeway. There was no visible 'Slime' escaping from the site of the leak - wherever it might be.

The next morning (yesterday), the tire was still pressurized to 42 psi. This morning, the tire was still reading 42 psi. I consider the leak fixed.

The product documentation says the 'Slime' remains in liquid form inside the tire, and will be ready to seal any future small punctures or leaks. Considering I only need the tire to last me another month, I consider this to have been a complete success. I'll warm my mechanic that my rear tire contains 'Slime' when it's time for the replacement, as I've heard it can make quite a mess if the mechanic doesn't know the tire contains 'Slime'. The label says the product is non-toxic and water-soluble, so it can't be too difficult to clean the rim when replacing the tire.

I did a search of the MOA forum before starting this new thread, I the latest discussion I could find regarding liquid tire sealant products was from 2005. Has anyone else had either positive or negative experiences with 'Slime'?

I was sold before on bicycle tire applications, and now I'm a believer of using 'Slime' in m/c tires. I'm moderately interested in the effects of adding a pound to the rolling weight of my tire, but I'm also thinking that the liquid substance inside the tire now acts the same way as "Dynabeads", providing a dynamic balancing effect to my rear wheel.

Manufacturers website: http://www.slime.com/
 
I buy it by the gallon. Nowadays with most of the small tires being imported wheelbarrow, lawn tractor etc, it's a must. Aluminum rims on the Jeep getting porous- same thing. It's good to check your pressure with the valve stem up so as not to plug the gauge :thumb
 
I would recommend RIDEON instead of Slime. Much better for the environment.

If a manufacturer wants to sell a product to a wide audience, they should establish a distribution network. I can't find any dealers of RideOn products in my entire state (Washington). On the other hand, Slime is available at any bike store, auto supply store, sporting goods store, etc. RideOn may indeed be the superior product, but it does no good if it isn't available in my area. :)
 
You might be suprised. Some shops charge an extra 25+ dollars to even handle a tire that has had slime pumped into it. I do my own tire changes so it's no biggie to me but to tire shops they don't seemt to like dealing with it.
 
You might be suprised. Some shops charge an extra 25+ dollars to even handle a tire that has had slime pumped into it. I do my own tire changes so it's no biggie to me but to tire shops they don't seemt to like dealing with it.

My 'wrench is a one-man show. Maybe a stealership would charge $25 because you plugged a leaky tire, but I'm sure my guy won't. Shop surcharges and add-ons aren't in his vocabulary :) Besides, Slime is non-toxic and water-soluble - easy to clean-up with a garden hose!
 
It Works:)

Buy the tube OR tubeless Slime! They make both and I do not know the difference. ANY tire shop charges me 25$ extra because of Slime never gets my business again. Tubes do not get messy with Slime, Tubeless DO, but the stuff cleans off EASILY with garden hose:). It takes an extra 2 minutes to clean off, WOW!!! Maybe 5$ extra, certainly never 25$ for the tiny bit of work to get around Slime. I know it works and I change my own tires anyways anymore. Shops here get around 100$ extra to do two tires anyways , ugly:(. I carry Slime for emergencies only and pesky leaks as mentioned, but usually run a tire free of the stuff until I need it. IT WILL create a balance issue in a newer tire, because the longer it stays in tire, the less likely it stays fluid enough to perform as new. Buy the time you go 7-8000m with Slime in tire, it begins to get lumpy in there, causing balance problems. I know, been there, done that, so Slime IS a great shorter mileage, emergency thing for my uses of up to maybe 3-4000 miles. It works well...Randy
 
I put Slime in the rear tire on my R1150R after I picked up a little finish nail. I would have had to enlarge the hole to put in a sticky string. The tire only had about 400 miles on it and I was on a trip through Central Mexico. The Slime repair did fine and it never caused me any problem throughout the life of the tire.

I also agree with a previous post. If the people who make Ride On want me to use it, they'll have to improve their distribution. As to the environment, Slime is water soluble. What's the problem ?
 
Tire Pressure Loss

I would not put any of that junk in my tires even if the vehicle was headed to the scrap yard. Before alloy wheels I used one of those products and it did in fact stop the leak but it also ruined the wheel with corrosion.
 
The rear Metzler ME880 on my R1150RTP was loosing 10 psi/24 hr. period. Several close inspections of the tire revealed no obvious punctures or leaks or other damage or defect in the tire. The tire still has about a 1000 miles of life left in it, so I didn't want to replace it if I could fix the leak.

I've had amazing success with 'Slime' in bicycle tires, and I was curious if it would work on a motorcycle tire. I visited the manufacturer's website, and discovered the product is recommended for all pneumatic tires - wheelbarrows, bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, cars, trucks - if the tire is designed to hold pressurized air, you can use 'Slime'.

The amount of 'Slime' required is dependent upon the size of the tire. The recommended amount for a motorcycle tire is 16 ounces, so I purchased 16 ounces of 'Slime'. I deflated the tire and used the tool included in the product cap to unscrew the valve stem. Once the last few psi of air escaped the valve stem, I pumped 16 oz. of 'Slime' into the tire, and then replaced the valve stem. I then pumped the tire up to 42 psi. The directions say to rotate the tire after pressurization to coat the inside of the tire with the substance. I decided to go for a 20 minute ride to ensure all was well, including approximately 10 miles of 70+ mph on the freeway. There was no visible 'Slime' escaping from the site of the leak - wherever it might be.

The next morning (yesterday), the tire was still pressurized to 42 psi. This morning, the tire was still reading 42 psi. I consider the leak fixed.

The product documentation says the 'Slime' remains in liquid form inside the tire, and will be ready to seal any future small punctures or leaks. Considering I only need the tire to last me another month, I consider this to have been a complete success. I'll warm my mechanic that my rear tire contains 'Slime' when it's time for the replacement, as I've heard it can make quite a mess if the mechanic doesn't know the tire contains 'Slime'. The label says the product is non-toxic and water-soluble, so it can't be too difficult to clean the rim when replacing the tire.

I did a search of the MOA forum before starting this new thread, I the latest discussion I could find regarding liquid tire sealant products was from 2005. Has anyone else had either positive or negative experiences with 'Slime'?

I was sold before on bicycle tire applications, and now I'm a believer of using 'Slime' in m/c tires. I'm moderately interested in the effects of adding a pound to the rolling weight of my tire, but I'm also thinking that the liquid substance inside the tire now acts the same way as "Dynabeads", providing a dynamic balancing effect to my rear wheel.

Manufacturers website: http://www.slime.com/

Warning: Your tech will hate you forever due to Slime...

Not sure but I don't think Slime is meant to be a permanent repair so perhaps another month on the tire will work out. Time will tell.

Dynabeads... a number of customers swear by them, most tech's will tell you they can't work. I have never seen a Dynabead in my life (maybe one time, I'm not sure) and have zero experience actually using Dynabeads. I simply don't know and have no opinion. Hey, if they don't work you can always remove them and balance conventionally. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
 
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