GREEN SLIME FOR FLAT TIRES

FM696969 · Post by **FM696969** » Wed May 10, 2006 1:28 pm

does anyboby use the green slime in their tire to prevent a flat tires?

chris · Post by **chris** » Wed May 10, 2006 3:36 pm

Nope! Tyres that have no slime but pick up say, a nail, can be safely repaired so long as the puncture is in the main part of the tyre away from the side wall. If you've slimed it it might stay inflated long enough to get you home or to a dealer but then the tyre is junk. Tyre shops here won't repair slimed up tyres so you end up buying another. Also makes a hell of a mess of the inner rim that has to be cleaned up before a new tyre can be fitted and the fitter will love you for that!

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Wed May 10, 2006 7:17 pm

I think wheel balance may also be an issue...off roaders use it but dirt bikes don't do the top speed that we do..

I think the slime might have a top speed safety rating of 40 mph or something like that....so it's also OK for mountain bikes..(pushies)

I would not use it in my RR....check this out.. http://experts.about.com/q/Motorcycle-S ... ealant.htm

DJ

acejones · Post by **acejones** » Wed May 10, 2006 7:59 pm

I used it to plug a small nail hole in my rear tire on my R1150R on a recent trip through central Mexico. After putting the slime in the tire never leaked again. I rode it a little over 750 miles from San Miguel de Allende to Zacatecas to Saltillo to McAllen at speeds up to 80mph. There was no imbalance at all.

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Wed May 10, 2006 9:41 pm

I might be wrong but I think the slime is what you put in the tire to help prevent flats...there are other products that repair by inflating the tire and has a foam stuff inside that also seals the hole..I've used that in past 'cars' a few times..without problems...I don't think I'd use it on my bike..but I'm sure it works.

DJ

Post by **Pat** » Thu May 11, 2006 8:42 pm

Buy yourself a Tire Plugger kit and an electric compressor, I repaired quite a few flats out on the open road and was on my way withing the hour.

I have inner tubes with my spoke wheels on the current bike, can't plug 'em.......
so I carry a bottle of Slime, but may choose to carry a can of fix-a-flat instead.

If you were to read the warning on the back of the bottle of Slime, you would see that it is not advised for "on-road tires". You would also read that it is not intended to be taken up to speeds in excess of something like 80 mph. THAT'S reason enough to fear an out-of-balance condition.

Some people insist that it is best used as a preventative, putting it in the tire in advance. You can see that if you EVER exceed the speed limit, or ride in unusually cold conditions, balance could become an issue. In addition, when you take your wheels in for tire replacement..... some service departments will charge you an unexpected fee to clean the mess you made of your wheels by installing the stuff..... some will just give you your wheels back and tell YOU to address the mess!

Slime is best reserved for your mountain bike tires or your wheel barrow. Some dirt bike motorcyclists SWEAR by the stuff, some have horror stories of the Slime causing problems with the balance of their wheels while under WIDE OPEN THROTTLE.

Step away from the shelf holding the green goop and consider more viable alternatives.

acejones · Post by **acejones** » Fri May 12, 2006 3:56 pm

There is nothing more viable than using a product that works and works well.

acejones · Post by **acejones** » Fri May 12, 2006 4:02 pm

Pat,
I am sitting at my computer holding the bottle of Slime I used. It says "AUTO" on it "compact cars and trailers". It states that for high speed application (over 65) it should be used as a repair only.
You might be interested to know that the manufacturer makes different versions of this product for different applications.

Post by **garylspolar** » Sat May 13, 2006 7:23 am

http://www.ride-on.com/

Slime bad, Ride On good.

acejones · Post by **acejones** » Sat May 13, 2006 8:05 am

Reading the promo literature on Slime and Ride-On, I can find very little difference if any. They are both used in the same applications, both contain fibers to fill holes, both are non-toxic, and are water washable.
Given that they are water washable, I fail to see why any tire dealer would have a problem here. These are NOT the aerosol products that many of us have used that are a nightmare to clean up.

collyers · Post by **collyers** » Sat May 13, 2006 12:02 pm

The Ride On stuff is very different from Slime. Slime unbalances
your tires, Ride On balances them. Hey, if you want to get a plug kit and do that whole thing, go ahead (it's easy, I have one), but the Ride On stuff, once installed properly, lasts the life of the tire, and doesn't need to be scooped out with a spoon (like Slime). If I was a lazy weekend-warrior kind of rider, I'd have Ride On in all my bikes. Oh wait, I already do. I got it right after I had to limp home with a giant roofer's nail in my freshly installed Rennsport rear tire. I plugged it, put the R-O junk in, rode it 5 miles, DONE! Now if I get a nail, I go to a filling station (or home), pull the offending item, fill the tire up to spec (if necessary), and ride it around the block (or to my destination). The two nails I've picked up (lucky) since haven't caused any leak. My plug kit will be very dusty.

acejones · Post by **acejones** » Sat May 13, 2006 1:34 pm

How does one balance and the other unbalance ? How do they know ?

collyers · Post by **collyers** » Sun May 14, 2006 7:43 am

I've used Slime in bicycle tires (the original purpose for Slime), and it DEFINITELY unbalances them. The Ride On must be "ridden out" as soon as possible after inserting (and reinflating) the evenly spread the goo. I did as the instructions asked & the next day went to my friend's shop to balance the tires - they were both at zero. You'll KNOW if your tires are out-of-balance.

acejones · Post by **acejones** » Sun May 14, 2006 8:43 am

How do you explain that my tire with slime in it is not out of balance ? I certainly would have detected an unbalance over 750 miles and speeds ranging up to 80.

collyers · Post by **collyers** » Sun May 14, 2006 12:31 pm

Feel lucky. Maybe if you rode it directly after installing it, it distributed evenly (albeit MUCH heavier).

Just wait until you have your tire changed. Yuck.

acejones · Post by **acejones** » Sun May 14, 2006 4:13 pm

Ther's also no chlorine in the gene pool.

riceburner · Post by **riceburner** » Mon May 15, 2006 10:14 am

chris wrote:Nope! Tyres that have no slime but pick up say, a nail, can be safely repaired so long as the puncture is in the main part of the tyre away from the side wall. If you've slimed it it might stay inflated long enough to get you home or to a dealer but then the tyre is junk. Tyre shops here won't repair slimed up tyres so you end up buying another. Also makes a hell of a mess of the inner rim that has to be cleaned up before a new tyre can be fitted and the fitter will love you for that!

wrong.

SLIME is easy to clean out and leaves no residue - I've had tyres mended properly after SLIME failed to seal a hole (there was a sliver of metal stuck in there that wasn't visible from outside).

the REALLY nasty stuff is the "Finnilec" or "Tyre Weld" (don't know what the trade name is in the US) that is an expanding foam you use AFTER the event. That really DOES make a mess.

SLIME tends to end up on the inner wall of the tyre and is spread around by the rotation of the wheel.

riceburner · Post by **riceburner** » Mon May 15, 2006 10:16 am

DJ Downunder wrote:I think wheel balance may also be an issue...off roaders use it but dirt bikes don't do the top speed that we do..

I think the slime might have a top speed safety rating of 40 mph or something like that....so it's also OK for mountain bikes..(pushies)

I would not use it in my RR....check this out.. http://experts.about.com/q/Motorcycle-S ... ealant.htm

DJ

again wrong. SUPER DUTY SLIME has been speed tested up to 130+ (by me as well as others.

).

The only time I had issues with that was when I accidentally "double-shotted" a front and it DID vibrate like buggery. Get the dose wright and there's no problem.

the main problem here is that there are several different products and a lot of "fairytales" floating around that get very mixed up.

riceburner · Post by **riceburner** » Mon May 15, 2006 10:18 am

collyers wrote:I've used Slime in bicycle tires (the original purpose for Slime), and it DEFINITELY unbalances them. The Ride On must be "ridden out" as soon as possible after inserting (and reinflating) the evenly spread the goo. I did as the instructions asked & the next day went to my friend's shop to balance the tires - they were both at zero. You'll KNOW if your tires are out-of-balance.

you sure you put the correct dose in??

Like Ride-On, SLIME recommends that you ride the bike ASAP to balance it out.

GeoffJ · Post by **GeoffJ** » Tue May 16, 2006 12:23 pm

If you use Slime in a punctured tire, be sure to mention it to the dealer technician if you replace the tire. Otherwise, when the tire is deflated, Slime will blow all over the place, including the tech's face and clothes. It's quite messy during tire changes.