Slime in tyres.

[dynamicstall]

Im fed up with punctures on my 255 45 18 tyres. No spare wheel. As there are no run flats available does anyone run with slime in their tyes? Any problems with wheel balancing?

 

[Loz]

I used to on my off road wheels on the Touareg. They can vibrate a little on a very cold morning, but they soon even out and you don’t feel it after that
I stopped using it after I got a pointy stone between the treads and needed a couple of tyre strings but the slime prevents the strings from sealing.
I decided that the tyres (General Grabbers) had a soft compound and stopped using them, swapped to a harder tyre and that stopped the punctures as well.
I just carry a tyre string set now, and fit it without removing the wheel.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Be careful what you put in your tyres. Tyre fitters hate the stuff and it degrades in time and goes like water so it’s totally useless. It can also cause corrosion in alloy wheels. I put some in my bike tyres but it didn’t stop the tyre exploding on a French motorway covering us and the bike in green slime. 400€ later I still had to buy a new tyre. According to the manufacturer bumf it’s suppose to seal a quarter inch hole. Absolute rubbish. I prefer the spray foam which does work on small punctures but even that doesn’t suit every situation. You are Probably better off getting a thinner wheel as a spare, that’s no different to a space saver. As long as it’s just to get you to a garage for repair.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Just for general information, would the tyre sealant supplied by VW for those without a spare (or other sealants) affect the TPMS?

 

[Elmo3]

If you are getting continual punctures, I’d suggest your best solution is to buy a set of 17’s with decent tyres and a spare wheel.

 

[Loz]

Just for general information, would the tyre sealant supplied by VW for those without a spare (or other sealants) affect the TPMS?

The sealant I used did not affect the in-wheel sensors on the Touareg.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Just for general information, would the tyre sealant supplied by VW for those without a spare (or other sealants) affect the TPMS?

We had a Mini Cooper with no spare wheel and the sealant. Reading on the container that held the sealant their was a use by date which had expired. So I imagine if we had a puncture the only option would be to call out the breakdown service. The normal shelf life is 4 years. Spare wheel for me even if it’s a space saver.

 

[dynamicstall]

Just for general information, would the tyre sealant supplied by VW for those without a spare (or other sealants) affect the TPMS?

It didnt affect it once reset.

 

[dynamicstall]

If you are getting continual punctures, I’d suggest your best solution is to buy a set of 17’s with decent tyres and a spare wheel.

The Cali was sold new with 18 inch wheels no spare wheel carrier but maybe a carrrier could be retro-fitted?

 

[dynamicstall]

We had a Mini Cooper with no spare wheel and the sealant. Reading on the container that held the sealant their was a use by date which had expired. So I imagine if we had a puncture the only option would be to call out the breakdown service. The normal shelf life is 4 years. Spare wheel for me even if it’s a space saver.

Yes a space saver would be great if available, assuming a carrier could be fitted.

 

[WelshGas]

Yes a space saver would be great if available, assuming a carrier could be fitted.

Fit the Spare wheel carrier. Get a 17” steel wheel with a correctly sized tyre.
The wheel + tyre will have the same diameter/ circumference as your 18” and can then be used as a speed limited/distance limited space saver spare.

The spare wheel carrier can be got from VW Dealer, Forum Shop or Internet.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Spare wheel will always be better than a slime/sealant, provided you can get the wheel off if in a remote area.

Make sure any sealant is water based so that it can be washed out of the tyre to enable a future repair (if possible).

 

[66tim99]

I used to on my off road wheels on the Touareg. They can vibrate a little on a very cold morning, but they soon even out and you don’t feel it after that
I stopped using it after I got a pointy stone between the treads and needed a couple of tyre strings but the slime prevents the strings from sealing.
I decided that the tyres (General Grabbers) had a soft compound and stopped using them, swapped to a harder tyre and that stopped the punctures as well.
I just carry a tyre string set now, and fit it without removing the wheel.

Which tyres do you now use Loz?

 

[SimonB]

The Cali was sold new with 18 inch wheels no spare wheel carrier but maybe a carrrier could be retro-fitted?

Yes it can. I think they sell them in the Club Shop. When Martin & I bought our Cali's both had 18" wheels on and no spare and both of them had a spare wheel holder retro fitted onto them by the dealer. I can't remember the cost I'm afraid.

 

[dynamicstall]

Fit the Spare wheel carrier. Get a 17” steel wheel with a correctly sized tyre.
The wheel + tyre will have the same diameter/ circumference as your 18” and can then be used as a speed limited/distance limited space saver spare.

The spare wheel carrier can be got from VW Dealer, Forum Shop or Internet.

Very kind, thank you.

 

[dynamicstall]

Yes it can. I think they sell them in the Club Shop. When Martin & I bought our Cali's both had 18" wheels on and no spare and both of them had a spare wheel holder retro fitted onto them by the dealer. I can't remember the cost I'm afraid.

Thanks for the advice Simon.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Fit the Spare wheel carrier. Get a 17” steel wheel with a correctly sized tyre.
The wheel + tyre will have the same diameter/ circumference as your 18” and can then be used as a speed limited/distance limited space saver spare.

The spare wheel carrier can be got from VW Dealer, Forum Shop or Internet.

That's excellent advice I think. For me, the idea of having a camping trip spoilt by not having a spare wheel makes it a no-brainer. Sods law means the puncture you get when you least want it, out in the sticks, won't turn out to be amenable to gunk and/or tyre strings.

Personally I wouldn't put wheels on my Cali that didn't allow a similar sized spare to be carried, but WG's solution is a next-best-thing if you really must have 18 inch+ wheels on your van.

On trips I also carry a tyre inflator (I use a Ryobi one that runs off an 18v multi-tool battery pack) as if you get a slow puncture you can at least keep topping it up until you have a good place to change the wheel and/or get the tyre fixed. And anyway for routine tyre pressure maintenance it's a lot less faff to wander round the vehicle with my own little machine than finding a petrol station with a working air line, finding the right coins and then dragging the line around the van or car where you can't see the gauge, etc etc.

 

[Loz]

Which tyres do you now use Loz?

The new Pirelli Scorpion AT plus.