I asked the same question in the 997 forum but thought I might get more responses here:

That's basically my question. Has anyone on 6speed ever used Fix-a-flat to keep your car on the road until the new tires arrive at your local tire shop?

I discovered a slow puncture Friday night on my rear passenger side wheel.
As my car is 20 miles from my home, inside a parking structure, my options are:
1. Fix-a-Flat
or
2. Roll it down to the first floor and call a flat bed truck.

I'm just looking for any experiences with Fix-a-flat. Did it keep your car on the road (driving cautiously of course) for a couple of days until your replacement tires showed up? Any feedback is welcome.

 

i've never personally used it, but my friend did on a small puncture. you definitely can't drive for a few days. use it and go straight to the tire shop.

 

Wheres your spare OP ?

 

If it's like any of the other aerosol tire repair, it'll leave a mess on your rims that you'll have to clean off before other tires are installed. If your cars wheels are equipped with tire sensors, they would have to be cleaned or replaced which is another expense.

My Z06 is spare tire delete and came with a portable compressor and a bottle of goop that seals moderate sized punctures. I've never used it but actually replaced the goop with Stop N Go tire plugs. Less messy and when fixed you can drive highway speeds without any problems until you get to a tire shop where they can patch it from the inside or replace your tire(s).

 

No. Slow leak should be able to be patched. If not, fill it up daily. You should have a spare or compressor in the vehicle (even if not factory for emergency use). The only way I would use fix-a-flat is if I was out stranded beyond the reach of AAA but you're in San. Fran.

 

I have used it alot when I was poor in high school and college. It worked good and usually stopped the leak. I wouldn't recommend it if you can afford to fix it right and still have beer money. Ha.

 

Sealants should work fine for temporary patching of small punctures on the tread portion of the tire.

But it seems like you are overlooking a third option?

1. jack the car,
2. remove the wheel,
3. bring it to a tire shop and have a proper combo patch installed from the inside,
4. put it back on the car.

If it really is a small puncture, and not on the sidewall or edge of the tread, this type of patch should be good for the remaining life of the tire. And less of a pain in the *** than rolling it down and having it flat bedded to a tire shop!

 

Don't use it. It is messy. Your better off putting a plug in till your tires come in.

 

If you are getting a new tire, fix-a-flat should be ok. If you plan on patching the tire(preferably from the inside with a patch), I would do some of the alternatives as suggested here.

Fix-a-Flat leaves the goop in the tires which can make it harder to get a really good balance(for high speed) afterwards. Not always but sometimes as any tire guy will say(including my friend).

 

Thanks but we're past all that.

1. No spare in a 997 C2S.
2. Tried fix a flat. No worky.
3. Tried a compressor. Broke the stem valve.

This car is my daily driver and now stranded in a public parking lot near my
work. Leaving it on a jack is not an option.

Bought new wheels with tires, will swap the one myself and drive the car to a
tire place to swap the other 3. Then sell the old rims. Should be done in 2
days. This is the quickest way to get a new wheel and tire on my car that I can think of.

 

If I could insert a plug here (get it!), I would consider the Continental Comfort Kit. The sealant is water-based and is far less messy than the solvent based material you will find in most other sealant systems. In most cases the sealant peels right off the rim and tire. Sensor fail rate with it is hit and miss. The passageways in those sensors are pretty hard to not plug with any material you use. It will fill up to a quarter inch hole.

 

Did not know the Continental kit was water based. This changes my view somewhat for certain tire sealers. Gotta go now and empty my frunk of the spare tire and place an order...

 

It's not possible to balance a tire with liquid in it!

 

Yeah at least the main thing is it will seal the tire and let my tire guy wash out the gunk from the inside so they have a better chance of high speed balancing it afterwards. I think anyone that has a choice would rather have a sealed tire than a unbalanced one.

 

I have on other vehicles and like others have reported here,.. it's been hit or miss. I remember using it and my tire lasting to the point I forgot it was in there.. literally months without issue. I have also used it and watched it dribble out ineffectually so... ymmv. Get the best one (there are ones that are a type of rubber compound) but do not rely on it for long. Carry a compressor.