• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Super Glue & Flat Tires

M

MistWolf

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Washington
Get yourself a bottle of medium to thick Superglue and a small can of Zip Kicker to keep in your glove box or emergency repair kit. Twice now, I've used these items for emergency repairs of flat tires. The first time a long bolt put a tear in a sidewall large enough that the air rushed out as fast as I could put it in. The second was to repair a good sized hold in the tread.

The Superglue sticks like- well glue to the rubber and spraying it with Zip Kicker causes the glue to set up almost instantly. Get a small bottle with a long tapered top so you can poke it into the hole and get the glue all the way inside.

The thin stuff will just run all over the place, so be sure to get medium or thick. Medium is less likely to harden in the applicator tube and clog it. Remember- Apply the glue first then spray it with Zip Kicker.

I'll keep you posted on how it does in the long term with this last repair
 
MistWolf said:
I'll keep you posted on how it does in the long term with this last repair
Click to expand...

A repair like that is by no stretch of the imagination a 'long term repair', do it right. cycloanolytes are not flexable.
 
why not just change the tire and get it repaired/replaced CORECTLY?
 
I have heard of some carrying gorilla glue as well. Stitch the sidewall rips with mechanics wire and glue them up.

For some carrying a 44-47" spare tire is not to convenient, not to mention the expense of a $375 tire.
 
Anything that'll get me home w/o changing tire in the winter, especially, is worth knowing.

One tip from not the sharpest crayon in the fridge... I mean box, is that fix-a-flat stuff will work much better if you warm it up via tailpipe, cabin heater, heck sitting on the valve cover for a bit.

Huge difference in it going in cleanly and quickly...duh...
 
The tear in the sidewall was only repaired long enough for me to have the tire replaced. The sidewall repair was the first time I tried it- I was desperate! Yes, CA is hard, but it didn't crack on the drive to the tire shop which surprised me. I had to tell the guys at the tire shop what I did because they couldn't find the damage.

This second repair is in the tread. I've been driving on it all day without any loss of air. The CA seems to bond itself to the rubber. I tried peeling off the glue that dripped and it wouldn't let go. I can afford to drive on this repair for now to see how well it'll hold up. If it leaks, it'll be a simple matter of another application of CA, Zip Kicker and air it up with the compressor.

How well this works is amazing- much better than some trail repairs I've tried or seen done!
 
langer1 said:
What is Zip Kicker ?
Click to expand...

Cyanoacrylate ester accelerator. I'm not entirely sure what's in it, but modelmakers use it to make fillets and gap fillers. You use the CA glue (again, medium thick or thick to build it up) and then spray with Zip Kicker. Once it's set into shape, hopefully, you'l have minimal finish sanding to do to make it "clean.)

Zip Kicker should be available at your local model/hobby shop.

5-90
 
in the motorcycle world, we use a product called Ride-On. it is like fix a flat, just u put it in before you ever have a flat.... the moment you get a punture, it seals it. also great for dynamic ballance of the tire as well.
 
hizzo3 said:
in the motorcycle world, we use a product called Ride-On. it is like fix a flat, just u put it in before you ever have a flat.... the moment you get a punture, it seals it. also great for dynamic ballance of the tire as well.
Click to expand...

Theres also a better known product called Slime.
red_b.jpg
 
I tried Slime and don't like it. It's very very messy when you have to have the tire changed and it caused rusting on a steel bicycle rim.

On the tire I repaired the Super Glue hasn't cracked and it's still holding air
 
if kicker is not available, say cause you're buying crazy glue at a drug mart, then rub the cut with your finger well. The oild in your skin are a natural accelerant. It's not as fast or impressive as kicker, but it will set the glue on contact. This is also why you shouldn't ever touch your fingers together with CA on them, it's instant.
 
Actually, moisture acts as an accelerant on CA. That's why they tested CA on wound closure in Viet Nam. When building modles, I've wiped my fingers on the condensation of my drinking glass and "flicked" it on the joint I was gluing to set it. However, I've been less successful with placing glue joints under running water, though those experiments have been very limited
 
Jim Mesthene said:
Try adding a little baking soda to the water.
Click to expand...
baking soda will make it cure instantly also, but it also cures into a hard pack substance.
It's good for gap filing with thin CA, and the baking soda makes it sandable. Can't say it would help adhesion to rubber though.
Overall CA is some pretty cool stuff, and I'm not even sure that the inventors completely understand how it bonds things
 
don't use that fix a flat or slime junk. It gets all over your rims inside and will corrode them if you don't clean them properly.

A good tire plug kit isn't an expensive thing and will seal most tread punctures you get. As for anything else, if you have a puncture in the sidewall you should get the tire replaced most of the time.

Don't forget your full sized spare as well.
 
So far the CA repair has held up better than even some plugs I've used! Of course we're talking mostly street driving, but it's still held up real well.

No, I'm not still driving with a punctured sidewall. As I stated earlier, I did that only long enough to get to the tire store for a replacement
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Getting hot glue off tile
Replies
4
Views
491
Bent
Bent
O
0331 Strikes Again...?
Replies
11
Views
303
Ol Blue
O
I
Hood flew up (my fault)
Replies
0
Views
29
IFlyMe
I
ZomBrady
Things are looking up or how a couple of XJs gave me back my life
Replies
6
Views
174
ZomBrady
ZomBrady
WGxj
97 xj Repair/Replace Rear Arches & Finish or Cover with QP Armor?
Replies
5
Views
81
DirtySouthXJ
D
Back
Top