Ultraseal- does it REALLY work?
 

I was just about to order a repair kit for tubeless tyres, when I noticed an ad for ULTRASEAL.

Anyone used this gunk? Any comments or suggestions re: whether this stuff really does live up to its reviews or alternative buys would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Hi, I have worked as a motorcycle mechanic for 30 years and fixed a lot of flats. If ultraseal is a good product.... great. But don't trust only one way to repair. If I have a bad flat with tubless and don't have a strong air compressor I need a tube to get the tire seated on the rim and inflated. I have used stuff in the tire and carried a tube and patches and a tubless tire plug kit.

Hi

I just put Ultraseal in the tubes of my Africa Twin before I left for my trip a month ago.

It was easy to apply and thus far (4 weeks 2500 miles mainly tarmac)no punctures yet(touch wood) - No idea whether this is due to luck/ my riding/ or the ultraseal!

However as suggestedby Bill I also carry a puncture repair kit and compressor as back-up.

Doesn't seem to affect handling.

Cheers

Gary

Thanks for your advice so far guys. Bought Ultraseal at a discount today, so time will tell!

Happy and safe travels.

Ultraseal does work, i know a few people who have used this but it is a temporary repair. You should "try" and get it professionaly repaired asap. One downside is that most tyre fitters wont touch the tyre after its been ultrasealed, so in many cases, if you use it , you bin the tyre. I think its best left for emergencies.

I always run Slime in my tyres - magic stuff. Put it in a new tyre and forget about puctures. Picked up loads of nails etc going through India but the Slime always sealed the holes. Only had to fix 1 pucture in 40,000 miles from UK-NZ and that was a 1cm square hole that I couldn't fix with a tubeless puncture repair kit either.


------------------
Richard Parkinson
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tst...richardandlisa

I've used Ultraseal with Bridgestone H/D tubes and Mich Deserts (and now a front Metz Sahara) for 20000 kms in Africa. No punctures! Maybe you should carry a spare set of tubes. I don't.

Simon

did uk to capetown in landcruiser with slime in all tyres,not one puncture!..lucky??i dont know..been wondering though about the slime hiding sidewall damage..i took two spare wheels, two spare inner tube, tyre repairkit AND a compressor!!and didnt have a puncture talk about belt and braces!!!!!!!!!!!!

My friend is a Vendor for Puncture Seal or is it Ultraseal, anyway, most of our group have had the tyres 'sealed'. One of the guys who didn't got a nail and caused him to miss half of the ride out.
2 riders reported having punctures that sealed leaving a pink 'thumbprint' but did not know about the punctures at the time.
That one unlucky rider was me - I wrecked my Pan European causing nearly £4000 in repair bills and a broken leg!
Bike is due out of Sherwoods of Birmingham today - think I'll invest in some now.

It does work!!!
 

Hi
Ultraseal is a pre puncture sealant and tyre conditioner - it is the only product of its type to pass US & UK Military tests, also the US govt Fed Mail etc, etc, etc. It is a permanent sealent and as others have mentioned it will leave a colour 'track' or thumb print - I have used this and it does work. I was so impressed that I have taken out an agency agt with Ultraseal - so if you want it let me know: I can post for self fitment or if you are in the South East I can seal the tyres for you.

Regards
Chris
07812 344740

Undecided
 

I used Slime in my AT tyres and found it effective. Then I read an article by a bike tyre fitting company which was totally opposed and said that ALL technical advice was against it. They said it also increased weight exactly where you dont want it.

So I dont know - it's all very confusing....


Good roads

Some extra weight in the tires can't be so bad, right? We're not talking about kilos. Certainly nothing like tire treads loaded with mud or clay. I use a similar product in my bicycle in Colorado (after a flat caused by a tiny nail). I haven't had another flat in years. If I ran tubeless tires on my motorcycle, I'd be all about the Ultraseal type products.

Boy, you're going to carry that weight
 

The point about weight is that it is unsprung weight right on the circumference of a tyre/wheel, greatly magnifying its effect. That's what the experts say anyway.

Someone else quoted military approval - well bikes are hardly military spec. This approval is of no use to a biker. Most military vehicles are large, clumsy, very heavy, and operate at low speeds with ultra thick tyres.

The experts may stone me (wouldn't be the first time I've been stoned), but a few ounces of Ultraseal can't be so bad can it? My bike is loaded down with gear (none of it is BMW authorized equipment- I deserve another stoning!). Go with your gut, just seems like a no-brainer to me.

One of my bikes is military spec although I've got no idea whether there is any ultraseal in its tyres yet, so it's approval must be of some use.
Being a Harley of course it's also large, clumsy, very heavy and operates at .........
....... Yeah OK - you might well have a point

Do the people who use slime or similar stuff use it in both wheels? I've read somewhere that it wasn't a good idea to put it in the front tyre from a balance point of view - but i think it was sportsbike riders saying it can be a problem at high speed on light(ish) bikes. Which my guess is doesn't really apply for touring on heavier and loaded up bikes.

I am totally fed up with being about the unluckiest person in the world when it comes to punctures. Starting to plan a trip round Europe (my first) and definitely want some kind of slimy good luck!

Slime them both. Great stuff and it does not affect the handling.

I know of two bikers here in the UK, riding on normal roads that have had punctures and ultra seal did not work, they were normal size holes, ie, screw or nail size. Then the problem you have, is you cannot use a plug kit, as the glue will not set on the slime. We are off to Turkey Sept-Oct 06, having new Conti Road Attacks fitted, and I am real unsure which to go with. Slime or take some plug kits. I have used the plug kits twice before, and they have never let me down.....:helpsmilie:

Take the plug kits and then back up the repair with an internal patch and / or a tube when you get the chance .
It's a " Belt and braces " type of repair but has more chance of working and will take you the miles you may need to go .
I've found the "gorilla snot" type of stuff to be good for small punctures such as thorns ,but not so good [ ie crap] for bigger ones .
AND when all is said and done it's only a temporary repair isn't it !

well i've slimed the rear tyre. Front is almost worn out so thought i'd wait until i change it. The question was how much to put in? The guide on the tube said tyre height x width x 0.65 = how many fluid ounces to put in.

I'm no maths genius but somethings wrong when it comes out as 105 :oops2:

Put about 6oz in i reckon and will see how it goes.

best stuff
 

The best tyre selant/gunk is a product called OKO, it is advertised and used in agricultural vehicles but can be used in bikes, cars trailers and cycles. I think there are 2 types, one for tubeless tyres and one for yubed.
This product is also half the price of the other stuff sold in bike shops.

OKO will seal small punctures ,but only for a while .
Tubes cannot be patched after they have had this stuff in them .
If you find a nail in your tyre ,leave it alone and OKO may get you home .

Hmm, it does 'sound' like it would be good for my BMW :)

Hi All

Ultraseal is a permanent sealant, not a temporary fix, it coats the inner of the tyre including the tyre walls - approx 4-5 oz will normally surfice - thus ensuring that the tyres are not unvalanced. The product will fix holes up to 5mm official figures up to 9mm unofficial dependent on luck. The product has been tested up to 180mph and was recommended by the BMW motorcycle club - can supply copies of article from club journal. The is a heavy duty version of Ultraseal that will seal much larger holes but this is intended for slow moving plant - 30-40mph max.
Ultraseal was used by on of the teams in the Paris-Dakar and they were the only team NOT to suffer punctures. Several friends and acquaintances have used this product on varying forms of transport: Bikes - Triathlons/IronMAn events, Motorbikes - both overland types and fast road/track bikes, cars, vans trucks, buses and 4x4's. Have even supplied to Limo's and taxi's.
Have no doubts that this product - ULTRASEAL - will prevent the vast majority of punctures and in the event of what is termed a "terminal" or "catastrophic" puncture it will bleed the air slowly from the tyre allowing the vehicle/bike to slow and stop safely.
If anyone wants to see supporting literature I will happily send some out, and if you need your tyres doing then I can help.
Note: I only took on this product as it works - "exactly as it says on the tin" - I know from the experience of friends and personal experience.

Regards
Chris
07812 344740

Never rely on Ultraseal or others
 

I have used Slime (the green stuff) and Ultraseal in the past, and currently stick to Ultraseal, in both My 1200 Bandit & my SO's SV650. The Ultraseal seems to last longer, but isn't always permanent, so I also have a "Stop & Go" tyre plugger, which I believe are easily available from the USA, and in the UK, I found a seller on Ebay.
My advice is to always carry a plug kit if you are going long distance, and have Z-rated tubeless tyres, as more tyre repair shops are refusing to repair these high speed tyres in the UK.

Just my 2p's worth,
Andy

The stuff works. I use slime. Helps maintain tyre pressure too.

The only time it leads to an imbalance is if you hit a big pothole at speed. But that imbalance lasts for only a couple of seconds or so.

Keep checking your tyres for nails and screws, esp the latter.

i don't want to get into trouble.............
 

........for going off topic but.......
I've heard the suggestion that wire spoked wheels can be made tubeless (obvious advantages re puncture repairs) - does anyone have experience of this and might these products be relevant? - but then i suppose if you can't use plugs it negates the advantage - but then perhaps you don't need to? - but am I being thick? - can i just use this stuff in the tubes?
Thanks
Mick

ultraseal/slime
 

Ultraseal and slime do not work they actualy can slow a puncture down if the hole is in the tread - not sidewall.
If the hole has been made fom compression then forget it but for thorns it can slow it down so that you don't get a fast deflation however by the end of the day or next morning the tyre will be flat.
I ride a lot off road and have tried them all as I hate fixing flats. The only product Ive seen to work a little is the product called OKO which is meant for farm vehicles. 250ml in each tyre should do it for a dirt bike, maybe a little more for a beemer due to larger/wider tyres.

Made by Linseal and it's called OKO

As it isnt marketed at motorcycles it is very cheap (£7 for 1 litre)

Hi All

Ultraseal does work - if it didn't I would not be involved with it - OKO as previously mentioned is for Farm Vehicles, slow moving vehicles not intended for road use. The is a thicker 'fluid' and is not meant for use on road or as speeds over approx 20-30 mph off-road. Ultraseal do a heavy duty - read similiar type of product, but this is limited to use for vehicles that do not exceed 30 mph. The normal Ultraseal product is proven and tested up to 180 Mph!!

Chris

Oko
 

Further to my previous post, there are a few types of OKO, one is meant for Farm vehicles and is thicker however the one I meant and the one I use is for road use and works better than all the others. Ultraseal just did not work for me and the punctures were caused by thorns in the bottom of the tyre, it did slow the air escape down but did deflate within 20 minutes.

Tyre balls or mouses are the only answer and I believe mouses melt after a while. Anyone used tyre balls for long distance? they seem to be rather soft (off road only).

What to do when you've got a nail?

Slime does work, cause i've got at least two nails in my back tyre which have been there a while now without the tyre going flat.

But am i meant to pull them out? And if i do will the slime seal the hole or will i need to take it to a shop for a proper repair? I gather they don't like dealing with slimed tyres, but the tyre is nearly new and i ain't buyin a new one cause i'm cheap! So what's the downside of just leaving the nail in as the tyre wears? Major blow out not likely as it's only a commuter bike and hardly ever gets up any speed.

If it's a tube type tyre you risk shredding the tube. If it's tubeless you risk damaging the carcass, which is also dangerous.

Tube needs to be patched, tubeless take it to a shop who can repair it properly.

Yes.

Leaving them in can make the hole bigger, as they move everytime they touch the ground. Esp true with screws. So take them out, spin the tyre a few times, fill up if necessary, and you are ready to move on.

punctures
 

i had a puncture a few weeks back in a tubeless tyre, I phoned around almost every tyre shop where I live and none of them would fix the puncture, i was told due to insurance reasons but all of them told me to buy a new tyre - I did as it was almost shot anyway but what if it was new?

I have not tried tubeless repair kits but assume they work and a road side fix is possible?

They work pretty well, and are not too difficult to use either. Suggest you practise on a discarded tyre so that there are no surprises when your kit has to go to war. The tyre usually does not have to be dismounted either.

On road, it would help if you have some water to help locate the puncture - and a source of compressed air.

If you use a sealant, minor punctures *should* be plugged automatically, anyways. I was surprised to read that the Ultraseal did not work for you.

humm. pulled it out, spun the wheel, but it didn't seal. Have now put a bit more fresh slime in, pumped it up again and left the tyre with the hole at the bottom. Think it is still leaking, but will know for sure tomorrow morning.

Looks like it's a trip to the tyre shop and an apologetic request for them to deal with a slimed tyre :rolleyes2:

From now on nails stay in! Town riding is a pain. Tyre already had 2 plugs in it before i decided to slime it. This will be 3rd and the tyre is still nowhere near worn out. :(

This is rubbish. Unless the nail has gone through the wall of the tyre or has completely slashed the tyre it should be fixable. There are several shops in and around London who spend most of their days fixing punctures. They certainly don't say you need a new tyre every time. As said above i've already got two plugs in my rear tyre fitted by a shop with no suggestion that it needed a new tyre.

Slime/whatever tends to get "used up" sealing small punctures, which may not be obvious (as the slime has already done the job). What you have done should save you the trip.

I had to take a tyre (with sealant - "Tyre milk") to the repair shop once, for a puncture that was at the edge of the tread. Once the tyre was cleaned out, it had to be repaired in 5 places - the original leak + 4 that reopened as the sealant was washed out.

yep, a little squirt more slime seems to have done the trick. Stayed inflated all last night and on a ride today. Will keep an eye on it for a few days though.

Ultraseal Tire Sealant now do a HEAVY DUTY sealant that wil seal the hole from a 7.62mm BULLET!!!!!!!!! or a half inch gash! like a knife stab?

Web Site
 

"World's finest tire sealant", perhaps... world's worst commercial web site: strong contender!
http://www.ultraseal.com/images/ron.jpghttp://www.ultraseal.com/images/AndreC.jpghttp://www.ultraseal.com/images/jon.jpghttp://www.ultraseal.com/images/lindsay.jpg
I have always used Ultraseal in my tyres but I think I might stop now... I'm concerned about the side effects.
Stephan

This is an old thread.
Anyway, I've been using slime or equivalent for 4 or 5 years now and I've yet to have a puncture in that time (I'm touching a wooden table as I type this).
Although of course my experience doesn't actually prove that it works.

Another 2 continents, another bottle of Ultraseal...
 

27,000 miles, Buenos Aires to Vancouver, mucho ripio in the south:

1 set of heavy duty inner tubes.
1 bottle of Ultraseal.
Zero punctures.

I've been back 7 months and still have the same tubes in, still no punctures.
*insert standard disclaimer here*

Back in 2004, so even longer ago that the start of this thread :rofl: I ultrasealed the Bonnevilles tyres as two up with soft luggage (waiting for the rack to be made) we were short of space. I put the gloop in on the Thursdays night and on the next Tuesday we were less than a thousand miles away getting a puncture fixed :(

The good bit: The nail had made about a dozen pin ***** holes that the goo had sealed.

The bad bit: The nail, working in the tyre then managed to hit the seam of the tube and make a V-shaped cut resulting in a complete loss of air.

We came out of the Bayeaux Tapestry to find a very sad looking bike sat on the rim. In France this was no problem, a mad Polish tyre fitter gave me a choice of a new tube (Branded or Chinese Sir?) or a patch via some pretty crude sign language while his chain smoking Gallic boss made us coffee and chatted up my wife. We were back on the road in an hour for under twenty quid. This proves:

a) France is more civilised than the UK.
b) Ultraseal mostly contained, only causes repair issues to lazy cockney rip off merchants (like a certain Surbiton Honda dealer of my experience) who'll give you the old "Nah mite, the 'ole tyres ****ed" routine followed by "Sorry Mite, can't even touch it fer a week, it's them black rahnd tyres, can't get 'em for love or loads-a-money".
c) Ultraseal can work but at some point the dam breaks. Imagine if the V-cut had opened up at auto-route speeds :eek3:.

IMHO, if you use the gloop put it in only after you find and remove the cause of the puncture. If you can carry and use a patch/plug kit (Which I do now the luggage is sorted), that's still a better solution.

Edit to add: My whole pack of long distance tyre stuff (Tubes, levers, patch kit, compressor) can't actually be much bigger than the bottle of gunge. I image a leaking bottle of Ultrasteal would ruin your day?

Andy

Using it in tubes.....
 

I've changed my opinion in this stuff...I used it in South America in tubes and didn't get ONE puncture. I was convinced it was this stuff.

The manufactureres say you can use it in inner tubes.... Well you can !

But.. From using it in Africa I found It will only stop the TINIEST of punctures (and then only slow them down)

In larger punctures (nails, snakebites etc) , the sealant will seep out and coat the whole tube and tyre in sealant which makes roadside repairs almost impossible. No patch will stick to that mess.

The contamination by the sealant prevented it from sealing completely. You can't put pressure on the patch without the remaining sealant getting in the repair and seeping out and ruining the vulcanisation of the patch.

Thank god I had a spare tuble.

So...Once that sealant is inside your tube, it's there for good...

Once it's in there, you will have a lot of trouble patching any punctures.. If you can at all !

Complete waste of money IMO. Just take spare tubes and plenty of patches and glue.. If you have 2-3 tubes of tyre glue you still haven't got enough ;)


I can't commment on tubeless...

Snakebites....doh
snakes can figure out the difference between a dead tryre and a warm human!

Ultraseal tips
You can use it in inner tubes- the centrifugal force of the wheel spinning ensures a smooth coating- go for a short ride as soon as you have put the right amount in-
It remains 'liquid' in the tyre so you might get a strange feeling a short distance until the wheel has spun round a bit and evenly coat the tube again (or tyre)

It is 'washable' as in it is a myth that tyre repairers wont touch your tyres when ultrasealed- If they say that then just find water and wash out the tyre which can then be plugged (for tubeless) or vulcanised.

For tubed tyres, trick is to hold the hole at the top and 'squeeze' the ultreasel down so that it doesn't seep out. Wash top of tube, dry, sand down a bit then do your usual patch work AND ALLOW GLUE TO DRY PROPERLY.
common mistake is to try to refit same tube and ride off when the glue has not had time to bond.
Use your new tube, make a proper repair and allow to dry while you sleep.

Ted's right as to carry spare tubes of lotsa glue and few spares anyways.

I wasn't sure if you're joking or not ! Snake bites are a type of puncture causes by rim pinching but i'm sure you knew that !! :D lol

I cleaned and cleaned the inner tube but the film would still interfer with the patches..

The stuff is impossible to remove. It gets everywhere and as soon as you think you've cleaned the area, another lot will ooze out of the hole.

I threw the tube away in the end. A brand new £25 heavy duty tube too :(

The only tubes I had with Ultraseal got binned. The rear in France as described, the front I changed out with the next tyre and put in the bag as my spare. It started oozing gloop in the bag, so I bought another and thought I'd cut up the gloopy one for bungee connectors/storage etc. Having cut it open I ran it under a tap and tried cleaning with white spirit. This stuff does not shift, it went in the bin. I can't see how you'd clean it enough to take a patch at the roadside.

I am also struggling to follow the logic here. If I'm carrying spare tubes (or a plug kit), a compressor and tyre levers, which I know how to use on the tyres I fitted myself with lots of soap, on the basis that some Python might be in the mood for a 17-inch Metzler and the gloop only deals with Adders, why would I even bother with the goo? Surely I just feed Hissing Sid some passing sheep, change the tube and look forward to patching the spare over a cold one on the campsite later?

Andy

Assume that Ultraseal is a synonym for green "Slime": I used it in the tubes on my 400cc dirtbike. Had a puncture on the front (snake bite: very poetic btw TWB :cool4: ) and all it did was make a mess. A big mess. On the side of the trail I put a spare tube in and binned the Slimed/punctured tube. Now I run mooses in the dirtbike and carry spare tubes/patches/pump/compressor in the more road-oriented bikes.
cheers
Chris

I use the real Ultraseal product (colour is sort of blue- slime I think is bright green) and know this to really be water soluble-
Seems that Chris is right as what Ted may have used could be bright green 'Slime' which is horrible (IMHO)

yes, I did use the Slime !!! And yes, it is HORRIBLE !!

I thought they were all pretty much the same compound.

My stuff came in an Ultraseal box complete with BMW Club flyer saying how it could also be used to cure certain personal diseases, was an aid to walking on water and could be used as an emergency salad dressing. This was dark red!

Andy

When I was on the way to Spain on my mates bike (delivering it to his villa for him) he used puncturesafe Puncturesafe total tyre protection in the tiers.
Can't say if it stopped a puncture or not as the tiers stays the same all the way. :cool4:

Maybe where you're sitting. It's how you spell it in ENGLISH though.
:smartass:

Ultraseal
 

The 'real' Ultraseal can be washed off - pm or email me if you need some

On my way to Mexico I got a small trim molding nail in my brand new rear tire. I stopped and purchased a bottle of Slime and put it in the leaking tire. I then rode 2000 miles checking the tire every morning. The pressure remained constant. After getting home I got another nail right next to the first one. This repair I made with the "gummy worm" repair with a copius amount of glue. Both repairs lasted another 5500 miles, I just replaced the tire this spring before another trip as I was getting nervous about how much longer my repairs would last.

DON'T TELL EM, blame a PREVIOUS OWNER..........:thumbup1:

My sixpennyworth, 145,000mls 99% overseas in the last 6 years. Only once running on un-ultrasealed tyres and on that occasion 5 plugs in the rear and 3 in the front plus a nerve and body janggling 20ml ride on flat tyres when I ran out of plugs. Mind you that was in Zambia where the roads in the north are covered in the razor sharp shards of steel reinforcing bands from exploding truck tyres. I am now down in Ushuaia for new year and have put 10,000mls on my present tyres and I´m estimating another 3-4000 before having to replace them and yes, I am carrying enough ultra seal for the new set. Ride safe and a happy new year.

bier:thumbup1::Beach::mchappy: