We have all experienced the inconvenience and frustration of having a flat tyre. As luck would have it, you are about to leave for work, holiday or a family get together.
80% of the time it is a slow puncture and you notice it before the tyre has completely deflated. This can be resolved fairly easily by slowly driving to the nearest garage or Tiger Wheel and have it plugged with the traditional tyre plug repair method (read our comparison of tyre plugs and sealants). This is provided that the puncture is within the legal bounds of repair, being the tread area of the tyre and not on the sidewall.
Conversely, you notice the tyre is completely deflated. Instead of being a hero and possibly damaging your wheel and destroying the tyre in the process, one would use the spare. Now what if the spare tyre is flat. Then there is a bigger problem, driving to the garage on the flat tyre is becoming more appealing than ever before.
However, if you prefer to not buy a new tyre and have the rim repaired after driving to the garage like a crab, there is always good old tyre sealant. First off, if your tyres had been treated with sealant, you would be on the way to the airport or enjoying that first cup of coffee in your comfy office chair. Secondly, it’s not too late to have it done right then and there. A preventative and a cure. Simply get an Uber or taxi to the nearest hardware or car accessory/part retailer and buy an emergency repair product or glycol tyre sealant. There are emergency repair sealants such as Tyre Weld or Slime Quick Spare. Unfortunately these are only a temporary fix and will need to be removed from the inside of the tyre as soon as possible. Alternatively you can purchase a Glycol Tyre Sealant that permanently fixes the puncture and extends the life of the tyre to stop flat tyres forever. Some recommended brands are Slime, 11D, Sealtite, Ultraseal and Fugit. There is a negligible price difference between the emergency spare products and those mentioned above. Both variants are easily installed within minutes. If the tyres on your vehicle (and the spare tyre) are treated with sealant, you would never have the inconvenience of a flat tyre in the first place, or the need to buy an emergency product.
Which would you buy?