Tire inflator question

[WLS Ruby 93]

A friend of mine has a Crossfire with run flat tires. He was thinking of switching to regular tires and was advised by his club not to use a "tire patch in a can inflator" if he got a flat. The club said the inflator sealant clogs the pressure sensor in the wheel and it causes a big buck repair bill.
Does the same apply to our C5's?
I run with regular tires with a 12v portable inflator, patch/plug kit and a can of inflator on board.
Thanks.

Keep 'em rollin':W
Bill

 

[Tuna]

If the tire has pressure sensors installed, they can be used with regular tires. Whether run-flat or regular, using one of the tire patch in a can systems will fill the pressure sensor full of the goo used to seal any leaks and the sensor will stop working.

I carry a tire plug kit and a small compressor in a couple of cars even with run-flats so I can fix a nail hole on the road and keep driving. No cans of goo used and no problems with the tire pressure sensors that way.

If you get a big cut in the tire, not even the goo will seal it but with a run-flat you can still drive the car - in most cases.

 

[jrose7004]

I tried to fix a non runflat tire on my driveway with a jack and couldn't get it pluged with a plug kit. It made me figure that I couldn't ever get it done out on the road at night!

 

[Pac-man]

Sorry to hear that. I ran over a piece of metal on the highway and got two flats, in the pouring rain, on a two hour ride home from the airport. Put one plug in the rear, and four plugs in the front, and a whole lot of rubber cement all over the plugs. A state trooper held a flashlight for half an hour for me. Filled the tires up with the compressor and they held up another hour, with a slow leak. Filled them up again and made it home. Just to let you know it can be done, and in the worst situations.

 

[Pac-man]

Non-runflats, I might add.

 

[Tuna]

I tried to fix a non runflat tire on my driveway with a jack and couldn't get it pluged with a plug kit. It made me figure that I couldn't ever get it done out on the road at night!

The current tire technology makes getting the plugging tools in and out of the tire a real chore. I've worn myself getting them in and cussing all the way. I've also been using plugs on tires for over 40 years dating back to when I helped in my dad's shop as a teen.
I would not want to plug a tire and then take the car to 150+ MPH but a plug can get you home or to the next town with out having to change out to a spare tire.
If you have run-flats, plugging them means not having to worry as much about keeping the speed down once it's aired up to the right pressure.

If you don't have tire pressure sensors in the wheel/tire, the 'fix a flat in a can' can save you a lot of grief. If you do have tire pressure sensors, the sensor will be toast after using the goo and it will need to be replaced - along with a major cleaning of the wheel to get the remaining goo out.

 

[LLC5]

One of the tricks to installing tire plugs is to have as much air in the tire as possible before inserting the plug, it makes pushing the plug into the tire much easier. If "fix a falt in a can" is used, it is virtually impossible to completely remove the sealant from both the tire and the wheel when the tire is repaired properly, which means that when the tire heats up under use the remaining sealant can shift and make it impossible to maintain tire balance.

 

[napacruzerC5]

I tried to fix a non runflat tire on my driveway with a jack and couldn't get it pluged with a plug kit. It made me figure that I couldn't ever get it done out on the road at night!

Jim, first you gotta put down the beer

Carried a plug kit and jack with me to the 2007 CAC cruise in Colorado Springs since my C5 have non-runflats. Thought I was pretty cool till I got home and actually tried to use the jack - it would not go under the car even with non-flat tires :eyerole

I also carry a can of Fix-A-Flat but would only use it to get out of a dangerous situation (bad part of town, blind corner, etc.)hnoes