Slime works pretty good on punctures but you are better off plugging the hole. Slime eventually dries up. It also can rust the rim if there are scratches through the paint inside. Slime is way overpriced. I can't pay that much for it. I would rather invest that money in a new tire if I could not find a way to plug or patch the old one. Slime doesn't work on rim leaks either. Plug your tire.

Skip the slime and plug it or put a tube in it like I did. My wheel actually developed a rust hole in it after I used Slime. Slime may not have caused the rust but I want to blame it for that anyway.

I wasn't aware that slime caused rust OR that it doesn't work on a rim leak. what happens with the rim leak?

I've used the Stens "slime" for years now and never had any trouble.

Well I skiped the slime ($10/qt $30/gallon) Had called about tubes last week and they were $20 ea local, figure the local tire shop would charge $6 for a plug or patch and cost me an hours wait or second trip... So $3.99 later at NAPA I got the needle, glue and 8 strips of rubber. Didn't even need to turn on the compressor still had air in the tank from last night, took longer to air up the tire than poke the plug in. Saves me having to take the tire off the rim everytime I need to patch it.

Baymee, according to the slime website it's meant to be flushed and replaced every two years, and they only say it's designed to repair tread leaks.

I put some fix a flat in my front tires. both kept going low every week. I think the beads didn't seal well. Of course having the tires reinstalled probably would have fixed the problem, but I had an old can of fix a flat laying around. Since I put it in, no leaks. Some say this stuff rust out rims. I'll cross that bridge when the time comes. I checked cub cadet parts website and new rims are around $65 dollars so there not that expensive to replace.

The new Carlisle tires are thin and there's very little tread to begin with, I'd tube them and be done with it.

During my Cub's first year I put nine plugs in one front tire and seven in the other. Two years later no leaks from either while using Slime. Great stuff. Throns and other sharp things will puncture tubes too.

Square Dude

I fought Slime and other tire sealant products for a long time. Fix A Flat is not in that class, even thou I have used it in emergency situations in my truck on the road. I've not had that many problems with mower tires. Until I started running low pressures to smooth the ride out. Then bead leaks and wild thorn leaks started giving me fits. Then I got a 1200 pound commercial ztr with soft low pressure front caster tires last year leaking down between mowing sessions, I used the advice from commercial lawn care operators. I got some low pressure Slime. I haven't had a problem since. I got no reports about rusted rims. But the main thing is I have no flats. I hardly have to add air to my tires. Checking tire pressures is second only to checking oil levels. I'm not completely happy with Slime. But I am extremely happy about no more flat or low tires pressures.

ms

At the shop, I've been using the Stens type of slime for many years and never had a problem with it. A gallon is about $100. Then I saw that Tractor Supply had a sale on Slime for $20 a gallon, so I bought a few gallons. Now I'm having second thoughts after this thread.

Before I bought, I compared the facts. The same amount of ounces per size of tire is required for both Stens and Slime, so no difference there. Just the price.

Now I'm confused about which product to use.

It works. It even saved some 20yr old ATV tires I had that were severely dry-rotted. It even sealed up some bad sidewall leaks.

To honest I think the Low Pressure Slime works, and works very good. Inter tubes have their place, but they are expensive, some what hard to place in the tire, and they do get punctures too. I too have some 11 year old front tires I was going to replace last year. Now with the help of Low Pressure Slime they hardly loose any air. Slime contains corrosion and rust inhibitors to protect the rim. Slime has a place with me.

ms

ms- Two year anti-crud protection, so after 2 years drain/flush/replace, wish I had thought of that! Need a leaker fixed, bet the tire shop will not be happy with washing the stuff out, drying the tire and patching it. On top of that then the replacment slime, sounds like a 1950's 'B' movie to me, oh wait that was the Blob with Steve Mcqueen!

Naw! I do all my own tire work! It's not fun! But some body has to do it. But what do do when you're mowing and a thorn causes a leak? Put a plug in it? First you have to get the mower to the air compressor with the tire bead off the rim. The rim is cutting the tire, and dirt is building up. Now I don't have that many flats, now! But when I did, it was easy to lose 2 hours easy! So I don't know? To Slime on mot to Slime? I remember Solvent Green with Charleston Heston!

LOL!

Good Night!

ms

Zombies want brains! ;)

It was Soylant Green or however it was spelled.

I notice the word "thorn" alot in this post. Where are these thorns that puncture tires? I've never seen any. The tires on my Wheelhorse and JD are about 25 years old and could drive over broken bottles. I can't even tell if they are low on air because they never go flat. I would need a crow bar 100 foot long to lever the bead over the edge of the rim.

Who makes tires that thorns go through?

I have wild rose vines that grow along the ground. Later in the year when the vine is dried and hard the thorns will puncture through tires and shoe soles.

Baymee - here ya go...

I usta cut my S-I-l's grass (>6 acres) with a MTD 2560 tank ZTR.. he had some of those thorn trees on his property... yeah, raised the devil with any mower pneumatic tire, including auto tires and tractor front tires.
Get too close to the thorn trees and it would slice you up good. Was a B***** to try to buck up with a chain saw.

Here is a link that might be useful: thorn trees

Torture spikes. Yikes

Oh man that Honey Locust brings back memories, used to camp in a little private campground in NJ, had them things truly evil trees. Got more than one of em stuck in my feet, and I think we lost a few trailer tires to the buggers.

Skip the Slime, Fix a flat and plugs. I highly recommend LiquiTube tire sealant. It is a flat tire eliminator. It will seal punctures from 1/4" up to 3/4' holes depending on the plys of the tire. It will also stop leaks from dry rot. I use it on all of my tires. It works great. I think you can find it by going to Google and typing Liquitube

Liquitube is another anti-freeze (ethylene glycol) based tire sealant. Been there done that. Costs too much, makes a huge mess when you finally take the tire off, dries up eventually, doesn't fix rim leaks, poisonous. Plug leaks, install a tube, or replace the tire.