Flat Tire Fixes Can Ruin Tire For Good

Using those cans of quick air and chemicals to repair a flat tire in an emergency may work, but it's not good in the long run.

That's what I learned from Rick Sobczak, service manager at Tires Plus on Williams Boulevard SW, Cedar Rapids, when I talked to him about foreign objects found in flat tires for today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.

"I will not repair a tire that's been filled with 'Fix-a-flat'," Rick said. "It causes the compounds in the tire to break down."

That means the tire has to be replaced. And, since shops often recommend you replace tires in pairs, it could mean buying two new tires.

A better solution?

Carry one of those portable electric air pumps, the kind that plug into your cigarette lighter, in your trunk. If you've got a slow leak and not far to drive, you may be able to pump up the tire once or twice to get it to a repair shop without having to go through the hassle of putting on the spare. (If you plan to use this method and see a nail in the tread, don't remove it. That will only make the tire leak more.)

Of course, you can also change the tire. Or carry a can of the fix a flat stuff.

Rick admits he's got a can in his vehicles, just in case he runs into an emergency with a flat tire.

"I'll put a can in it," he says. "But I also know that tire is done with."