Frequently Asked Questions

PunctureSafe has been utilized in virtually every conceivable pneumatic tire, accumulating millions of miles, in major fleets around the world, without any premature failure or adverse effects to the tires or rims. Special situations with low profile high performance tires may require assistance and support from the PunctureSafe’s Technical Department prior to installation.

PunctureSafe’s advanced proprietary seal and curing attributes have proven that the specialized rust inhibiting system protects steel belts against rust and corrosion. The unique ability to cure within a puncture also protects the steel belts from outside contaminants. This proprietary attribute is available only with PunctureSafe.

PunctureSafe is compatible with all retreading methods. PunctureSafe will retard aging in tires. PunctureSafe treated tires exhibit greater rubber resilience when compared to untreated control tires. Therefore, PunctureSafe increases the casings ability to achieve additional retreading. This increased retreadability provides a lower cost per mile. Your professional retread company certifies casing soundness and retreadability.

PunctureSafe will seal punctures in both tube and tubeless tires as long as there is rubber recovery and it is not a dangerous puncture. A tube is very unreliable. The tube is basically made of rubber and synthetics. The wall thickness of a tube is not uniform and rubber content is very critical in terms of elasticity and rubber recovery. A tube that does not contain a sufficient amount of natural rubber cannot recover (close up) after sustaining a puncture. It is critical that there be rubber recovery to assure a positive secure seal. by installing PunctureSafe into a tube, the problem of punctures can be reduced. The seal in a tube is not permanent. Tubes squirm inside a tire at high speed if the puncturing object is left in the tire and tube, it may rip the tube. Then even PunctureSafe may not able to help. We recommend that nails be removed on a routine basis and the tires air pressure be maintained at maximum PSI to reduce the squirming. When a tube is punctured, the size of the puncture in the tube may be much larger than the actual puncturing object; also tubes are very susceptible to ripping.

PunctureSafe is a preventative maintenance tyre additive and was designed primarily to be utilized prior to a tire receiving damage from puncturing objects and/or interior damage caused from operating tyres under inflated. After installing the vehicle is driven a minimum of 3 to 5 miles (5 to 8 km), however it is not imperative to drive the vehicle immediately. For PunctureSafe to perform its preliminary functions, the tire and PunctureSafe must go through an initial conditioning period, at which time PunctureSafe will have coated a good percentage of the inner surfaces of the tire. When a puncture occurs, the PunctureSafe coating encapsulates the puncturing object. When the puncturing object is removed or ejected, PunctureSafe is drawn into the puncture by the capillary action of the escaping air, the puncture closes up (rubber recovery) thereby trapping the PunctureSafe seal. The seal cures and becomes non water-soluble to protect the inner structure from outside contaminants. The PunctureSafe seal is only as strong as the tire and can not hide or mask a dangerous puncture.

In-house testing has proven without a doubt that PunctureSafe has the ability to eliminate porosity and air migration. Although PunctureSafe will maintain correct air pressure, we recommend that visual inspection be performed on a per trip basis and complete tire examinations and air pressure inspections be performed at scheduled services.

In-house tests have shown that PunctureSafe will retard aging within the inner structure of a tire. Testing has also proven that PunctureSafe will reduce heat and eliminate migrating air which is directly related to increased tire and casing life.

However, it is important to realize that PunctureSafe cannot hide or mask a dangerous puncture. Sidewalls are much thinner than the rest of the tire so even though there is some rubber recovery because of the flexing the tire will lose air to some degree. If there is no damage then it could be possible to seal permanently but it could also be the case that even with severe damage to the sidewall a controlled deflation will take place allowing the driver to remove the vehicle from a dangerous location. PunctureSafe is used in many countries to allow the vehicle to travel many miles after the tires have sustained many bullet holes to the sidewall.

PunctureSafe is thixotropic and does not separate. In fact in-depth in-house testing has proven that it continues to remain in a thixotropic state and does not separate or ball up. Some tire sealant marketers state that their sealant needs to be stirred or mixed prior to installing into a tire. Their statement does not substantiate reliability; Once the sealant is installed into a tire, the tire/rim assembly acts as a mixing machine and will keep their product properly mixed. False! A spinning tire/rim assembly creates centrifugal forces and will readily and permanently separate the solids from the liquids. Therefore this type of tire sealant will become ineffective, in a short period of time.

Because of our specialist equipment, only a little air will be lost during installation, usually a couple of pounds, which can be corrected upon completion. The only exception to this, is the DIY bottle, were it will be necessary to deflate the tire fully.

PunctureSafe UK certifies that when stored in factory sealed original containers, out of direct sunlight PunctureSafe may be stored for at least 5 years.

PunctureSafe cannot create an out of balance situation. If the tire and rim are properly balanced prior to installing PunctureSafe and neither is out of round, then there will not be a change in performance. PunctureSafe does not balance tire or rims. If a problem exists then PunctureSafe may aggravate the situation, which acts as a safety warning alerting the driver that there is definitely a tire, rim and/or suspension problem.

PunctureSafe’s formulation is fully compatible with all components in any tire.

PunctureSafe’s rust and corrosion inhibiting system continuously works to prevent rust or corrosion. PunctureSafe cannot eliminate existing rust or corrosion, but will neutralize it and prevent any additional damage.

PunctureSafe does not contain any adhesive or chemicals that would alter the tire’s integrity. PunctureSafe is totally water-soluble in its liquid state and even when cured it can easily be removed from the interior of any tire. All major repairs are performed by simply wiping the puncture area with a damp cloth, then wipe dry and repair.

PunctureSafe is a viscous gel-like liquid that does not flow like water. Approximately 85% of the minimum required application amount coats the inner surface of the tire. The remaining 15% is considered the reserve, which does settle to the bottom only when a tire is stationary. When dismounting a tire containing PunctureSafe, there is not enough product collected at the bottom that would allow it to splash out. If the mechanic breaks the bead prior to releasing all the air from the tire, the PunctureSafe around the bead/rim attempts to prevent the air from escaping, resulting in a small amount of PunctureSafe blowing out, as the bead breaks away from the rim. To prevent this from happening, release all of the air pressure prior to breaking the bead. Once a mechanic understands the simple basics on handling PunctureSafe there is never a problem.

PunctureSafe seals punctures measured by the size of the puncturing object, not the size of the puncture. Regardless of how small a puncture may be, if the puncturing object has extensively damaged the tires integrity, the puncture will continue to bleed air and PunctureSafe. This is a safety factor designed into the proprietary PunctureSafe formulation. PunctureSafe’s High Speed Grade will seal punctures caused by puncturing objects up to and including 6mm in diameter and our Medium Speed Grade will seal punctures caused by objects up to 15mm. PunctureSafe’s Extra Heavy Duty Slow Speed Grade for slow moving off road vehicles will seal punctures caused by puncturing objects from 10mm in diameter in small tires like you would find on golf buggies, 20mm in size on farm tractors and can be up to to 30mm on giant tires , it all depends on the size and quality of the tire.

The Tire Industry claims that “permanent repair” refers to a tire repair that is permanently attached to the puncture area by means of adhesives and/or vulcanisation. Although PunctureSafe’s seals are positive secure seals that remain airtight for the life of the tire, PunctureSafe is not a glue or adhesive. The proprietary formulation is designed to bleed air and PunctureSafe if a tire has received major structural damage, therefore for safety reasons the permanency of a PunctureSafe seal is contingent on the integrity of the tire.

One of PunctureSafe’s proprietary attributes is the ability to cure in a puncture and become non water-soluble. This phenomenon is how PunctureSafe permanently prevents corrosion on steel belts as it protects against outside moisture and contaminants from leaching into the puncture as the vehicle is driven.

In most cases, PunctureSafe is better than a patch, the reason being is that PunctureSafe is a preventative. A patch is a repair that is performed after the tire has gone flat and in most cases has been driven flat for some distance. Driving on a flat radial tire even for a short distance will create extensive internal damage that is irreversible and normally goes unnoticed by the repair person. Preventative maintenance is always better and safer than an after the fact repair. This enormous safety enhancement is a major factor in utilizing PunctureSafe Tire Life Extender/sealer as preventative maintenance. A punctureSafe seal is better than a patch because a patch can fail due to heat but a PunctureSafe seal benefits from heat

PunctureSafe chemistry transforms the formulation into a unique gel state that seems to defy gravity, allowing it to cling to more of the inner surface of the tire/rim. There are no adhesives in the formula and PunctureSafe will not cause chemical changes to the tire. This ability to coat more of the inner surface of the tire is one of PunctureSafe UK’s closely guarded proprietary secrets.

PunctureSafe will not freeze when operating a vehicle in cold climates.

In order for PunctureSafe to establish a good coating throughout the inner surface of the tire and have a 15% reserve, it required that PunctureSafe’s technical calculate the total inner surface of all tire/rim combinations and the amount of PunctureSafe required per tire/rim assembly.

Caution – when fitting Puncturesafe you may cause the sensor to be coated and thus affect its performance. We recommend that once the installation is complete you inflate the tyre to the correct pressure (with the valve core not in situ) then remove the airline to get a powerful blast of air that will clean any sealant left in the valve.

We supply a tyre sealant for sealing punctures in the tyre of a vehicle, and because Tyre pressure monitoring systems can be fickle and prone to failure with or without a sealant present, we advise that you take a cautious approach when fitting our puncture prevention treatment, we advise that the installation is done with the utmost of knowledge. Problems with tyre pressure monitoring systems in conjunction with the installation of a tyre sealant/puncture prevention treatment is extremely small compared with the millions of tyre sealant installations carried out all over the world yearly.

Some ‘Direct’ TPMS have small-bore valves that will not allow regular sealant to enter. Puncturesafe UK recommends that you consult your vehicle manufacturer to check whether their internal TPMS system is sealant-friendly before fitting a puncture prevention treatment.

External ‘Indirect’ TPMS, that measure the speed of each wheel/tyre and use regular valves, are of course always puncture prevention treatment compatible.

Run flat tires are expensive and have to be discarded after running flat, so it makes sense to protect them from Punctures.