Wheel/tyre problems.

[windywatson]

Any one out there had any similar experiance as this one? Due to running with out a spare tyre because I've an LPG tank where it should be I have done the following. I've installed a product called Sealawheel into the tyres. This product has been on sale for some years & I've personaly seen it at the Boat Caravan & Motor Home Show at the NEC on a number of occasions. Checked out web site spoke with the supplier about suitability and having been convinced that it was a sound product purchased and installed. Gone would be my worries about being spare less, after all the claims say it will seal monor punctures for the life of the tyre. However I now have major wheel balance problems, so much so that I'm going to have to have all tyres off rims and cleaned out and rebalanced. Thats assuming I can get a garage willing to do it. And return to running without spare until I can track one down. Will have to carry the sealant in a can type stuff, and hope I don't need it. Should have known better really, the product is so viscous that I did wonder how it was going to spread evenly enough not to effect balance. For legal reasons I must point out that this is of coarse only my experiance of the product & that other similar products are of course available. In my opinion it's best suited to off road low speed vehicles & plant machinery where punctures are more likley, and speed & therfore balance is not an issue.

Any comments?

Cheers

Windy

[dobby]

Bongos seem a bit fussy on balance/tracking issues - search for 'wobble' and you'll see what I mean.

Maybe it's worth carrying a big can of that sealant/inflater stuff and a pump.

[Ron Miel]

Any one out there had any similar experiance as this one? Due to running with out a spare tyre because I've an LPG tank where it should be I have done the following. I've installed a product called Sealawheel into the tyres. This product has been on sale for some years & I've personaly seen it at the Boat Caravan & Motor Home Show at the NEC on a number of occasions. Checked out web site spoke with the supplier about suitability and having been convinced that it was a sound product purchased and installed. Gone would be my worries about being spare less, after all the claims say it will seal monor punctures for the life of the tyre. However I now have major wheel balance problems, so much so that I'm going to have to have all tyres off rims and cleaned out and rebalanced. Thats assuming I can get a garage willing to do it. And return to running without spare until I can track one down. Will have to carry the sealant in a can type stuff, and hope I don't need it. Should have known better really, the product is so viscous that I did wonder how it was going to spread evenly enough not to effect balance. For legal reasons I must point out that this is of coarse only my experiance of the product & that other similar products are of course available. In my opinion it's best suited to off road low speed vehicles & plant machinery where punctures are more likley, and speed & therfore balance is not an issue.

Any comments?

Cheers

Windy

Hi Windy. Sorry to hear you're having exactly the same problems with Sealawheel that I had late last year. After I complained about wheel balance probs with the original formulation, bought at a caravan/motorhome show with no caveats as to usage, I was told "sorry, we inadvertently supplied the slow speed off road stuff". They then sent me their so called "high speed" road use formulation f.o.c., and I was stupid enough* to install that, after first paying £40 to get the original stuff washed out and the wheels re-balanced. The new formulation increased the speed before wheel balance severely affected the steering from about 50 to 58mph, so was therefore still useless. Another £40 spent, and wheels again re-balanced, and then no more problems.

*(Mind you, I wasn't just being stupid. I too had lost my spare to an LPG tank, and did not trust Tyreweld and other temporary sealants, rightly as it has turned out recently - see below.)

I did extract a verbal promise from one of the Sealawheel Bristol franchisee partners that they would reimburse clean out costs, if I tried the second formulation but I haven't yet found time to put that to the test. It's remained in a pile of jobs not done - glad you've reminded me about it.

More generally, I did a lot of research on the subject online and could only find unqualified support for any of these permananent install sealants from off road users, heavy plant users, and the military - the Australian Army are particular fans. Several makers claim to have produced a high speed formulation but, at the time I checked, all except Sealawheel admitted that they were still being tested and the jury was out. Perhaps they do work well on some vehicles, and yes the Bongo is probably a difficult application for them, but peeps be warned and don't use them.

Tyreweld, IMHO, is not a good solution either. It's supposed to have been endorsed by the UK Tyre Distributors Association but, even if that's the case, their members seemingly do not like to deal with it. Three or four weeks ago, my younger son had to replace two big Transit 4x4 tyres because between us we could not find a tyre dealer in our local area willing to clean out Tyreweld after a puncture in one of his fronts. They would not even look at it! One of the dealers, who I know well and trust, simply said we've never managed to successfully wash it out, and it has often caused ongoing balance problems! Anyway, there seems to be a tyre trade conspiracy/revolt against the stuff, around here at least!

Having, as I said, already suspected that this might be the case, and being fortunate enogh to have a Terzo ladder on my Bongo, I had meanwhile devised a simple way to mount a space saver spare on it. Details were in my posting on Mar 28, 2009 7:38 pm, in the thread "Re: jacking points" http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... ba#p286717. Since posting that, I've moved the mounting bolts apart to fit into wheel mounting holes, instead of the simple through the wheel centre original approach. I don't reckon this would happily support a full size spare though.

[robdrinky]

I am using Ultraseal(now called puncturesafe) on our bongo and my motorcycle with no problems at all.

[Ron Miel]

I am using Ultraseal(now called puncturesafe) on our bongo and my motorcycle with no problems at all.

There may be some Bongo successes with the stuff, robdrinky, but one out of three at the moment isn't very reassuring - it's probably also affected by tyres, treads, vehicle loading* and the like, not to mention age and condition of steering and set up of wheel/suspension geometry. My own motor, however: a.) is a late model, 2001, and b.) had the steering and wheel geometry checked out and found fine - I should have mentioned that.

*(BTW, is yours a 2.5TD, a 2.5V6 petrol or a 2.0 litre petrol; 2WD or 4WD? They obviously all have rather different weight distributions, particularly at the front end, and perhaps that's a factor. Ours is a 2.5V6 petrol. 2WD.)

Ultraseal is indeed the market leader but if you read the various published papers, it's formulated in the same way as Sealawheel, and they are both produced in India, possibly at the same place - i.e., just brand names. At the time I looked, Ultraseal was the most up front in declaring that its road use formulation was still being tested, so I reckon overall that you've been very lucky - and, of course, I'm glad that you have been, but I still think that Bongo owners generally should be forewarned as above.

[Ron Miel]

Oh!...yes. from my online research, these sealants do seem to be better accepted by motorbike wheels. Anyone any idea why?

[robdrinky]

i agree and the more information we have available the better choice we can make.

[scanner]

Oh!...yes. from my online research, these sealants do seem to be better accepted by motorbike wheels. Anyone any idea why?

Smaller cross section - less needed - less chance for it to clump in one place?

[Ron Miel]

Oh!...yes. from my online research, these sealants do seem to be better accepted by motorbike wheels. Anyone any idea why?

Smaller cross section - less needed - less chance for it to clump in one place?

Could be, I guess.

On another tack, how much do the much higher than Mazda spec tyre pressures we run on here, contribute to Bongo wobble, I wonder?

[wishmaster]

Ive got a '99 V6 with an LPG conversion and keep my space saver under the rear bench seat,it suits us at the moment. Tried some of that tyreweld stuff and had to have a new tyre, no one would touch it after that. Would never touch the stuff again

[Ron Miel]

Ive got a '99 V6 with an LPG conversion and keep my space saver under the rear bench seat,it suits us at the moment. Tried some of that tyreweld stuff and had to have a new tyre, no one would touch it after that. Would never touch the stuff again

Ah well, it's some consolation to know we're not the only family caught out by it. I was involved because I had given the two cans of Tyreweld to my son, after I had fitted the space saver spare on the back of our Bongo He only used it because he found the wheelnuts on his Transit had been torqued on so tight, he couldn't shift them to put on his spare.

However, sorry you did have the problem as well, wishmaster.

We've got a full conversion which leaves no realistic possibility to carry the spare inside.

Peeps beware - don't use Tyreweld, if you want to use the tyre again Anybody considering an LPG conversion, make sure you've worked out how to still carry a spare, before deciding.

[windywatson]

Well it's been intresting to read the responses posted to my initial problem. At the moment Sealawheel are ignoring my atempts to contact them. And I've had some help from the Camping & Caravaning Clubs Technical officer ( none at all from the Caravan Club) who referred me to an alternative manufacturer, not to buy from just to talk to and get general advise. Advice given that most of these products are dirived from the slow speed vehicle (plant/machinery) market and the claims for the preformance of the product for high speed vehicles is being streched.

Now sending letters by regisered post & next stop trading standards office if get no joy, By the way CCC Club have been promted by my experiance to investigate this market and say they are going to do an artical later in year.

Cheer

Windy.

[windywatson]

Members may want to know that I have now been contacted by Sealawheel. Registered letter did the trick. They are offering me a refund + say will cover the cost of the removal of the product. Will have to wait to see if they honour that when I send them the bill. Which of course is great news but have still had the inconvienence that it has caused me.
So be warned that you should consider these products with great care. Other info is that the Caravan & Camping technical officer (who's been very helpfull) put me in touch with the other company metioned called Puncture Safe who do a similar product. Their technical officer was very helpfull to chat to about the problem (and didn't try and sell me anything) and pointed me to thier web site that does give some good insight into these products. The Camping & Caravaning club officer has been prompted to investigate thes products due to my experiance and I awaite ther artical and verdict.

Cheers Windy