i30 Owners Club

MODIFYING OR DETAILING YOUR I30 => TYRES | WHEELS | BRAKES => Topic started by: diablo on June 06, 2010, 04:39:53

Title: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: diablo on June 06, 2010, 04:39:53
I've put this stuff into my tyres.

Their very poor website is here -

http://www.ultrasealuk.biz/flashintro.html

According to them it will seal most punctures without you even noticing them for their normal life. Plus will stop any air escaping.

Several companies have thought it worthwhile installing on their fleets, including some police forces.

I know nothing more than the ads and various posts on forums which say it is pretty good.

Nitrogen may be cheaper, but won't fix punctures.

Only disadvantages I see are the initial cost (£45) and additional unsprung weight. :)
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: Surferdude on June 06, 2010, 05:48:21
Various forms of this have been around for years.
I suggest you ask the manufacturer/ distributor of your tyres if they'll still warrant them with it in there.
We have had a brand called "Finelec" for a long time.
If you've ever had to work on a tyre with it in as I have you wouldn't use it.
It will rot a tube over time so that you can tear it with your hands and does the same to inner liners in tubeless tyres.
I'll tyr to find out a bit more about your product.
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: i30sean on June 06, 2010, 06:36:01
It's been around the UK for about 7-8 years now and used it in my bike tyres a few times especially for trips abroad, it saved me once when i had a puncture in the front big gash but front deflated slowly or would have been off for sure.
Have tried a few others but this is the best one,they do a deal in the UK for bikes £20 single tyre or £30 pair and they put it in for you ensuing you have the right amount. Some riders say it upsets the balance but I never noticed it, not sure I'd bother in a car as you have a spare and car tyres are far easier to repair then bike tyres which are often Z rated so Michelin are the only company who offer plugging of their Z rated tyres.

I30 Sean.
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: Surferdude on June 06, 2010, 09:39:23
Yeah. I agree. A sudden deflation in a bike tyre is generally pretty disastrous.
And, yes. Balance is an issue in some instances.

Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: diablo on June 06, 2010, 17:00:55
Various forms of this have been around for years.
I suggest you ask the manufacturer/ distributor of your tyres if they'll still warrant them with it in there.
We have had a brand called "Finelec" for a long time.
If you've ever had to work on a tyre with it in as I have you wouldn't use it.
It will rot a tube over time so that you can tear it with your hands and does the same to inner liners in tubeless tyres.
I'll tyr to find out a bit more about your product.

It is nothing like Finelec at all. Finelec is a foam to be used to re-inflate a punctured tyre and fill it with plastic foam in an emergency. Just to get you to the nearest garage for a replacement. I think they still supply it with Porches to save carrying a spare.

Ultraseal is a water based  thixotropic emulsion (Thixogel™) which will seal up punctures when they occur.

It doesn't rot tyres at all and can easily be removed with water.

http://www.ciao.co.uk/UtraSeal_Puncture_Prevention_treatment__Review_5564673

As you seemingly didn't read the previous link, I will post some of the stuff here -

"You squirt a quantity of this blue liquid into each tyre. There it stays in liquid form going round with the wheel. Not only is it waiting for any puncture to appear so it can seal it it is also reducing the porosity of the tyre so top ups for air become less frequent. The liquid further helps by dissipating the heat generated in the tyre which, it is claimed, will make the tyre last longer.

"I have often considered getting something like this so was delighted to give it a try when the chance arose. Although tyres now have an excellent life the one thing that you can say is that if you do have puncture it will be either at an inconvenient time in the rain on a winding narrow road or at speed on a motorway. Whichever it can be anything from a right pain to potentially lethal.

I doubt if the Post Office would have installed it in their 32,000 vehicles if they thought it useless. :)
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: Lakes on June 07, 2010, 00:31:58
diablo, is it normal to get a flat tyre easy in GB?
reason i ask is, here in australia we get high temps in summer, we have poor quality road base in the rural area's as local council's fiund it hard to meet costs of road maintainance. but 6i,500k on my car, 15,000k on original 15" tyres wheels the rest on 16" hyundai wheels & original Kumho 16" tyres two years old now so two summers exteam heat, two years of driving anywhere i wish in AU speeds of below 70mph and not one flat tyre yet. so why would i bother filling my tyre with this product?
i think its a fear product, like they try to put fear into you to use it. but for me having driven for long enough i'm not frightened of a flat tyre i know how to lift my car up and remove the flat and replace it with my full size spare. so why bother with a product like that?
cheers mate
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: Surferdude on June 07, 2010, 00:34:28
I do know what you are talking about. The Finelec reference was only an example of all the options for puncture repair (before and after the fact) which are out there.
Don't need to read it again. I read it the first time and then read about it on their Australian website. It goes back to at least the mid nineties here IIRC.

I wasn't being dismissive of your post, simply saying there's a lot of "aftermarket" additives for tyres around. Most of them have been around for a long time but don't seem to catch on with any real strength. Not sure why that is but it might have something to do with tyres being a grudge purchase for most people and they are therefore reluctant to add more to their cost.
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: diablo on June 07, 2010, 01:44:35
diablo, is it normal to get a flat tyre easy in GB?
reason i ask is, here in australia we get high temps in summer, we have poor quality road base in the rural area's as local council's fiund it hard to meet costs of road maintainance. but 6i,500k on my car, 15,000k on original 15" tyres wheels the rest on 16" hyundai wheels & original Kumho 16" tyres two years old now so two summers exteam heat, two years of driving anywhere i wish in AU speeds of below 70mph and not one flat tyre yet. so why would i bother filling my tyre with this product?
i think its a fear product, like they try to put fear into you to use it. but for me having driven for long enough i'm not frightened of a flat tyre i know how to lift my car up and remove the flat and replace it with my full size spare. so why bother with a product like that?
cheers mate

When I got my Renault Laguna (ten years ago now) I had three punctures in the first year, costing about £80 each to replace. Even if you immediately realise that you have a puncture, stop and replace with the spare, the tyre shops will tell you that it it is impossible to repair.

I probably had about six punctures after that, which cost less because I found cheaper repair places. Though they were still £60 each. :) I don't know why, with my fairly low mileage, never more than 8,000 a year, I get so many punctures but they have happened since I started driving 40 years ago.

This photo shows my Humber Sceptre having a tyre change in about 1972. :) -

(http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s292/diablo676/humber.jpg)

I remember changing a wheel at the side of the road a couple of years ago. Middle of winter, pouring with rain, took me quite a while to do it. Didn't enjoy it much - then £60 to replace.

If a £45 investment can save even half the cost of fixing the things then it is worth it. Plus, although I'm only 58 I'm not too well, so changing wheels is not something I like to do if I can avoid it.

Anyway, it makes sense to me. :)


Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: i30sean on June 07, 2010, 05:26:43
tyres being a grudge purchase for most people

Yes I agree with you surfdude but driver's / riders should realise thats what keeps you on the road,I buy the best possible tyres for my bike for the conditions and they last a fraction of the time car tyres do, mind you tripple the enjoyment!

In the car I buy what I believe to be best for my driving and yes cost does play a part but in all my riding and driving.

I've had 2-3 punctures in the car but at least 10 on the bike it a bit of luck of the draw and where you drive, i ride into London and the roads are full of crap so punctures are a riding hazzard! My garage charge £20 for a repair Bike and my last car puncture was less at £16 last year! The stats show that most punctures occur in the last part of a tyres life so it's often the precurser to change them anyway.

Never thought about Ultraseal for the car as most places do a £5 per tyre cover now where they replace or repair the tyre % Vrs Mls wise should you get a flat. It may be worth looking at that Diablo.

i30Sean.
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: Surferdude on June 07, 2010, 07:42:28
tyres being a grudge purchase for most people

Yes I agree with you surfdude but driver's / riders should realise thats what keeps you on the road,I buy the best possible tyres for my bike for the conditions and they last a fraction of the time car tyres do, mind you tripple the enjoyment!

In the car I buy what I believe to be best for my driving and yes cost does play a part but in all my riding and driving.

I've had 2-3 punctures in the car but at least 10 on the bike it a bit of luck of the draw and where you drive, i ride into London and the roads are full of crap so punctures are a riding hazzard! My garage charge £20 for a repair Bike and my last car puncture was less at £16 last year! The stats show that most punctures occur in the last part of a tyres life so it's often the precurser to change them anyway.

Never thought about Ultraseal for the car as most places do a £5 per tyre cover now where they replace or repair the tyre % Vrs Mls wise should you get a flat. It may be worth looking at that Diablo.

i30Sean.

Yeah. Shouldn't be a grudge purchase but they are. Shame more people don't have your attitude. In truth, probably more that half of tyre buyers will go for something of quality. It's the other half (maybe less) who say things like, "It's only the wife's car. She doesn't go far. Just to drop the kids to school." WTF??? I've gotta tell yo it's VERY hard not to tell that sort what you think of them.
And we have the "Tyre protection Plan" type insurance (Road Hazard Warranty) here, too. But it's only $A5 per tyre, or maybe $A6 in some chains. Oh! And GT Radial do it for free with their tyres.
As an aside, they are a bit of a marketing success story here (I have no connection with them BTW). When they were first launched they went by their full Asian name of "Gaja Tungell". Now I ask you. Who is gonna buy a tyre called a "Gaja Tungell"?. But some smart marketing dude said something like, Why don't we just use the initials"? Thus, GT Radials.
Then they got Alan Moffat, former Ford touring car ace to advertise them with the line, "I used to race GT's (Falcon). Now I drive on them".

And Diablo. That's an amazing puncture record. I'm stunned. It might be a world record. I'd be using Ultraseal, too.  :eek:
PS. Love the Humber. :cool:
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: diablo on June 07, 2010, 08:00:26

Never thought about Ultraseal for the car as most places do a £5 per tyre cover now where they replace or repair the tyre % Vrs Mls wise should you get a flat. It may be worth looking at that Diablo.

i30Sean.

Never had any offers of £5 per tyre cover, didn't realise it was even available.

Just got several quotes for tyre insurance on the interwebby and the cheapest was £50 per year for a car with less than 18" wheels. Not worth it unless I was very unlucky. :)

If my tyres last for four years then the £10 per year cost of Ultraseal could easily pay for itself, not to mention the inconvenience of changing wheels.

p.s. I rode motorbikes for about ten years and never once had a puncture. With cars I have had plenty, a lot of them on newish tyres.  :eek:
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: diablo on June 07, 2010, 08:15:09

And Diablo. That's an amazing puncture record. I'm stunned. It might be a world record. I'd be using Ultraseal, too.  :eek:
PS. Love the Humber. :cool:

Yes, I seem to be unlucky with tyres.  :D

The Humber was a brilliant car (for the time anyway) . If they still made 'em I'd buy one again. I'd like to have the Laycock de Normanville overdrive bolted onto my i30. :)
Title: Re: Ultraseal - puncturesafe
Post by: Lakes on June 08, 2010, 21:46:27
you have had a bad run m8!.
since tubless tyres came out, i have had a lot less puntures. some tyres seem to just punture easy. but with tubes in tyres was more common to get a flat.
we have the roads in sydney swept clean each day. they drive vacume street sweepers over them. thats in the CBD and different area's around sydney.
but i drive out in the bush a lot and no flat tyres yet in the i30 61,500k
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