Yes.

It will form a permanent plug.

Yes.

In respect of full disclosure, vehicles that have tyres that are not fully balanced or incorrectly balanced may result in a small vibration at certain speeds (above 80km/h) due to adding sealant to the tyres.

Vibration in a vehicle can be caused by a number of things such as bad shocks, loose control arms, worn tie rods and bad wheel bearings and abnormal tire wear (cupping, scalloping, feathering) from an out-of-alignment or damaged suspension system.

After installation, you might assume the sealant caused the vibration but it may have simply been made more noticeable by one of the above conditions.

For many customers, this is not a deterrent, as they believe that the benefits of eliminating punctures, alongside a dangerous road, improving fuel consumption and extending tyre life far outweigh the possibility of a little vibration at certain speeds (not always).

It’s also VERY important that you put the exact same amount of sealant in all four tyres to reduce the risk of vibration.

Let’s break this down so you can evaluate and make a decision if you value these benefits:

Motorists who find they get a small vibration window between, let’s say 120 and 125 km/h and disappear thereafter (typically higher speeds beyond 80 km/h) simply don’t travel consistently at those speeds (with or without sealant.)

As our one of our loyal return customers says, “Yes, I get a little vibration at certain speeds, so I just don’t cruise at those speeds!”

Yes.

Armour Tyre Sealant prevents leaks and pressure loss. A pressure drop of just 0.5 Bar (0.05 MPa, 7.3 PSI) increases rolling resistance by 15%, which determines an increase of fuel consumption in the range of 2-5% in vehicles.

All vehicles with tyres on a surface experience rolling resistance which is the combined friction force that holds back a vehicle from moving forward.  Your engine consumes energy and fuel to overcome this friction and move you forward. Underinflated tyres have a deformed profile and therefore create additional friction on the road surface that causes the engine to work harder and consume more energy or fuel.  The deformed shape also rapidly wears the tyre unevenly losing as much as 30% of your tyre life.

No.

A special rust inhibitor is added to our sealant which will actually protect your rims from rusting.

Yes.

Install Armour Sealant into the punctured tyre, reinflate, then drive a few metres so the sealant can get to the punctured hole to permanently seal it. You might need to top up your air after.

Yes.

Only 19% of consumers properly check and inflate their tyres, according to the National High Traffic Safety Administration.  Consequently, one in four (25%) cars has a tyre that is significantly underinflated, says the agency. This not only means heat can build up in the tyre, risking failure and additional tyre wear, but underinflation can hurt fuel economy.

We applaud you if you are checking tyre pressures but unfortunately, there is an error-prone exercise:

1. Many motorists check their tyre pressure while filling up for fuel which likely means their tyres are hot and air expands meaning your tyres now have the incorrect tyre pressure.  Just 10 degrees Celsius change translates to 0.345 bar pressure loss. It is very inconvenient to check tyre pressure early and before you have driven while your tyres are cold.
2. In our survey of air filling devices at petrol stations, we found that tyre gauges are poorly maintained and handled resulting in uncalibrated and incorrect amounts between each air pump.  Again, this means your good efforts are wasted.
3. Many motorists confirm that when checking their tyre pressure they will find that one or more tyres will be out even if checked recently.  This logically means that some of your tyres are losing pressure faster than others.  This likely means a slow puncture in the tread wall, a rim leak or a faulty valve.  The moment you drive out of the filling station you are already running underinflated costing you.

Installing Armour Sealant means that you can confirm the ideal pressure and seal the air leaks all at the optimum temperature and then just provide checkups when you can.  All the “pressure” is off you while ensuring you  keep running costs down.

Yes for Indirect TPMS and maybe for Direct TPMS.

You will need to identify what you have and what your objective is.

Most owners of TPMS have them because they are mandatory in some countries due to the TREAD Act or because they heard it was a great idea to make sure they never get a puncture.

A TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System) reports back to the driver if their tyre pressure is low.  Unfortunately, the design is a bit questionable as the majority of TPMS only notifies the driver when the tyre pressure drops below 25% of the recommended inflation. We do NOT agree with a strategy that allows you to drive with up to four tyres that might be 24% below recommended pressure – it’s a false security blanket and a high risk of a potential accident. 

Additionally, many customers report that their TPMS provides false reports due to temperature changes or when calibration is off.  This also occurs when the batteries go flat and replacing them is an expensive process as some require new TPMS as the batteries are hard-mouled into the device.  New dealer TPMS may cost anywhere from R1000 ($60) upwards per sensor. 

Some of our customers, that had incompatible TPMS, have felt that their TPMS was not providing the original reason for them in the first place – to eliminate the risk of punctures – which it does not and rather had them removed and replaced with normal valves and rather relied on our sealants.  It’s your call but know the facts.

This is why more than ever you need additional backup in the form of Armour Tyre Sealant. 

Unfortunately, TPMS means you may have to do some workarounds:

There are TWO main categories of TPMS:

Indirect TPMS

These systems work by using the vehicle’s Antilock Braking System (ABS). The ABS monitors the wheel speed and it reports any variation back to an indicator inside the driver’s cabin.  

Installation:

This TPMS type does not need additional devices to be mounted on the wheels as it works with the ABS monitor.  So the tyre valve is standard and you can still install the tyre sealant with the standard procedure.

Direct TPMS

These systems are the most common with the sensors mounted onto the rims. Many designs actually replace the air valve housing with the TPMS unit which has an electronic transmitter inside that measure the air pressure and communicates to a panel or receiver inside the driver’s cabin.

When inflating the tyre or adding sealant through the valve stem with some indirect TPMS the sealant now has to go through the TPMS housing.  The channel is smaller and the sealant may block the TPMS. 

Installation:

To install the sealant please visit a tyre fitment centre that can deflate your tyre and insert the sealant directly into the tyre via the rim and bead.

Armour Tyre Sealant will last the legal life of the tyre, has no shelf life and will not harden or separate in a sealed container.

Yes!
Different tyre sizes need different amounts of sealant. Bigger tyres will obviously need more sealant than smaller tyres. Armour Tyre Sealant needs to spread evenly on the inside of the tyre in order to work effectively.

It’s also important that you put exactly the same amount of sealant in all four tyres to reduce the risk of vibration.

No.

Unless you have a slow-moving vehicle such as a tractor never accept advice that offers to repair sidewall damage. 

Sidewall damage affects the structural integrity of the tyre and if repaired it could experience a blowout at high speed involving you in a life-threatening situation.

Tyre manufacturers suggest replacing a tyre with sidewall damage for your own safety so it’s best to visit an approved tyre repair workshop and have them assess the tyre for structural integrity.

Also, the sealant needs to be able to reach the puncture wound in order to seal it and that may not be the case on sidewalls.

We have had reports of clients in an emergency removing the tyre, laying it on its side and allowing the sealant to reach the sidewall in order to provide an emergency plug that could get them, at a slow speed, to a repair shop and safety.

Tyres typically lose up to 2% of their air pressure every month through the porosity of the tyre and much more if there is a slow leak. A tyre that is underinflated by 20% can exhibit irregular wear and reduce tyre life by up to 30%.

Mismatches between identical tyres can be caused by differences in air pressure. Variances as small as 0.34 Bar (5 psi) can cause the tires to be mismatched. This type of mismatch can occur even when the tyre make, model, tread depth and diameter are identical.

Yes.

There’s no problem using nitrogen and Armour Sealant together. Installation is the same. Deflate tyre partially, then reinflate with nitrogen (if you are so inclined).

Yes, it’s ideal as it saves you more.

Run flats are designed to allow you to drive for up to 80 kilometres at 80 km/h after getting a flat.  Many report that they chose run-flats to offset the threat of punctures or that they came with a new car. As they are 50 to 200% more expensive than regular tyres.  Once you have a run flat puncture it typically ruins the tyre and it needs to be replaced turning a mere puncture into a very expensive event.  Installing Armour Sealant works collaboratively with your run flats but prevents you from having a puncture in the first place and therefore protects your expensive investment for when you really need them.