Troubleshooting Puncture Seals
At Armour Tyre Sealant, we pride ourselves on sealing up to 99% of punctures instantly. However, there’s always that rare 1%—a stubborn puncture that doesn’t seal as expected. In these cases, running through a few troubleshooting steps can often resolve the issue and create a seal.
This training will guide you through the troubleshooting process, helping you identify why a puncture may not be sealing and what steps you can take to fix it. We’ll also cover situations where a puncture cannot be sealed and explain the possible reasons behind it.
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How Our Sealant Works
After our sealant is installed in the tyre using the recommended installation process, the tyre must be rotated to enable the sealant to perform an instant puncture repair. The seal is created mechanically as the fibres and fillers interlock within the puncture wound, with fast speed tire rotation allowing the sealant to reach the puncture wound. If a puncturing object is removed, it is essential to drive the vehicle immediately for at least 5 kilometres. The repair occurs within seconds, with minimal air loss, often so seamlessly that the operator will likely not even notice a puncture has occurred.
Inspections
Inspect your tyres regularly – they save your life each day
Regular tire inspections are essential for your safety, vehicle performance, and cost efficiency. Tires are the only part of your vehicle that directly contacts the road, and their condition affects braking, handling, and fuel efficiency. Over time, wear, punctures, or irregular tread patterns can compromise their performance, increasing the risk of blowouts or accidents. Frequent checks help identify issues like uneven wear, low tread depth, or incorrect air pressure before they escalate. By inspecting your tires regularly, you not only ensure a safer driving experience but also extend their lifespan, improve fuel economy, and avoid costly repairs or replacements.
Objects Embedded in the Tyre
The best type of puncture repair seal is where the object is no longer in the tyre.
A permanent puncture repair is achieved through the interlocking fibres and fillers that create a flexible seal within the tire wound. For the sealant to perform an instant repair, the tire must be rotated, allowing the product to reach the puncture site. The rotation enables the fibres and fillers to mechanically interlock within the wound, forming a durable and effective seal that restores the tire’s integrity.
Any object identified in the tyre should be removed once in a safe environment so that you can acquire extra help as needed and reinflate a tyre.
Objects such as thorns or mild steel that can rust can cause problems for the sealant to seal the hole. The longer an object remains in the tyre, the more the tyre loses its elasticity and starts to form a shape around the puncture object.
When the object is removed, an open hole will remain so it’s essential to re-inflate the tyre to the correct pressure and drive the vehicle immediately for at least 5 kilometres. This helps the fibres within the sealant interlock at the puncture site to create an effective seal. In some cases, flexing the tyre may also be necessary to ensure the fibres fully embed into the puncture site. This can be done by operating the vehicle or machine over uneven terrain.
Afterward, check the tire pressure again to confirm that the plug has successfully formed. Continue monitoring the tire pressure over the next few days to verify that the seal is holding effectively.
Tubed Tyres
Improper tube size or poor quality tubes can prevent the sealant from doing the work required. Tubed tyres are only protected up to 80% of the time with our sealant as these are conditions out of our control.
Puncture Position and Sidewalls
The sealant is most effective when used in the tread area of the tire. In extreme cases, the ability to plug a puncture may diminish as the puncture moves further away from the centre of the tread.
Do not rely on the sealant to work on any sidewall punctures even if the wound might be temporarily sealed. Any close-to-sidewall damage or sidewall damage itself weakens the tyre and its structural integrity. Always side on safety and have the tyre inspected and replaced as required.
Sealant Top Up
For off-road and recreational vehicles operating at low speeds and under extremely hazardous conditions, additional tire sealant “top-up” may be necessary. In such environments or on rough terrain, small amounts of sealant can be lost with each puncture, making periodic top-ups essential to maintain effectiveness.
High Speed Vehicles
Four wheeled vehicles (two wheel vehicles are not affected) that travel over 80 km/h require our special high-speed formulated sealant. In the event that a tyre does need to be removed from a vehicle, repaired or inspected whereby the balancing may have been disturbed, the tyre should be wiped down inside (not washed so as to affect any previously created plugs by the sealant), reseated on the rim, balanced and new sealant reinstalled.
Stubborn Punctures
We commit to seal up to 99% of tubeless tyre punctures and up to 80% of tubed tyre (see Tubed Tyres) punctures. In life we can have an exception to the rule and the 1% can be related to a few things as discussed here.
In the case of unusual punctures that mysteriously will not seal can be attributed to some of the topics discussed here and also to strange wounds that some objects may cause. The inside of the tyre is comprised of layers, filled with various materials, fabrics and even metals that can lodge in a way that causes the strange 1% of “unsealable” situations.
In the tyre repair industry a repairman will often “ream’ the puncture wound before they insert a plug, again to create a uniform hole. When in an emergency one can also “re-puncture” the hole in order to recreate wound more uniformly and this often helps the sealant create a new permanent plug.
Unusual objects such as a thorn or rusted object if left inside may deteriorate so that it cannot be removed and will likely require a plug to be inserted.
Plugging a puncture with an additional tyre plug can be performed from outside the tyre without removing the tyre from the rim (and affecting the sealant)
Reason's Why a Seal Might Not Occur
- An oily or lubricated puncturing object may interfere with the sealant preventing a plug from forming
- Tread separation is a serious tyre condition that requires immediate inspection. Tread separation is a serious tire defect where the tread (the outermost rubber layer in contact with the road) detaches from the tire’s casing or body. This issue can occur in various types of tires, often due to manufacturing defects, improper tire maintenance, or external factors like overloading, underinflation, excessive heat bAuildup or with some retreads. Have the tyre inspected by a tyre professional.
- Rips, tears, or cord damage will critically affect the structural integrity of the tyre and the sealant is not intended to work in that condition. Have the tyre inspected by a tyre professional.
- Valve leak punctures, can be hard to reach simply due to the position of the valve being far from the tread area where most sealant resides. A valve leak can often be remedied by replacing the inner-core of the valve which can simply be unscrewed and replaced quickly. In the event that you are in a remote place in an emergency one can remove the tyre from the vehicle, reinflate the tyre and shake the tyre and lay the tyre on its side to allow the sealant to reach the valve and create a temporary seal.
- Puncturing object is larger than protected. Tyres with ply rating up to 3 ply are protected up to 6 mm object puncture size, between 4 ply and 15 ply up to an object puncture size of 15 mm and 16 ply upwards puncture object size up to 30 mm with our Hazardous Sealant.