April 12, 2021
I picked up a nail while on my last road trip on the way from OR back to TN. I could hear it pretty well at low speeds – hope it’s the only one!
I was hoping it was just a short tack that didn’t go through the tread all the way – had that happen ONCE…out of dozens of times.
I sure didn’t need any bubble solution – when I pulled this one out, the air about blew it out of my hand.
Self-drilling screw – it had wallowed out a pretty good hole after miles and miles.
This is a great kit – the tools have big handles that you can really get a grip on, and it has a decent supply of strings and cement. I got this digital inflator also, and carry this kit on my motorcycle. The little compressor is surprisingly tough and comes with wiring to power it even if you forget to charge the built-in battery.
This is the rasp tool – you punch it through the hole to roughen and clean the hole so the repair will stick.
It didn’t take long for the tire to deflate after pulling the screw. I left the rasp in the hole to keep as much air in there as I could.
The Slime kit comes with 5 regular size repairs – I’d used one of them in a neighbor’s car tire a few weeks ago.
It also comes with three of the fat ones, that were better suited for this repair.
You thread the repair through the eye of the split needle…
…and then coat it with the rubber cement.
Push the needle into the puncture, leaving some string outside the tread. On the old kits, they would recommend twisting the string and pulling out the tag end. With this system, you pull the needle straight out, rapidly. The needle is split on the end which allows the string to slip through, leaving it in place.
When I was finished, I cleaned up the tools with a blue towel and some brake cleaner – ready to go for next time!
Close-up of the split needle tip.
My cheapo Harbor Freight air compressor. I’ve worn one of these out – but for the money, they’re hard to beat. Be careful with them, they get hotter than the Hubs of Hell when they’ve been running a couple minutes!
The little compressor hooks up to the battery terminals. I got an AGM batter from Sam’s with the dual posts to make hooking up accessories easier. I put terminals on the top posts, and use the stock side terminal cables in the normal way. It’s not the prettiest solution, but it works.
All buttoned up and airing up – the gauge on the little compressor isn’t very accurate, but it gives you an idea of when you’re getting close. Estimated total repair time – about 30 minutes.