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MargeShrimpson

Unusual tire leaks

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I have a 2001 Honda forman 450. So this thing sat for almost 10 years. I just got it going and its running like a champ everything functions properly. But these tires I think they may be original and they have a ton of tread left on them but I get unusual leaks. Sometimes they will keep air for a few weeks other times I will go to the barn and one tire will be really low. Other times I'll go out and all the tires are inflated properly and I'll go for a quick ride and one tire will be almost flat within a few minutes. The tire leaks seem to be completely random. Also, the sidewalls have very small cracks. I was wondering If I could use green slime or fix a flat to fix the random flat tires. I hate to buy new ones because of all the thread on them. But I am not sure about using green slime or fix a flat or if that would even work. I heard mechanics hate changing tires with that spare tire crap inside the tire so I'm wondering which would be the best route. Just get new tires or try the quick way?

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6 minutes ago, MargeShrimpson said:

Just get new tires or try the quick way?

 

Depends on the situation. 
 

New tires are less than $300 for a set of four and you don't have to think about it ever again.

Love the Wanda brand from Libra Trailer Parts.

Excellent experience with their customer service.

If you are looking for a cheap tire they are an awesome option.

 

Slime is $20 for the big container and will likely fix the issue if they don't have any in them already.

Sounds to me like depending on what side of the tire is facing down the leak is either happening or not.

 

Get out the soapy water and find the leaks before filling with slime. I love the stuff but you are correct that technicians do not. Tell them ahead of time and they wont be too upset. It is when they break the bead and don't know it is in there so it gets all over when it becomes really irritating. 

 

Let us know what you decide!

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If it was me I would buy new tires without question. Get them online though cause dealer's love to screw you on them.

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it will be temp fix at best .... plus on new tires ^^^ once they start dry cracking its going to be an on going problem ... and after ten years ... I'm not shocked .. I'd go with the mud lite AT but ... really depends on what you want

 

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Just incase someone has good tires with no dry rot losing air. I did this and it 100% fixed all my problems. It is a common sand dune rider trick. Its called stayflo. It is liquid starch. You take the valve stem core out and put about half a cup per tire in. I use an old slime bottle and tube. Take the quad for a ride. Around 10-15 minutes. And problem solved. You will have no more leaks. It works best for beadlock rims which are notorious for seeping over time. I have had all 8 of my tires done with the above procedure and none of them have dropped even a single pound of air. Not even a half a pound. And that was months ago i did it. Before i would have one rear go flat. And 2 fronts get soft after a few days. Walmart sells a jug of stayflo for under 5 dollars and one jug will do alot of tires.

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28 minutes ago, SlammedRanger said:

Just incase someone has good tires with no dry rot losing air. I did this and it 100% fixed all my problems. It is a common sand dune rider trick. Its called stayflo. It is liquid starch. You take the valve stem core out and put about half a cup per tire in. I use an old slime bottle and tube. Take the quad for a ride. Around 10-15 minutes. And problem solved. You will have no more leaks. It works best for beadlock rims which are notorious for seeping over time. I have had all 8 of my tires done with the above procedure and none of them have dropped even a single pound of air. Not even a half a pound. And that was months ago i did it. Before i would have one rear go flat. And 2 fronts get soft after a few days. Walmart sells a jug of stayflo for under 5 dollars and one jug will do alot of tires.

 

It can't be that simple...

 

Sta-Flo... wow

 

I've got so many tires to try this on! Have thrown away some slicks that would have been great fronts for a dune trip...

How does it hold up over long periods of time? Know anyone who had it in there for longer?

 

I would worry about it partially solidifying and causing a ball to form in the tire but that same thing could be said about any competing product. 

 

You think it's good enough to replace slime?

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thank you slammed .... I'll defiantly look  into this. i have a match set of Carlisle 489 ATV Tires, on the 97 ... right rear had some pretty bad cuts when i purchased this bike ... slime works okay ... but i rather have a better solution .. then going out and buying just one tire .. 

 

image.jpg

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The forums i saw this on were claiming to have been doing this for many many years. They said they have done it on any brand and type of rim and tire. They said when you remove the tire instead of having a mess of hard slime to deal with it is just flakes of white. Pretty much just looks like a white powder. But it comes right off. The idea is when it gets to the area that is leaking it hardens. For tires with big gashes i would probably use more like a full cup. But i went out and checked all 8 tires lastnight again and they are all holding exactly where i left them. I put stayflo in them coming up on 4 months ago now.

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i always disliked breaking down tires with slime ... always ended up scrubbing the rims clean ... plus the fact some people don't follow the instructions ... and add way too much ... which balls up, and causes wheel bounce at high speeds ... 

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The new Slime formula is water based , it hoses off with a hose so easy , you don't even need to scrub it ---- the old Slime was a mess , tires guys would not want to mess with it and turn you away 

 

 

Balls in tires isn't a bad thing , when I was into trucks and  running big tires , I had buddies that use to put golf balls in their tires when they wouldn't balance ----I never did the golf ball thing but they swore by it , I ran balancing beads ,  I still run balancing beads in the 19.5s on my Dodge , what I like about them is ,the are constantly adjusting as the tire wears , with wheel weights , the tire is balanced when new , but as tire wears they get out of balance 

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plus ^^^ that fork is on the plate. i was kind of thinking xl .... @Mac102004 has spoken about then before ... but that's just about all i know, I've never even seen set .. i think @Goober has a set on his tank ?? 

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Slime is good and doesn’t seem to cause corrosion on rims. Mud Lite AT is what i run; made in USA. @_Wilson_™ has a pic of my 450 with the Bobcat fairing and Mud Lites.  
my latest project is an 08 TRX500FPM—Mud Lite AT.

I got a set of freebee Carlisle AT489 for my TRX300.
here’s a set for $280 shipped can’t beat that with a stick. Buy USA!

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Edited by Goober
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oh.... i thought you had a set of the xl's .... i use only green slime ... never seen a rim corroded up... but it does dry out.. over time .. and requires scrubbing ... but I'm very curious as to the sealant slammed was talking about ... that Carlisle tire still has good tread.. and no dry cracks ... one thing i don't understand is just why one tire having slices ... if / when i swop to at, or xl ... I'll keep the other tires as a back up. 

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https://www.itptires.com/about-itp-tires-wheels/

The premier ITP products are developed utilizing an experienced staff of engineers, designers and technicians at our American tire facility in Clinton, Tennessee. As supporters of American ingenuity and product quality, the ITP team is proud to be a part of locally built tires for worldwide customers.

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I've never had an issue with mine .... even those wooly boogers i had on my old 250a were Carlisle .. those were very popular a few years back ... i could go some places even the 300's  couldn't go... lol! 

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ITP are great tires and are my second or third choice when buying.

 

These are the tires going on my buddies foreman. He has similar tread pattern on his RZR and loves it.

The wheeler is for his wife (who runs hard pack roads) and the traditional mud tires pattern (ITP mudlites) will wear out much faster

 

Wanda (Libra Trailer Parts) is a china brand and ITP is arguably better in every way but price and they are not that much more expensive...

 

 

P350 25-26-228x228.jpg

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I have a set of ITP MudLites on a 300 2wd , I also have a set of 27 in. ITP SwampLites on my wife's 300 , they are really good pullers ----I don't know if you can still get them , there were ITP MudLites and SwampLites available in the XL version , extended threads 

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52 minutes ago, Fishfiles said:

I have a set of ITP MudLites on a 300 2wd , I also have a set of 27 in. ITP SwampLites on my wife's 300 , they are really good pullers ----I don't know if you can still get them , there were ITP MudLites and SwampLites available in the XL version , extended threads 

 

If he was looking for cheap tires he likely ended up with these or these

Both are very similar to the ITP tread pattern but a bit cheaper. ($225 and $227 for the 4 at time of purchase)

 

 

Mars-26S4-228x228.jpg

ATV 373B S4-228x228.jpg

 

Edit: @Fishfiles have you ever ran BGC gators ?

Those were the longest lasting tires I have ever bought in the swamp pattern. Expensive and that was a while ago. Not sure if they are any good now...

Edited by oh400ex

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I run Zillas and wouldn't have anything else where I ride. I do like Mudlite XL's  but they are a lot heavier. 

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correct! 

 

@PROV  The Mud Lite XL can weigh anywhere from 21 to 33 pounds, and  the Mud Lite AT tire weighs about an adverage of 17 pounds... so there is a big defrence ... 

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9 hours ago, oh400ex said:

 

If he was looking for cheap tires he likely ended up with these or these

Both are very similar to the ITP tread pattern but a bit cheaper. ($225 and $227 for the 4 at time of purchase)

 

 

Mars-26S4-228x228.jpg

ATV 373B S4-228x228.jpg

 

Edit: @Fishfiles have you ever ran BGC gators ?

Those were the longest lasting tires I have ever bought in the swamp pattern. Expensive and that was a while ago. Not sure if they are any good now...

No never tried or ever seen Gators  around here. 

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