Tire bead sealing compound - alternatives?

[Gryphon Rider]

Not Valk-related, but I suppose it could be.

I have an old (1981) pickup truck that has old (16 yrs.?) tires on it with good tread depth.  One of the tires has developed a leak at the bead.  NAPA is the only name-brand store that carries bead sealer, and their smallest size is about a litre, for $28.  I don't want to spend $28, only to use $3 of it, then have it dry up on my shelf waiting for the next time I need it.

Is there an alternative rubbery glue designed for a more common purpose that will do the job, like maybe rubber cement?  Shade-tree mechanics, pipe up please!

P.S. Please, no lectures about old tires and safety.  This truck puts on more miles going to the local dump than to the next city.

[Jess from VA]

Besides breaking the beads and cleaning the rim and tires at the bead (which often stops the leak alone), how about a smear of RTV silicone?  It stays flexible in it's dry state, is not corrosive, and is not hard to clean up later on.  Or Ride-On sealant?

[Houdini]

Squirt in a can of fix-a-flat and run it out to the dump and back

[DeShazo]

http://www.ride-on.com/motorcycle-formula-mot.html

This is good stuff, kinda like fix a flat but better

[Gryphon Rider]

Squirt in a can of fix-a-flat and run it out to the dump and back

http://www.ride-on.com/motorcycle-formula-mot.html

This is good stuff, kinda like fix a flat but better

The problem with these products, when used as intended, is that centrifugal force puts them at the tread of the tire, far away from where I need it to be.

I think I'll try RTV as Jess suggested.

[crash1980]

If the truck is driven that little, it sounds like it is time to put a tube in the tire.

[3W-lonerider]

I had an old vega years ago that done the same thing. developed leaks around the beads. I broke the beads and coated the rim where the tire rests with indian head gasket sealer.
tires never leaked after that.

[vanagon40]

I bought a quart can of X-TRA Seal Bead Sealer in 2007 for $17.20 ($10.95 plus $6.25 shipping). I was having problems with my son's chrome wheels. Locally, O’Reilly currently lists a quart at $12.99.





It does NOT dry up on the shelf. I use it all the time and I am still using the quart I purchased in 2007 (I think maybe even on my Valkyrie the last time I changed a tire). I used it on the front wheel of my Dixon ZTR. The stuff is like liquid magic.

Now, I will confess that I have a cheap manual tire changer, an old bubble balancer, I change almost all my own tires, and I drive and use a lot of old junk. But I have used the bead sealer on at least a dozen tires, all with 100% success.  I do not use it as a matter of course, only if the bead is leaking after mounting the tire. I also clean/sand rusty/corroded rims. If you think you might have any use for it in the future, I would highly recommend  X-TRA Seal Bead Sealer. I know shipping to Canada might be expensive, but I would recommend shopping around and buying the bead sealer.

Good luck in whatever you try.

See, no comment on 16 year old tires.

P.S. If I could ship a flammable substance to Canada at a reasonable price, I would gladly help you. But I doubt that I could beat the NAPA price.

[Houdini]

Squirt in a can of fix-a-flat and run it out to the dump and back

The problem with these products, when used as intended, is that centrifugal force puts them at the tread of the tire, far away from where I need it to be.

I think I'll try RTV as Jess suggested.

Fix-a-flat and