Tricks in the tyre sealant industry
In the tyre sealant industry there are various manufacturers and marketing organizations that greatly exaggerate their claims in relation to the safety, disposal and performance of their tyre sealant products.
Too often fleet managers fall prey to false promises regarding dramatic reductions in tyre costs.
It's a well-known fact that some tyre sealant salespeople will actually offer the fleet managers free product if only they will test their tyre sealant (it's the old bait and switch con game). They provide a sealant for testing (it's probably not theirs), then after obtaining the order they have been known to deliver an inferior substitute tyre sealant or even a watered down version of the original test sample.
Should you do your own testing? (who benefits)
Let's be realistic, the average organization that operates and maintains a fleet is not qualified or equipped to perform adequate testing. The cost of maintaining an ongoing test program is very time consuming and requires at least one year of data collection.
Does the fleet manager have all the extra time and money available to test every tyre sealant that comes by, hoping to find one that works?
Keep in mind it is extremely important that the used sealant composition should also be tested to verify whether or not the chemicals have become a health and/or environmental hazard. The MSDS does not cover used chemicals.
As a fleet manager you may ascertain that the tyre sealant can seal a puncture. But, will this in-house test provide data from long term usage and exposure to tyres and rims?
- "Will your rims rust or corrode?"
- "Will your tyres de-laminate?"
- "Will your steel belts rust?"
- "Will the sealant become toxic, and a health hazard for your employees?"
- "Will the sealant become an environmental waste hazard?"
Are you willing to put your organization in a position for a lawsuit or be faced with EPA/OSHA hazardous chemical disposal problems?
Think smart, don't be a "tyre sealant guinea pig". Request written documentation that the brand of tyre sealant that is being sold to your organization has been tested in accordance to the U. S. Postal Service's Generic tyre Sealant Specifications and is certified as such (copy available upon request).
MSDS limitations in regards to tyre sealants
An MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) does not require manufacturers to list or advise if their chemical compositions change and become a health or environmental hazard after being used.
To be compliant with all MSDS requirements, the manufacturer need only disclose the health-related portion of their chemical composition and means of disposal in case of a spill of their new/unused products.
It is a known fact that some tyre sealant chemical compositions become extremely toxic and a disposal hazard after being used.
Generic tyre sealant specification
In 1993, the U.S. Postal System with input from GSA (General Services Administration), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the tyre industry established the world's first "Generic Tyre Sealant Specification" to protect Federal fleets from using tyre sealants that are potentially hazardous and/or did not perform as claimed.
In order to be approved and certified, the candidate tyre sealant must be tested by an accredited Tyre Testing Laboratory and in accordance with the Generic Tyre Sealant Specifications. The specification requires that the new tyre sealant chemical composition be tested for Safety (health/safety/MSDS), Compatibility (tyre & rim) and Reliability (20,000 mile on-road endurance phase).
After the test is completed the used sealant is removed from the tyres and is re-tested and shall meet all the initial health/safety and MSDS requirements.
Request and review all test data. It is important to contact the test facility that performed the testing and verify that the facility is an accredited tyre testing laboratory. A laboratory established to test cosmetics, soap, etc. does not have the necessary equipment and is not qualified to test tyres or a tyre sealant's ability to perform.
It is also essential that the specific brand of tyre sealant you are presented with is the one that has been tested and has passed the complete test program. Therefore, obtain a copy of the test and contact the facility to verify. Don't take a salespersons word for anything. Also request verification of liability insurance and that your organization will be covered.
Unorthodox testing and misleading claims
# 1
Recently a tyre sealant company advertised that their tyre sealant had passed the Generic tyre Sealant Specifications. However, it turned out that their name was inserted on documents copied from another tyre sealant company.
# 2
Someone else is touting to have passed the tyre sealant specifications, yet the test data they presented is dated several years prior to their being established in business.
# 3
Still another company engaged an accredited tyre testing laboratory to perform a partial test on their sealant. A complete test cost approximately $20,000 to $40,000; they spent $1,000 for only the chemical analysis portion of the test.
Upon receiving a letter from the test facility that their product met the new/unused chemical analysis phase of the spec's, they now claim to have passed the complete specifications.
# 4
While surfing the net, we came across a URL that suggests procedures to do your own pre-testing of a tyre sealant.
The test procedures are absolutely ludicrous and obviously devised by a person without any knowledge of chemistry or tyres Any tyre engineer or chemist will advise that all testing must be performed in accordance to ASTM test procedures.
Heat stability, cold stability and corrosion testing are standard ASTM tests, while this tyre sealant web site would lead you to believe that if a sealant is inserted into a freezer or a microwave oven it will provide accurate test data.
Then the writer recommends placing steel wool into a container with a tyre sealant and this would suffice as a corrosion test. There are several standard ASTM tests for corrosion.
No accredited chemist would ever consider employing any of the above procedures as bona fide tests.
# 5
Another tyre sealant web site not only exaggerates their existence in business and the history of the sealant they are buying from others (it's a well-known fact that they don't manufacture their own products).
This organization is falsifying test reports. Their web site indicates that their tyre sealant passed many unorthodox tyre sealant tests and lists the name of the laboratories that supposedly performed the tests.
Upon contacting one of the laboratories, the Ph.D. that supposedly signed the report states that "Not only has he never tested a tyre sealant, their lab is not equipped to test tyre sealants.
Be wary of tyre sealant con artists. Should you decide to be the test facility, in a short time you may have employees with health problems and could be replacing tyres and/or corroded rims.
Why take a chance? Ask the tyre sealant salesperson to supply you with test data to confirm that the sealant meets the Generic Tyre Sealant Specifications and performs as claimed.
If the company can supply conclusive data that you are satisfied with, then start a tyre preventative maintenance program in your fleet that will establish the actual reduction in cost per mile for your particular fleet's mission profile.
• PROPYLENE GLYCOL VERSUS ETHYLENE GLYCOL
The base of a tyre sealant is also important. Average water-based tyre sealants will not perform very long without causing corrosion and other problems.
Another important point to keep in mind is if a tyre sealant requires mixing prior to being installed, it will separate in the tyre. It's a fact that a rotating tyre is a centrifuge and does not work like a mixing machine.
It is a well-known fact that an ethylene glycol based tyre sealant provides the best performance and reliability. Propylene glycol versus ethylene glycol as a tyre sealant base, has recently become an important issue. Tests have proven that propylene glycol can only produce a temporary repair.
The AFCEE (Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence) agrees with studies reported in the April, 1995 issue of "Environmental Solutions" titled "Safe Antifreeze: The Real difference between Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol".
The article states "propylene glycol antifreeze degrades in the environment at a slower rate than its counterpart, and has a 25 to 30 percent greater oxygen depletion effect in water.
Laboratory tests show that propylene glycol can still be present as an organic component after the ethylene glycol has degraded completely."
AFCEE states, based on the above information, propylene glycol depletes more oxygen from water than ethylene glycol, meaning plant and animal life depending on oxygen in soil and water may be exposed to levels of oxygen below that necessary for sustaining life.
Looking on the Internet under "propylene glycol" you will find several organizations in the cosmetic industry stating that when used in a skin cream or lotion, propylene glycol irritates and dehydrates the skin.
Although propylene glycol is used in foods, once it is blended in with the various chemical ingredients necessary to produce a tyre sealant it is no longer considered safe for consumption.
Whether the base of a tyre sealant is propylene or ethylene glycol, once the ingredients used in the compound meet the EPA requirements, the product is not considered hazardous when used for it's intended purpose.
Neither ethylene nor propylene glycol has been documented as causing any form of degradation to the tyre or its construction. Either can be used in a tyre sealant and will meet all government regulations when used, handled and disposed of in accordance with the manufacturers MSDS.
One of the reasons the Generic Tyre Sealant Specification requires a minimum 20,000 mile endurance phase is that many tyre sealants when exposed to heat, shear and centrifugal force created in a rotating tyre, could transform into a chemical health and/or waste hazard. The specification eliminates any tyre sealant regardless of the type of glycol used if the tyre sealant becomes a waste hazard at the end of this portion of the test.
Therefore, do your homework. It's better to be safe than sorry.
AAA+ credit and 37 yrs producing the World's #1 Tire Sealant. Proven to extend tire life, seal punctures, eliminate underinflation, tire separation and most blowouts. tire sealant, tyre sealant, tire, tires, tyre, tyres, tyre repair, tire repair, flats, flat tire, puncture sealant, tire puncture, truck tires, truck tire repair, heavy equipment, heavy equipment tires, heavy equipment repair, heavy equipment tire repair, construction equipment, construction equipment repair, construction equipment tire repair, tire maintenance, tyre maintenance, fleet tires, ultraseal, utraseal, tire life extender, tire life, preventative maintenance, bicycle tires, motorcycle tire, truck tire, truck tyre, atv, all terrian vehicle, lawn mower tires, tire safety, disaster prepardness, auto, automobile, car, prevent flat tires, prevents flat tires, prevents flats, prevent a flat, PREVENT-A-FLAT, prevent flats, tire disaster, tire blowout, tire blowouts, tire hazzard, premature tire failure, tire failure, tire life enhancer, tire life extender, tire enhancer, tractor tires, tire distributors, tires wholesale, tube tires, tubeless tires, pneumatic tire, tire puncture, puncture preventative, offroad tires, off road tires, off road equipment, offroad equipment, off road equipment tires, offroad equipment tires, off road racing, offRoad racing, mountain bike, mountain bike repair, bike, harley davidson motorcycle, #1 tire sealant, prevent flat tires, tire protectants, flat free tires, prevent tire damage, tire damage, tire care, agricultural equipment, agricultural tires, agricultural equipment tires, commercial tires, industrial tires, recreational vehicles, recreational vehicle tires, RV tires, fleet maintenance, retread, retreads, recap, recaps, retread tires, retread tire, retread supplies, retread supplys, retread dealers
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