A substitute for tire bead sealer can easily help you repair the leaks on multiple tire types if you can’t find one or don’t want to use it.
Though not as effective, it is still useful to seal the poor bead leaks in the proper way to avoid negative impacts on your rim.
You can look for simple ingredients with a homemade formula to create alternatives for tire bead sealer. All ingredients are readily available or easy to find.
This article will introduce the best substitutes for bead sealer with their detailed recipes. Let’s read on for a comprehensive understanding!
What Is The Best Substitute For Tire Bead Sealer?
The best tire bead sealer substitute can be the mixture of slime, mold builder latex, and windshield washer fluid or glitter, rubber dust, and water-based glue.
Or you can take advantage of a hair spray.
Use Mold Builder Latex, Windshield Washer, Slime
The first tire bead sealer homemade recipe you can make to substitute for the bead sealer is combining the windshield washer fluid, slime, and mold builder latex.
The first recipe will comprise one part of tubeless slime, two parts of windshield washer, and about two to four parts of mold builder latex with two parts of water.
You can also add silicone to this mixture until reaching the expected consistency. Yet, it can be a bit watery for use at the first time; it may still stick well.
This mixture is often greenish-brown. I usually make it thickener by adding rubber dust or glitter.
Another formula you can use consists of five parts of liquid latex, five parts of water, eight parts of liquid latex combined with four parts of a windshield washer, and three to four parts of tubeless slime.
Besides, try one part of tubeless slime, eight parts of water, and three parts of liquid latex.
I have tried another recipe including one part of liquid latex and one part of non-tubeless slime, with three parts of a windshield washer.
This recipe is better to make and apply to your leaks if you prefer non-tubeless slime.
Anyway, the choice boils down to your preference and how thick you want the consistency to be.
Use Hair Spray
Using hair spray is another homemade tire bead sealant recipe you should try. Follow this ultimate guide with the detailed steps below to make the alternative bead sealer for the tire leak.
Step 1: Detach the wheel off the car. Check the bubbles on the tire tread by spraying soapy water on it.
Continue spraying the soapy water through the tread area on the tire after removing the wheels from your vehicle to find bubbles.
If there are no leaks found, continue with step 2. Otherwise, move to step 3.
Step 2: Seek bubbles by spraying the soapy water on the valve stem system, and the tire bead meets the vehicle’s wheel.
Step 3: After locate the puncture, ply the tire off the rim (I usually use a shovel for this task).
Dry out the tire and apply the hair spray (preferably Extra Super Holding type) to the tire bead. Then, you can pump the tire again to the recommended PSI.
Note: This only works for minor holes!
Use Glitter & Rubber Dust With Water-Based Glue
The glitter and rubber with the water-based glue are also the basic ingredients for the substitutional sealer to fix the bead leak on your tire.
To make this formula, you must prepare several necessary things, including water-based glue, rubber dust, glitter, and a bottle featuring a narrow nozzle.
Be careful not to use too much as it can dry out. Once the sealant dries, sealing tire bead with the tube will no longer be possible.
Making this substitute begins with a combination of water and glue.
After finishing, pour the water-based glue into a bottle with the spray nozzle to create a slimy mold builder latex.
Also, add rubber dust or glitter to resemble a traditional sealant as much as possible.
You can use this compound as a tubeless sealant inside a tire, even when the tire is not punctured, as the compound looks like a very sticky fluid latex with a thick consistency.
This latex mixture can be stored in gallons or jugs, and it can be good for a week.
Using this homemade tire bead sealant is useful to repair tire leaks in your vehicle instead of applying the bead sealer.
How To Tell If You Need To Seal a Tire Bead?
If your tire gets a few leaks, you must quickly seal it to avoid more serious damage to your vehicle. Several common symptoms tell you when to fix the tire bead leaks.
First, your tire requires frequent air refills. Besides, your vehicle’s steering wheel feels loose, or it vibrates and wobbles while running.
You can recognize the leaks by noticing damage to the vehicle’s wheels. This damage may not be immediately apparent.
Thus, you can remove it to take a thorough inspection with metal hubcaps or big plastic.
How to Seal a Tire Bead?
When you have everything you need, follow the complete guide with detailed steps to learn how to fix a leaky tire bead.
Remove the Vehicle’s Tire
First, you must remove your vehicle’s tire and put it on a firm and flat surface. Make sure the tire’s valve stem side is up.
Inspect for Bead Leaks
Then you must inspect for leaks and add air first to ensure the leak is visible.
Next, mix dish soap with water and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture over the bead where the vehicle’s tire can meet the outside rim edge.
Wait for this mixture to sit for a few seconds. As it begins to settle, pay attention to certain places that start to bubble.
Bubbles can tell you where air leaks are. If you find an air bubble, mark it using chalk for future reference.
Inspect the Other Side
If the first side has no air bubbles, repeat to look for bead leaks on the other side. Leave the leaking side up for the remaining process.
Loosen The Rim
First, let some air out of the tire. Then place a board, a shovel or anything that can ply the tire off right next to the rim edge.
I held a board and used a hammer to hit it without difficulty. Applying enough force may break the seal and pull the tire off the vehicle’s rim.
Clean the Rim’s Inside
Slightly pull up on the edge to access the rim inside. Next, use a clean cloth with soapy water to remove residue that may have damaged the original seal.
Add Bead Sealer Or Its Substitutes
Add bead sealers or other alternatives mentioned above in this step.
It’s possible to purchase this solution at your local hardware shops or DIY. Apply the sealer generously around the bead.
Inflate the Tires
To inflate the tires, pull it up on the rubber side when pumping for better contact with the vehicle’s rim.
However, most of the time, it’s natural for the air to push the rubber into contact with the rim. This also reforms the bead seal.
Besides, remember to balance your tire to reduce the risk of punctures.
FAQs
Is It Necessary to Use Tire Bead Sealer? When Should I Use It?
Yes, it is. The bead sealer is necessary to help you fix the leaks on the tire with the best result. This sealer is useful in certain situations or conditions.
In this common case, using the sealer to seal the bead tire in your vehicle is the suitable option.
Applying this sealer to the tire bead and the rim will help protect your vehicle’s tire from more serious leaks and avoid further corrosion
Even better, you can use the sealer when there is no puncture yet to prevent air leaking when a nail, screw, etc., get stuck in the tire.
Yet, if you use a new tire and rim combo or the tires are in perfectly good shape, applying the bead sealer to repair the leaks is not necessary.
Does Tire Bead Sealer Harm Your Tire?
No, it doesn’t. The tire bead sealer often includes the main ingredient of natural rubber that is effective and safe to seal the bead tire leaks in your vehicle.
However, the safety of the bead sealer also depends on how you apply it to your leaks on the tire bead.
If you give your tire the wrong application, the bead sealer can ruin your tire and decrease its performance.
Conclusion
I’ve recommended some of the typical recipes to make the best substitute for tire bead sealer when you need it to repair the leaks in your tire.
Although the bead sealer is effective and useful to help seal the tire leaks without hassle, it is really just necessary in certain conditions.
In some cases, using the bead sealer on your bead tire leaks is also inconvenient and complicated.
Thus, making the alternative formula function as a bead sealer is helpful and easy to repair the leaks on your tire without further damage or negative impact.