FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do TERRA-S Mobil or Standard Kit sealants work?
TERRA-S sealants are specially formulated blends of environmentally friendly-polymers, anti-freeze agents and natural rubber latex, among others. As you start driving again and the wheel rotates, the TERRA-S tyre sealant evenly coats the inside of the tyre within the tread area, allowing the product to seal tread area punctures. As the tyre is punctured, the escaping air carries the sealant to the puncture and the molecules enter into friction as they are squeezed through the newly formed puncture, destabilizing the latex and propelling the rubber to bond and form a mechanical plug into the perforation, sealing your puncture.
TERRA-S sealants are specially formulated blends of environmentally friendly-polymers, anti-freeze agents and natural rubber latex, among others. As you start driving again and the wheel rotates, the TERRA-S tyre sealant evenly coats the inside of the tyre within the tread area, allowing the product to seal tread area punctures. As the tyre is punctured, the escaping air carries the sealant to the puncture and the molecules enter into friction as they are squeezed through the newly formed puncture, destabilizing the latex and propelling the rubber to bond and form a mechanical plug into the perforation, sealing your puncture.
Is it complicated to repair a tyre using a TERRA-S kit?
- Mobil and Standard Kits: First, remove the valve core with a tool integrated to the bottle cap. Next, inject the sealant into the tyre manually by squeezing it from the bottle inside the tyre through the valve. After squeezing in the whole content of the bottle, screw the valve core back in place. In case something happens, we have added an extra valve core. Finally, connect your inflator to the accessory outlet of the car and the air hose to the valve core, then inflate until you reach the pressure recommended for your tyre.
- Once you have finished airing up your tyre, start driving right away for about 3 km. After that distance, stop and check the pressure again with the help of the kit. The sealant will have found the puncture and will have sealed it in the meantime. Adjust the pressure again with the inflator and resume your journey, driving under 80 km/h.
Why should I buy a kit when I have a spare tyre in my car?
You can actually have both, as the tyre repair kit will only occupy a very reduced space. There are several reasons to have both:
You can actually have both, as the tyre repair kit will only occupy a very reduced space. There are several reasons to have both:
- Fixing a tyre with one of our kits will always be easier and quicker than changing a wheel. For minor repairs, it is also safer, as manipulating tools or jacking up the car always conveys a risk of accident for the user.
- It will not always be you driving your car and that other person might not have the necessary experience or the physical strength to change a tyre. The tyre repair kit would be the solution of choice.
- You might suffer a major damage to your tyre, where a tyre repair kit cannot be of any help, whatever the brand. A spare tyre or a call to road assistance will only be your only solution then.
Why should I buy a kit when I can buy a repair aerosol for much less money?
With a repair kit, you will get better sealing performances, and using an inflator is the only way to get back to full tyre pressure. It is true that you will find aerosols on the market for half the price of the cheapest of the tyre repair kits, but the performance you will get from an aerosol will be far from the one provided by a regular sealant and inflator kit.
Sealants have better sealing properties than what an aerosol contains. The best proof is that car manufacturers choose to put tyre repair kits in their new cars before selling them, not aerosols. The strict performance and security requirements imposed by the automotive industry in the EU could never be met by aerosols.
You have also the problem of having an aerosol with flammable components always stored in your car, whatever the season and therefore whatever the temperature. And we all know that the temperature in a car in summer can get to high levels. A sealant bottle coupled to an inflator does not present any storage risk with high temperatures.
The last and perhaps most important reason lies into the fact that after you introduce sealant in your tyre, you have to add air to regain enough pressure to allow you to get back on the road safely. Aerosols can only provide as much air as what the can contains in a compressed state. This is why you usually have several sizes of aerosols, to match the several tyre sizes. But if you lost a lot of air before you can pull to the side of the road to repair, will the aerosol be sufficient to get you to a minimum pressure to be able to drive safely? The tyre repair kit will get you to the desired pressure thanks to the unlimited air source provided by the inflator.
With a repair kit, you will get better sealing performances, and using an inflator is the only way to get back to full tyre pressure. It is true that you will find aerosols on the market for half the price of the cheapest of the tyre repair kits, but the performance you will get from an aerosol will be far from the one provided by a regular sealant and inflator kit.
Sealants have better sealing properties than what an aerosol contains. The best proof is that car manufacturers choose to put tyre repair kits in their new cars before selling them, not aerosols. The strict performance and security requirements imposed by the automotive industry in the EU could never be met by aerosols.
You have also the problem of having an aerosol with flammable components always stored in your car, whatever the season and therefore whatever the temperature. And we all know that the temperature in a car in summer can get to high levels. A sealant bottle coupled to an inflator does not present any storage risk with high temperatures.
The last and perhaps most important reason lies into the fact that after you introduce sealant in your tyre, you have to add air to regain enough pressure to allow you to get back on the road safely. Aerosols can only provide as much air as what the can contains in a compressed state. This is why you usually have several sizes of aerosols, to match the several tyre sizes. But if you lost a lot of air before you can pull to the side of the road to repair, will the aerosol be sufficient to get you to a minimum pressure to be able to drive safely? The tyre repair kit will get you to the desired pressure thanks to the unlimited air source provided by the inflator.
Which repair kit is the right one for me?
Whichever of the two TERRA-S repair kits you choose, you have a reliable solution to get you back on the road quickly and safely. If you have a big SUV, caravan, trailer or small professional van, you should think about getting the Standard Kit because of the large quantity of sealant it contains. If you own a normal size car, the choice comes down to cost and ease of use. Keep in mind that it is about making an initial investment and that even if you do not use your kit before the sealant expires, then you only need to change the bottle or the cartridge.
Whichever of the two TERRA-S repair kits you choose, you have a reliable solution to get you back on the road quickly and safely. If you have a big SUV, caravan, trailer or small professional van, you should think about getting the Standard Kit because of the large quantity of sealant it contains. If you own a normal size car, the choice comes down to cost and ease of use. Keep in mind that it is about making an initial investment and that even if you do not use your kit before the sealant expires, then you only need to change the bottle or the cartridge.
I have a big vehicle. Will TERRA-S work for me too?
If you have a big car or SUV, caravan, trailer or perhaps a van for your professional activity, the right solution for you would be the TERRA-S Standard Kit. Together with a powerful inflator, it offers a 700 mL sealant bottle whose content will be able to coat correctly the whole surface of your tyre tread. There is just one precaution to be taken for very big tyres or high pressures (over 3 Bar): make sure you do not overheat the inflator. Do not let it run for more than 10 minutes. Allow it to cool down between uses.
If you have a big car or SUV, caravan, trailer or perhaps a van for your professional activity, the right solution for you would be the TERRA-S Standard Kit. Together with a powerful inflator, it offers a 700 mL sealant bottle whose content will be able to coat correctly the whole surface of your tyre tread. There is just one precaution to be taken for very big tyres or high pressures (over 3 Bar): make sure you do not overheat the inflator. Do not let it run for more than 10 minutes. Allow it to cool down between uses.
How far can I drive after having repaired my tyre with TERRA-S?
Our engineers have been testing the products on hundreds of kilometers, with complete satisfaction, but they were provoking the puncture artificially, with a calibrated tool. When you get a puncture on the road, you do not know exactly what the damage to the tyre is. Sometimes, you do not even know what caused the puncture. Our recommendation is therefore to drive carefully to the next workshop to get your tyre examined and repaired professionally or changed if the damage to its structure is too big. 160 Km (as indicated in our instructions-for-use leaflet) should be enough to bring you back home or allow you to find a workshop.
Our engineers have been testing the products on hundreds of kilometers, with complete satisfaction, but they were provoking the puncture artificially, with a calibrated tool. When you get a puncture on the road, you do not know exactly what the damage to the tyre is. Sometimes, you do not even know what caused the puncture. Our recommendation is therefore to drive carefully to the next workshop to get your tyre examined and repaired professionally or changed if the damage to its structure is too big. 160 Km (as indicated in our instructions-for-use leaflet) should be enough to bring you back home or allow you to find a workshop.
Which punctures can I fix with the TERRA-S Kits?
After being introduced into the tyre, and once you have started to drive again, the latex-based sealant will be brought to the internal side of the tyre tread thanks to the centrifugal force and will result in coating the whole tyre tread, as well as a part of the flanks, the height reached on the tyre sides depending on the size of the tyre and the amount of sealant. In all cases, the whole tread will be covered, and therefore any puncture with a maximal diameter of 6 mm situated on that surface will be fixed. This should cover all punctures caused by nails or screws.
If you experience a slit, as the two sides of the slit can slide in relation to one another, the sealant will most probably be unable to seal the puncture if it is a big one. There might also be other types of perforations, for example made by a big metal splint, that will cause too big a damage, compromising the inner structure of a part of the tyre, and for which your only solution will be to call road assistance or change the tyre. We are not talking about simple punctures anymore. A repair would fail and trying to drive with such a tyre could be dangerous. Examine the puncture to evaluate in which category you find yourself and if the repair intent fails, do not hesitate to call road assistance.
After being introduced into the tyre, and once you have started to drive again, the latex-based sealant will be brought to the internal side of the tyre tread thanks to the centrifugal force and will result in coating the whole tyre tread, as well as a part of the flanks, the height reached on the tyre sides depending on the size of the tyre and the amount of sealant. In all cases, the whole tread will be covered, and therefore any puncture with a maximal diameter of 6 mm situated on that surface will be fixed. This should cover all punctures caused by nails or screws.
If you experience a slit, as the two sides of the slit can slide in relation to one another, the sealant will most probably be unable to seal the puncture if it is a big one. There might also be other types of perforations, for example made by a big metal splint, that will cause too big a damage, compromising the inner structure of a part of the tyre, and for which your only solution will be to call road assistance or change the tyre. We are not talking about simple punctures anymore. A repair would fail and trying to drive with such a tyre could be dangerous. Examine the puncture to evaluate in which category you find yourself and if the repair intent fails, do not hesitate to call road assistance.
Can I get my tyre repaired after using my TERRA-S kit ?
If the damage to the tyre is not big and does not compromise the integrity of the tyre structure, a professional technician will be able to repair your tyre. The use of the sealant cannot justify not repairing the tyre: the sealant will not harm the tyre, the wheel, the rim, or the TPMS sensor.
If a repair using a plug is possible, then the tyre can be repaired after cleaning the sealant out thoroughly.
If the damage to the tyre is not big and does not compromise the integrity of the tyre structure, a professional technician will be able to repair your tyre. The use of the sealant cannot justify not repairing the tyre: the sealant will not harm the tyre, the wheel, the rim, or the TPMS sensor.
If a repair using a plug is possible, then the tyre can be repaired after cleaning the sealant out thoroughly.
I have a slow leak. Can I use TERRA-S sealant to fix it?
With what we have explained about how the sealants work, it seems like a good idea to try to get rid of a slow leak by using a sealant. If we are talking about a car, then we have to recommend you do not do it. When you introduce a sealant into a tyre, whatever the brand, when driving over approximately 80 km/h the sealant produces an imbalance into the tyre, leading to vibrations that can be felt by the driver through the steering wheel but also by the passengers. There is nothing you can do to prevent this from happening, it’s the consequences of universal laws about fluid mechanics. Trying to fix a slow leak means introducing the sealant in the tyre but not bringing the tyre to be repaired and the sealant to be removed. The sealant stays therefore into the tyre permanently when it shouldn’t.
With what we have explained about how the sealants work, it seems like a good idea to try to get rid of a slow leak by using a sealant. If we are talking about a car, then we have to recommend you do not do it. When you introduce a sealant into a tyre, whatever the brand, when driving over approximately 80 km/h the sealant produces an imbalance into the tyre, leading to vibrations that can be felt by the driver through the steering wheel but also by the passengers. There is nothing you can do to prevent this from happening, it’s the consequences of universal laws about fluid mechanics. Trying to fix a slow leak means introducing the sealant in the tyre but not bringing the tyre to be repaired and the sealant to be removed. The sealant stays therefore into the tyre permanently when it shouldn’t.
Are there any cases in which sealant may not repair my tyre?
Here are some reasons that could explain a failure:
Here are some reasons that could explain a failure:
- In the case of a gradual air loss, the air leak might come from the junction between the rim and the tyre, too high on the tyre side to be coated by the sealant when driving. The same could happen if the puncture is situated too high on the tyre flank, where the centrifugated sealant cannot reach the perforation.
- A slow leak might also come from an incorrectly adjusted valve core or a valve shaft separating at its foot from the tyre rubber mass, in which case the sealant would not be able to help
- In case of a sudden flat, the perforation could be too big and its sides moving in respect to one another, letting the air escape. This means that the damage to the tyre is too large for the use of a tyre repair kit. Changing the wheel or calling road assistance is the sensible thing to do in this case.
Why is a latex-based sealant better for tyre repair on cars than water-based products as some brands are offering?
Cars manufacturers have, in their vast majority, chosen latex-based sealant kits to be installed into the cars coming out of their factories (even if water-based sealants are very easy to clean and to get rid of). The reason to prefer latex lies in the protection that the latex offers and in the reliability of the tyre repair kit solution in terms of safety of use in all kind of circumstances.
Cars can drive fast, and even if repairing a tyre with a kit implies that you have to drive slowly and repair quickly after the puncture occurs, there is always the risk that some user decides to speed after a repair or keeps the sealant in the tyre for a couple of months before bringing the tyre to be seen to.
Latex-based sealants will cover the tyre tread but also the puncture canal created into the inner structure of the tyre, extending a water-repellent coating on the whole inner surface. If it rains, this coating will impede water infiltrations to come in contact with the core of the tyre, avoiding a risk of corrosion of the metal parts of the tyre structure, which can prove dangerous riding at high speeds on German motorways because of the intensity of the mechanical stresses on the tyre at those speeds. Our experience shows us that it is not the case for slow-moving vehicles, as the strains on the tyre are at a completely different level at low speeds.
Cars manufacturers have, in their vast majority, chosen latex-based sealant kits to be installed into the cars coming out of their factories (even if water-based sealants are very easy to clean and to get rid of). The reason to prefer latex lies in the protection that the latex offers and in the reliability of the tyre repair kit solution in terms of safety of use in all kind of circumstances.
Cars can drive fast, and even if repairing a tyre with a kit implies that you have to drive slowly and repair quickly after the puncture occurs, there is always the risk that some user decides to speed after a repair or keeps the sealant in the tyre for a couple of months before bringing the tyre to be seen to.
Latex-based sealants will cover the tyre tread but also the puncture canal created into the inner structure of the tyre, extending a water-repellent coating on the whole inner surface. If it rains, this coating will impede water infiltrations to come in contact with the core of the tyre, avoiding a risk of corrosion of the metal parts of the tyre structure, which can prove dangerous riding at high speeds on German motorways because of the intensity of the mechanical stresses on the tyre at those speeds. Our experience shows us that it is not the case for slow-moving vehicles, as the strains on the tyre are at a completely different level at low speeds.
Which bottle can replace my expired one?
Our TERRA-S bottles can replace any used or expired bottle, as long as the inflator can inflate on its own, which is the case if you have a hose coming out of the inflator to be attached onto the valve. In short, you have to be able to inflate without the bottle. If this is the case, you can use any of our bottles.
If not, you might consider buying one of our bottles and use another inflation source. Two factors to consider: the size of your vehicle and the type of repair mode you are wishing. If you are looking for a cheap solution and are willing to dismount the valve core, then would recommend that you choose one of our two squeeze bottles:
If you do not mind spending a little more, you can choose a repair mode offering a very easy solution, getting one of our pressure-resistant bottles. We offer 3 sizes: 300 mL for small cars, 450 mL for medium-sized cars and 600 mL for all big sizes. For all bottle models, there is a universal rule: if you have a doubt between two sizes, getting a bigger one is always the best solution.
Our TERRA-S bottles can replace any used or expired bottle, as long as the inflator can inflate on its own, which is the case if you have a hose coming out of the inflator to be attached onto the valve. In short, you have to be able to inflate without the bottle. If this is the case, you can use any of our bottles.
If not, you might consider buying one of our bottles and use another inflation source. Two factors to consider: the size of your vehicle and the type of repair mode you are wishing. If you are looking for a cheap solution and are willing to dismount the valve core, then would recommend that you choose one of our two squeeze bottles:
- If you have a big car, a SUV, a minivan, a caravan or a trailer, the best option will be to choose the 700 mL squeeze bottle (ref #T16001), as it offers the best sealant quantity for these tyre sizes.
- If you have a small to medium size car, the best choice would be our 450 mL squeeze bottle (ref #T16000).
If you do not mind spending a little more, you can choose a repair mode offering a very easy solution, getting one of our pressure-resistant bottles. We offer 3 sizes: 300 mL for small cars, 450 mL for medium-sized cars and 600 mL for all big sizes. For all bottle models, there is a universal rule: if you have a doubt between two sizes, getting a bigger one is always the best solution.
Why is it so important to drive slowly after a repair?
Here are two answers to this question:
Here are two answers to this question:
- Right after the repair, the instructions tell you to drive slowly about 3 km, then stop to check the pressure and adjust it, before you can resume your journey, making sure you stay under 80 km/h. The first, slow 3 km long drive is to ensure that the sealant gets properly distributed on the whole tyre tread and covers it all in order to find the puncture and seal it. It takes less than 3 km for the sealant to find the hole and for the molecules to form a plug, sealing the hole.
- After you have checked the tyre pressure again and have adjusted it, we ask you to drive the remain of your journey slowly. Here is the reason why: when you introduce a sealant into a tyre, whatever the brand, when driving over approximately 80 km/h the sealant suddenly produces an imbalance into the tyre, leading to uncomfortable vibrations that can be felt into the steering wheel by the driver but also directly by the passengers. There is nothing you can do to prevent this from happening, it’s the consequences of universal laws about fluid mechanics. Remaining under this limit will allow you to drive safely and comfortably until you can get your tyre examined by a professional.
When do I have to change my sealant bottle?
If you already have a tyre repair kit in your car, you should be paying attention to the sealant expiry date printed on the bottle. It will most of the time be written with DDMMYY, which are the day (DD), month (MM) and year (YY) of the use-by date. All sealants, per their chemical composition, have an expiry date after which the efficiency of the product is not guaranteed anymore. Sealants containing latex might dry out over time, while other latex-free formulations based on polymers will see the polymer chains breaking and losing their chemical properties.
If you already have a tyre repair kit in your car, you should be paying attention to the sealant expiry date printed on the bottle. It will most of the time be written with DDMMYY, which are the day (DD), month (MM) and year (YY) of the use-by date. All sealants, per their chemical composition, have an expiry date after which the efficiency of the product is not guaranteed anymore. Sealants containing latex might dry out over time, while other latex-free formulations based on polymers will see the polymer chains breaking and losing their chemical properties.