What is ATV Tire Sealant?
ATV tire sealant is a liquid product designed to temporarily prevent and repair air leaks in your ATV tires. There are several brands of ATV tire sealant that, when used properly, are effective at keeping damaged ATV tires inflated.
It’s important to know that ATV tire sealant provides temporary air leak repairs. Flat tires happen all the time but commercial ATVs do not carry a spare tire so having a 32 oz bottle of ATV tire sealant with you while trail riding is a great idea. I keep mine next to my can of C02 compressed air for emergency tire repairs and it’s saved me several long walks over the years.
When and How To Use an ATV Tire Sealant
ATV tire sealants contain compounds that partially solidify over time so that they coat and seal damaged areas and prevent air from leaking. If your ATV is already safely home you need to find a permanent air leak solution such as replacing the damaged tire or installing a permanent plug as soon as possible.
Tire sealant is not meant to permanently fix a flat tire because it can create tire balance issues or leak again at any time. ATV tire sealant is meant to buy you a little time so that you can get home to perform a permanent repair. Use an ATV tire sealant in an emergency when you can’t permanently fix the flat.
To add tire sealant to your ATV tires simply follow the manufacturer’s recommendations printed on the bottle. It helps if you can first remove the tire but that’s not mandatory. What is important is that you turn the tire after adding tire sealant to make sure it covers the damaged area. You may need to tip the ATV a little if the air leak is on the side of the tire.
Wait the recommended amount of time before adding air to the tire again, tire sealant needs time to “gel” in order to work. TIP: Once you’ve located an air leak its a good idea to spread a small amount of sealant or soapy water over the outside of the tire and watch for air bubbles as you re-inflate the tire. If you see air bubbles the tire is still leaking.
Which is The Best ATV Tire Sealant?
There are several types and brands of ATV tire sealant and in my experience they all perform well if you follow their instructions carefully. Some sealants are easier to apply than others and some work more quickly than others but that doesn’t mean the fix will last longer.
In my opinion after testing several brands I find that how easy the sealant is to apply is more important than any other factor. After-all, no sealant is going to work well if you can’t get it in the tire when you need to. I prefer 32oz containers because they are easy to store on the ATV, it won’t help you if you’re stuck on the trails and your bottle is at home!
Top 3 ATV Tire Sealant Options | My Favorites
#1 – SLIME brand super-duty tire sealant – This stuff is good for sealing punctures up to a quarter-inch in diameter and is made for tubeless tires.
The container has a pump and tube built in to allow you to fill the tire through the valve stem easily. It’s easy to use, environmentally safe and cleans up with water.
#2 – MOOSE brand ATV tire sealant – What I like about Moose brand is that it won’t freeze or create rust on the inside of the rim. I’ve used it to stop bead leaks and it can seal a hole up to a half-inch in diameter depending on location.
It’s also water soluble. It takes a lot of product to seal an air leak, one 32oz bottle per tire in fact, but it works well.
#3 – Honda brand ATV tire sealant – Several ATV brands make their own official brand tire sealants. The Honda brand contains a rust inhibitor and doesn’t require tire removal to use. It comes in a smaller bottle, 16 ounces instead of 32 ounces, but it claims you can use it in tires that don’t have a flat yet.
I don’t recommend adding tire sealant to an ATV tire that isn’t leaking and tire manufacturers don’t require it either. The bottles are cheap and convenient but you might want to pick up a six pack of them, one might not be enough in an emergency. See current price by CLICKING HERE
Perform Emergency Flat Repairs on The ATV Trail
Once you have sealed your flat ATV tire with a quick trail-side repair you will need to add air to re-inflate the tire. I carry a compact C02 tire inflator along with my bottle of tire sealant for that purpose.
It can be reloaded with c02 cartridges and it can attach to any valve stem easily. It also gives me a quick blast of air if I want to get the dust off any other parts for repairs. When a cartridge runs out of air it has a built in hand-pump to keep inflating! You can see it’s current price via Cycle-Sports by CLICKING HERE.