Well, folks, this is a bit embarrassing in being so late to respond... but here's an update from the OP!
Now 6000 miles on my 2008 smart. All miles except the first thousand have had Ultraseal in the tires. Absolutely no problems in balance, no problems with leaks, no problems with the sensors. VERY SORRY I took so long for this feedback. Gempler's is being safe with their answer. Nobody did a test with Ultraseal until I did it. Ultraseal themselves did not have access to a smart car to test in California, so I did (and continue to do) the test. Does 6000 miles prove that it will never cause a problem? I don't know. I'm just continuing to add miles to either prove or disprove the claims that it affects the sensors. I'm also not sure that Ultraseal will work with all sensors. So far it has not affected the 2008 smart sensors.
Regarding the amount required in each tire. The standard tires for both the 450 and the 451 versions of the smart car require 8 oz in each front tire and 10 oz in each rear tire. I know that the sizes vary slightly between the 450 and 451, but they still receive the same number of ounces. The delivered cost of Ultraseal is $59 from us. That includes the installation kit. So, the cost for the entire four tires of a smart car is 36oz/128oz x $59, or $16.59. The remaining amount can be put in another car, bicycles, two wheel air filed tire dollies or whatever else you want that goes "round and round".
The stuff is water soluable and safe around tire mechanics. Ultraseal is used by the US Postal Service in all of it's vehicles and a stronger version of Ultraseal is used in Humvees by the Army. That stronger version will immediately seal both sides of a tire shot by gunfire, but cannot be used at highway speeds. Still, if you live in a tough neighborhood...
Hope this information has been helpful and again I apologize for the lateness in this update!
Ask more questions. I'll try to be quicker in my response next time.
I've used both Ride-on and Ultra-Seal for a few years. My latest tire swap, I used Ride-on in the rear tires of my smart and, because I had some in the shed, Ultra-Seal in the front. All four tires are 195/50/15.
I've never had a problem before, but here's what's happening now: the tires were all properly balnced and run on the car for 2-3 weeks, no worries.
Added Ride-On to the rear. No worries. Added Ultra-Seal to the fronts a week later... severe wheel shimmy from day one!
Now, maybe the fronts were a teensy bit out of balance and the Ultra-Seal is amplifying that condition?
Also, I hit a jeezly big pothole around that time and maybe the alignment got thrown off - now also exaggerated by the U-S?
Off to get the balancing and alignment checked and will report findings. I'm hoping it has nothing to do with the Ultra-Seal... we'll see....
Not sure I understand..... are you saying you apply the ultraseal the the indicator FALSELY goes on.. but if you take some air out the light goes out?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rgaus
This subject is intended to address the many questions concerning both the lack of a spare tire and the smart provided sealant/compressor solution to fix flat tires.
There are a few products on the market that pre-seal tires to prevent flats. The one I will talk about here is called Ultraseal. It is a product endorsed by Evilution as a valid alternative to the smart "fix it after it happens" solution. Product is installed into new tires in a specific ounce to tire volume ratio. On the 2008 smarts, it is 8 ounces per tire for the 155/60's in the front and 10 ounces per tire in 175/55's in the rear. A valve stem removing tool is used to take out the valve. Your finger is placed over the valve until sealant is pumped into the tire. One downward motion pump inserts 1 ounce. No aerosol is used. The product is water based and is not flammable. There is no danger to the service people changing tires at a tire shop. Ultraseal seals the inside of the tire to a degree that it is always protected from punctures of up to 1/4". Self seals. US Postal Service vehicles around the country use Ultraseal. Tires should lose no pressure over time due to its sealant ability.
Though this may sound great, the biggest problem with any sealant such as this is that it is said to cause the Pressure Sensing Valves to malfunction and show that a tire is low. Various contributors in these threads have suggested ignoring the light or using black tape to place over the light, but that is hardly a solution. Though the primary purpose of the Ultraseal is to prevent flats, that ever-present light would be an annoyance... but it may not be a problem after all.
I inserted Ultraseal into all my 2008 smart tires at 1000 miles. I now have 2000 miles and the Pressure Sensing Valves are all working perfectly. I've manually let air out of each of the four tires over the time that I've had my smart and the Pressure sensors all react as they should. When I refill the tires, the light again goes out, and stays out.
I still would argue that any product that can prevent the problem of having a flat is a better solution than one that allows you to fix it after the event. I would also argue that the light, even if glowing constantly, would be a livable inconvenience while knowing you could be protected from having a flat... but everyone views that differently. I will continue to post updates each thousand miles and will be very honest on any problems that occur with the Pressure Sensors. At this point, however, each sensor is working perfectly as it should. If that continues, it would appear that Ultraseal is one product that can provide protection from flats while allowing the pressure sensors to continue to operate successfully.
I need to add a disclaimer. I do sell this stuff, so I may not be viewed as objective. However, the reason I sell it is that I am convinced it provides a solution that will work for many people. I learned about it from Evilution and did my own research after that. Great company. Smart doesn't sell it and I do not know why. I've suggested it to a number of folks at SmartUSA in my feedback communications on my car. I don't care if you buy it from me, but you ought to consider this type of product. There is another product that I believe is called Ride-On. Another is sold by Wal-Mart and made by Simonize. Another is called Slime, but on the packaging of Slime, it advises against going over 55 miles per hour due to possible vibration. Ultraseal does not have that problem. I cannot vouch for the other products, only Ultraseal. Perhaps someone could do their own test on Ride-On or the Wal-Mart product.
Hope this information is helpful. I'll keep updating each thousand miles.
No, nothing happens that shouldn't happen. If I let some air out of the tire (just to test the system), then the light comes on as it should with a low tire. However, as soon as the tire is refilled, the light stays out, as it should. Sorry I didn't make that clearer.
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1999 Ford Expedition
Smart
smart - aka Smurf
and freeing up the space it takes up in my car. I"m fairly well sold on the product.
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