Ever wonder what’s in fix-a-flat? The February 2007 issue of wired tells you!
“Amorphous polyolefin – In the can, this shapeless mass of polymeric olefins (low-density plastics like poly-propylene and poly-ethylene) remains dissolved in the heavy aromatic naphtha. But once Fix-a-Flat is sprayed into the tire, the plastics coat the inner surface and plug the leak. Then the sticky aromatic resins keep them in place. The TFE dries the resins and poly-olefins, and you drive to the nearest service station to get your tire repaired. “ – More… & also check out the “Big Questions” Wiki from Wired, lots of good questions everyone is asking in science.
Update: Make reader Rostov writes in – “You should also mention that naphtha, a relative of gasoline, is highly flammable. Mixed with the air in the tire, it can explode. Many tire repair facilities refuse to work on tires that have been patched with fix-a-flat. Don’t ever take a tire with fix-a-flat to be repaired without informing the workers, as it can be dangerous.”
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