How Often to Add Sealant to Tubeless Tires

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Ready to put tubeless tires on your wheels? It’s unquestionably a wise selection. You’ll note how it virtually eliminates the possibility of a flat tire.

You might feel more at ease with the tubeless tire sealant. It provides you with more. However, if you’re unsure how much tubeless tire sealant to use or when to replace it since it’s no longer effective, we’ll answer these and other similar questions below.

When should you use tubeless tire sealant and why?

For starters, there is no such thing as conventional time. If the tubeless tire sealant, for example, performs admirably for you, it just only needs to be replenished when you change tires, especially if you use the disassembly to do so, because otherwise, it would be more difficult. However, if you do not use a lot of rubber, 3 months might be a good time to check your tubeless tire sealant levels and quality.

If it’s only a tubeless tire sealant repair, the volume will be roughly 80 milliliters. Note the figure because it applies to both mountain bikes and road bikes, albeit we recommend a bit less tubeless tire sealant on-road cycles and a little more on fat MTB wheels.

Mountain bike dosing based on wheel size

Wheel SizeRequired Sealant Volume
Road Bike40 to 60 mL
MTB 26”60 to 80 mL
MTB 27.5”80 to 100 mL
MTB 29″90 to 120 mL
Fat Bike170 to 200 mL

If you do not want terrible experiences and waste of tubeless tire sealant, make sure you have properly healed the tire before filling it, especially if it is a filling of tubeless tire sealant after a tire replacement.

When it comes to tubeless sealant, how long does it last?

It’s true that the idea of a self-healing tire sounds too good to be true. Unfortunately, you will need to replace your sealant at some point. Your sealant may have a limited lifespan depending on the type you apply. Latex-based sealants can last up to 9000 miles, while fiber-based sealants can last for the whole life of the tire. Fiber-based sealants are also easier to keep clean. As a result, if at all possible, fiber-based sealants are recommended. Although latex sealants are often less expensive and more effective, they might develop some undesirable characteristics with time. 

Latex-based sealants begin to dry after a certain amount of time, especially as you approach 9000 miles. It can stick to the rim and tire once it has dried, making it difficult to remove and even more difficult to clean. If you wait long enough, it will corrode your rim and tire, necessitating an even more expensive repair.

Fiber-based sealants are often water-based and have a long shelf life due to their soluble characteristics. This makes clean-up a lot easier and gives you peace of mind about what’s going on within your tire. When learning how to maintain tubeless tires, the first thing to learn is when to replace your sealant. That brings us to our next query.

How often should tubeless sealant be replaced?

You should change your sealant every 3 to 6 months, though it may be necessary to do so more frequently. Because your tire is self-healing, you may not realize how many punctures you’ve accrued or how much fluid you’ve lost over time. You should clean and replace the old sealant in your tire in addition to adding sealant on a regular basis. Sealant dries out with time and becomes less effective. Latex-based sealants can also leave clumps of the mixture in the tire, causing unequal weight distribution. Even if the possibilities of you causing actual harm are slim, it’s still a good idea to update your sealant on a regular basis.

Checking sealant

When tubeless tires are inflated, they tend to lock tightly to the rim, making it difficult to remove them from the rim to check the sealant and apply more. To do so, deflate the tire completely and then move around it, squeezing the tire’s sides together to push the section tucked within the rim’s center. Any sealant within the wheel will prefer to stay inside and not leak out while it is in this position.

You should be able to hear and feel the tire pop and break free when you get it loose from the rim with tire levers. If the sealant has been in there for months, you’ll probably find some strange-looking materials inside. It’s time to give your tires a fresh coat of sealant so you can enjoy flat-free rides again. Once you’ve gotten it loose like this, use tire levers to carefully remove roughly six inches of only one side of the tire from the rim at 12 o’clock on the wheel.

Conclusion

Most tubeless sealant suppliers recommend 30-60ml (1-2 ounces) per wheel. This is dependent on a variety of factors, including the sealant formula, personal risk tolerance, and even the humidity level in your area. Low humidity necessitates more frequent intervals, so sealant renewal durations are normally in the range of 2-12 months. If in doubt, check your sealant levels every six months at the very least.

Tips

Whatever sealant you choose, give it a good shake before applying it to your tire, and don’t hoard it because most sealants have a one-year shelf life even if they are never opened. Keep spare valve cores on available as well because nearly any sort of sealant will eventually block them.

FAQs

Should tubeless tires be left inflated even if they aren’t sealed?

Although a real tubeless tire may carry air without sealant, a tubeless-ready tire requires sealant to become airtight.

What is the proper amount of tubeless sealant to use?

The amount of sealant in your tire is determined by the tire size and riding/storage conditions. Each MTB tire should have 60ml to 120ml of sealant, a single road tire should have 40ml to 60ml, and a fat bike and PLUS tire should have 125ml.

Is it possible to over-seal a tubeless tire?

You can remove the tubeless valve and replace a conventional inner tube on the rim to go home if you develop a rip in your tire that is too wide for the sealant to handle or even to plug by hand.

Is it possible to combine tubeless sealant?

Any latex or synthetic latex sealant can be mixed. Latex and glycol-based sealants can’t be mixed, because glycol isn’t really a sealant. it only slows down air loss.