PITSTOP: how it works
PITSTOP does not glue a hole shut the way a patch does. It uses the two forces that are already there in a rolling wheel: the air pressure pushing out, and the rotation throwing everything against the tread.
At the moment of the puncture
A nail goes through the tread. Air starts to escape, and on its way out it drags the sealant with it into the channel. The fibres and rubber particles carried in the liquid jam in the opening, pack together, and the escaping air itself presses them into a plug. The wheel keeps turning, more material arrives, and within a few rotations the hole is closed by a flexible barrier that holds pressure. You often find out about it later, when you spot the nail.
What is inside the bottle
A blue, odourless gel with water as its base. In it: glycol, synthetic latex, viscose fibres and fine rubber particles. The fibres are the part that bridges the hole; the latex and rubber fill it and stay elastic. There is nothing aggressive in the formula, which is why it does not attack the rim or the butyl liner of the tyre, and why it washes off with plain water.
Why constant pressure is the real win
A tyre losing pressure slowly wears unevenly, rolls heavier and burns more fuel, and you rarely notice until the tread is gone on one shoulder. By closing small punctures as they happen, PITSTOP keeps the pressure where it should be. The manufacturer data puts the gain in tyre life at up to 25 percent, and that comes from the same place: stable working conditions rather than months of slow deflation.
It does not dry out
The sealant keeps its properties from -40 °C to +92 °C and stays liquid for the whole life of the tyre, including after several punctures. It does not set, does not stick to the inside of the tyre, and does not need special chemicals at the next tyre change: water and a cloth are enough.
What it cannot do
- Punctures larger than 12 mm, and anything in the sidewall rather than the tread.
- It is not a permanent repair. It buys you up to 1000 km without a speed limit, and that is time to get the tyre seen to, not a reason to forget about it.
- It does not belong in tyres with a profile of 45 or lower, or in run-flats.
Figures come from the manufacturer technical data sheet. The product is not classified as hazardous under Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.