E*thirteen Tire Plasma – Review
 | We've used our share of mediocre sealants, messy, smelly slop that left us yearning for the halcyon days of tubes. So when it came time to formulate our own sealant, we knew what to avoid. |
E*thirteen says that they tried them all and were so disappointed with the current crop of tubeless tire sealants that they decided to formulate their own. It's called Tire Plasma, and it looks and smells a lot like Stan's. According to e*thirteen, the stuff is made from a specially formulated acrylic polymer emulsion, which is water soluble and, reportedly, much kinder to people, tires and rims than other leading brands.
Water based acrylic polymer emulsions include a large family of products, like paint, art supplies, industrial sealing products and tubeless tire sealant - which is probably why Tire Plasma smells (and looks) very much like most other tubeless tire sealants. The devil is in the details. Whether it's finely ground Unicorn Kashmir or simply sawdust, nobody's tellin' - so we are left to imagine the secret ingredients inside e*thirteen's sealing potion. Tire Plasma is sold in one-liter bottles for $17.95, in the single-serving (one MTB tire) 120ml packet reviewed here for $4.95, and in a ten-pack of single-serving containers for $39.50. e*thirteen
Water based acrylic polymer emulsions include a large family of products, like paint, art supplies, industrial sealing products and tubeless tire sealant - which is probably why Tire Plasma smells (and looks) very much like most other tubeless tire sealants. The devil is in the details. Whether it's finely ground Unicorn Kashmir or simply sawdust, nobody's tellin' - so we are left to imagine the secret ingredients inside e*thirteen's sealing potion. Tire Plasma is sold in one-liter bottles for $17.95, in the single-serving (one MTB tire) 120ml packet reviewed here for $4.95, and in a ten-pack of single-serving containers for $39.50. e*thirteen
Riding Impressions
Well, there's a lot to like about Tire Plasma, The single-serving package is going to be emptied into one tire by most users, but if you are the gravel-grinding type, the package is resealable, so you can save some for a second tire. Other than that, e*thirteen's tubeless sealant seems like any other in every way. To discover whether it was better than regular Stan's, I poked holes in identical 2.3-inch tires at 26psi with a four-millimeter Allen wrench (e*thirteen's literature states that it will seal holes up to 4mm). Well, OK then - Tire Plasma had the hole sealed in three revolutions, but so did Stan's. I'll give the decision to e*thirteen, though, because there was slightly more dribble from the Stan's tire. Tire Plasma, like Stan's, doesn't produce the thick, rubbery film that Orange brand sealant leaves (and the occasional congealed wad on the bottom when the tire is left standing too long). While some riders believe that lots of gack inside their tires is a good thing, I prefer that my tire sealant remains liquid until it finds a puncture, which, so far, seems to be the case with e*thirteen's formula.
Pinkbike's Take:
| The Southwest guarantees at lest one puncture per ride. Tire Plasma has kept my tires firm and sealed for a number of weeks without turning the insides into a high school science experiment. Good stuff from a brand that seems to go the extra distance when they develop new products. |
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Yes, but how does it taste?
Stans - $28 for 32oz (free shipping)
TruckerCo - $20 for 34oz (free shipping)
E13 Tire Plasma - $18 for 34oz (+$9 for shipping)
For individual 120ml bottles:
Stans doesn't have 120ml bottles, and the 2oz (60ml) is $5 which you'd need two of. So $10 for 120ml.
TruckerCo - $4.91 for 120ml (free shipping)
E13 Tire Plasma - $5
...infact I just bought a bottle of Stan's from Amazon and havent used it yet, if Im still in my return window Im returning it and grabbing some E13.
This tire plasma is sticky , but that is why it actually works.
The sealant is doing an admirable job for me, but my tires fit reeeeeally tight on my rims. Being able to top off the sealant with a quick shot through the core was a huge plus with Stans. I don't know that I'd buy more of the e13 for this reason.
It most likely means it also will weaken any regular EXO casing they offer.
a food for thought. ...
I am happy with my STANS & ground BlackPepper combo at the moment.
for that!
Any trace amount of ammonia in Stan’s sealant will evaporate soon after it is injected into the tire. We have found no damaging effects from our sealant even after years of use. Although tape may not be necessary to seal your rim, you may add one layer to protect un-anodized or scratched areas of your rim from oxidation due to moisture in the sealant."
So trace amounts or no, there is ammonia, and it doesn't mention that a change has been made from their original formula. They also state that they haven't found damage, and to that point I must say they haven't looked far enough. As a mechanic in a shop I've seen stans sealant eat through a shimano ultegra road wheel. It wouldn't void MAXXIS warranties if it was completely benign. I've found Orange seal to be the safest sealant corrosion wise, but it is annoying when it dries and leaves the rubbery layer.
You might be thinking about our skinwall 26x2.50 Minion DHF DH-Casing, wire bead, 2-ply tire (part number TB74269000). This is not a TR tire and would void the warranty if you set it up tubeless. Our skinwall 27.5x2.30 Minion DHF tires are available in a TR construction that carries a full warranty when used with any sealant on the market.
The use of sealant in any of our standard casing, EXO, DoubleDown, or Tubeless-Ready Downhill tires will not degrade the rubber or void the warranty. Please feel free to PM us if you have any question about whether you can run your tire tubeless.
I thought the fineprint was rather strange too but It was on a German webstore for DHF EXO Casing Skinwall. Happy to hear Stans will do no damage.
So what is the exact difference between a TR EXO and EXO casing , say a HighRoller 2?
Is it a bead difference or sidewalls differ aswell?
Cheers
So yeah, I do understand that some early disadvantages (like needing a compressor for installation) have been resolved. I also accept that some advantages of tubeless over butyl tubes also to a minor extend count for tubeless over latex tubes. But the other issues I mentioned here. Are these valid?
One more question about larger cuts in the sidewall. When running tubes, I can usually just glue a patch to the inside to keep the tube in the tyre. Or I'd use whatever reasonably stiff I can find (like a leaf or money bill) and slip it between tube and tire. How would you safe yourself when that happens when running tubeless and it doesn't seal? If you don't close the cut your emergency tube is going to poke through and explode. But if it is all wet inside, a patch is not going to stick. Does the trick with the leaf or bill work here, or would it slip out of place? I envision this sealant as some sticky but slippery liquid that doesn't match my conventional methods of trailside repair.
I can definitely see the advantages but some downsides are still there. Especially as the performance of latex tubes (which I run) is right there between tubeless and conventional butyl tubes. And of course I happily sit at the tail end of technological progress. But from what I read, this progress (including that of tyre inserts) is still too quick. Once it levels off, that may be the time to bite. That could well be two or three years from now. But yeah, I 'm definitely considering it.
Funny these subjects about tyres. Depending on who I'm responding to, I'll have to write tyre or tire.
I also mix stans race with normal stans half and half with glitter is the way to go . I dont have any glitter tho thats just a wc team secret
"Graphene, a material consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms, has been touted as the strongest material known to exist, 200 times stronger than steel, lighter than paper, and with extraordinary mechanical and electrical properties."
I've never inject sealant through the valve. I always un-seat the bead.
From the post 3 above yours:
" It says it right on the race sealant bottle. "Must be poured directly into tire. Cannot be injected thru any valve. Not compatible with tubulars and inner tubes. Will plug any valve or injector."
Still worth the added protection and I will just change out valve cores every so often
The table also states you could use either 100ml or 110ml, depending on your tire width.
1. Much stiff tires that can support a bead 250% thicker than a MTB tire
2. Thicker carcass to support more weight, more rigid bead, more tread depth
3. NO spokes to seal
4. 100yrs +/- of R&D. Remember metric tubless tires by Michelin for 80-90s Ferrari's? How about the proprietary Michelin bead design on the Veyron?
5. Tow trucks and spare tires
6. MTB tires need to be thin and light for efficiency, compliance and performance. Dont believe me, lets build you a set of wheels for dirt bike tires and go for a ride. I'll bring my carbon wheel'd XC bike, you can ride the hybrid tired bike. Lets see who does better
Finally question: If you run sealant in your tubed tires, why wouldn't you run sealant in your tubeless tires? Got AAA for that mountain bike?
Shite.