Air Suspension Up-Keep

[LSCmuscle]

I know it's been mentioned that adding a coat of silicone to the air bladders while the car is on jack stands is a good way to prolong their life expectancy. My question for those of you that have been doing this, is what brand do you use? I've been told to stay away from silicones containing oils/solvent and that are propellants because they can cause the rubber to swell over time. Every silicone spray I've come across contains some type of solvent and has a propellant (not sure how you'd find one that was non propelled).

I thought about trying 3Ms version as it states it protects and preserves rubber along with many other uses. It also claimed to contain no petroleum oils, but upon further inspection of it's data sheet, it clearly listed "Solvent: Petroleum Distillates".

Any feedback would be aporeciated.

 

[ONLYTONY]

At NAPA I get their RU-GLIDE. It's a rubber lube made for rubber.It's also a cleaner. A long time ago it was a rubber lube, and vinyl dressing. It was the only stuff that would clean the vinyl roof on a 74 T-bird I had..They mostly sell it for mounting tires. The guy at NAPA didn't know it could be used for cleaning. I give all the rubber parts a little squirt on the front end when I change the oil. Good stuff.

 

[M Darrah]

The petroleum distillate is used as a carrier for the silicone, so I don't think you can avoid it in any kind of spray, although it's meant to evaporate quickly and leave only the silicone behind.

I use 303 Aerospace Protectant for rubber, although I have no idea what's in it, it seems to be a favorite of a lot of people. Just beware and keep it away from any painted plastic parts, especially things with printed lettering like the turn signal stalk. It eats through that stuff and fades the lettering. I once sprayed my old "mud flaps" (the kind with the white "Mark VIII" logo) and the white literally started running down them and pretty much ruined them.

You can get it at Ace Hardware.

 

[LSCmuscle]

The petroleum distillate is used as a carrier for the silicone, so I don't think you can avoid it in any kind of spray, although it's meant to evaporate quickly and leave only the silicone behind.

Just got a call back from their lab tech and he said that's exactly what it is and that it should quickly evaporate as you mentioned.

He also said that extensive studies showed no swelling or deterioration of rubber over time, and that 3M made this particular product primarily for auto usage. Still might have to try out the 303 Aerospace product if that's what others are mainly using.

Thanks

 

[SCTBIRD1173]

I have the 303 Aerospace Protectant. Thanks to Mark I have another use for it now

 

[M Darrah]

Well Bryan, if you're looking to use it as a paint stripper, I wouldn't bother. It does dissolve it to some extent, but it would probably take forever. I'd use good ole brake fluid.

 

[SCTBIRD1173]

Well Bryan, if you're looking to use it as a paint stripper, I wouldn't bother. It does dissolve it to some extent, but it would probably take forever. I'd use good ole brake fluid.

No Mark, I was going to use it on my air springs! I was using silicone lubricant before.