my drivers side tire kept going flat on me so i brought it in to the tire place and they said te tire was fine and it was the rim. he said they see that problem alot but they tryed to reseal but they said im probly gonna need a new rim possibly all new but ill wait untill they all leak, has anyone ever heard of a problem with stock rims leakeing air? he said it was mostly the crome ones though.

I think the rims do get rusted over time and start leaking air. If resealing doesn't help, then getting a new rim would probably be the only option.

Unless you see rust around the lip the tire seals against [viewable with tire/wheel on car], then the rim is not to blame. Fill up the tire.. to like 50-60PSI [that'* a good number, do you agree?], then get a soapy water solution, and go across the tire, and see if you can find bubbles. If you don't see any around the rim seal, then it'* the tire, not the rim. Try the schrader valve also, just to make sure it isn't there either.


-justin

My neighbors tire was doing the same thing. I was doing a brake job for her so while the wheel was off I pumped it up to 60-70 psi and sprayed soapy water around the bead........ no bubbles, so I left it and went to work on the brakes. When I came back for the tire it was foaming like a mad dog. The point I'm making is these are very, very slow leaks so let that soapy water set for a good :30 or longer under high pressure or you'll miss the leak. If you find it, mark the spot. After it is cleaned up or if no rust is found, perhaps a dab of RTV sealant smeared on the bead will seal it. It soudn't take much.

It could easily be the valve stem and not the rim, but it could easily be the rim as well.

The wheels corrode where the tire seals onto them, and eventually start leaking air. You can take a grinder to the wheel and clean off all the corrosion where the tire seals and the it should seal fine. I've done it numerous times to wheels with great success. Unless you rim is bent or the mounting holes are elongated or something like that, it shouldn't need to be replaced.

Shawn

they replaced the valve stem and that was monday and its now wednesday and it still looks full so hopefully its fixed now.

If it'* a front tire, you'll know when you are 2PSI low, but it takes 5-7PSI in the rear to see if it'* low. This is all due to the fact our cars are so front end heavy. My fronts are about 4PSI low, and they have a huge flat spot [undrivable], while the rears are the same pressure, and they look fine.


-justin

I agree with the above. Your wheels can be cleaned (with time and energy) to create an airtight seal. There is no doubt the salt corrodes the seal over time, but it shouldn't come down to requiring a new wheel, that sounds to me like the tire shop is looking to make some money....

Yessiree, my chrome Torquestars are leaking around the valve stems on both the 1997 and 1998. Only on two rims each car. I have to fill the front tires in my 1998 every other day (at least until tomorrow -the shop never put new VS'* in when I paid for them when I had my new Goodyear Regatta 2'* installed back in Septemeber -tomorrow they are putting in Valve stems for free and they don't know it yet even though I have an appointment.

My chrome 16'* kept leaking when I first bought the car. Twice it was valve stems, all other times it was from around the bead. Have a tire shop break down the tire, wire brush the bead on the ruim and have the shop use generous amounts of the black goop on the tire and rim to seal. This has been effective on my SSEi.

Jay