How to keep tires from losing their seal?

[mickjetblue]

Ok, I know that the best way to keep tubeless tires from losing their seal is to keep them
properly inflated.

So, outside of that, is there any method, outside of installing tubes, to keep tubeless tires
from losing their seal when storage or whatever causes a slight decrease in pressure?

 

[BaileysBoat]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

Nitrogen.

 

[642mx]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

Tires lose air when the climate changes, tubes or not. Nitrogen helps, but its not a complete cure.

Now, if you have a leak (like around the bead), tire shops can break the tire down and smear some bead sealer between the tire and rim to stop a leak.

 

[mthieme]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

You can put a light coat of grease in the bead area. This helps particularly with older rims with a less than perfect surface area (rust, pitting).
The rubber will 'breathe' so over time; tires will lose air on their own.
Also, every 10 degrees in temperature affects pressure by 1 psi. So depending on where you live, you could potentially lose 10 psi just with the change of seasons.

 

[ebry710]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

I have three trailers. None of the 13 tires I have deflate. I suggest you find out why they are deflating. Over inflate them and either soap and look for bubbles or submerge in water and look for bubbles. There's got to be a reason for deflating.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

In the upper midwest we see temperature swings from -30F to 95F. To the math challenged, that's a 125 degree temperature swing and I guarantee you if you towed your California trailer up here the tires would be low the morning after you got here when the temp is even 32 degrees. Up here part of the winterizing process is to replace the summer air in our tires with winter air!!!

 

[lowkee]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

I second the grease on the beads. Been a trick of the trade for decades. Just a light coating, not a slathering.

 

[ebry710]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

In the upper midwest we see temperature swings from -30F to 95F. To the math challenged, that's a 125 degree temperature swing and I guarantee you if you towed your California trailer up here the tires would be low the morning after you got here when the temp is even 32 degrees. Up here part of the winterizing process is to replace the summer air in our tires with winter air!!!

I agree that tires loose pressure, but he is braking the bead. For my education and not to argue, but how does greasing the rim stop it from braking the bead when the tire pressure is so low?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

it allows the tire to slip better on the rim, to take a good seat. ever watch a good tire changer mount a tire. he uses a soap and water type lubricant, on the bead of the tire.

rust, grit, on the bead area, can cause tire to loose pressure, also valve stems and a good check.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

If the air is 100% dry, there should be no change in pressure other than by a change in altitude, right? It is the expansion and contraction of the moisture in the air, not the air itself that is causing pressure changes due to temperature?

Also leak test the valve stems. The core valve as well as where it goes thru the rim. If it leaks a tiny bit at the rim, deflate and then turn the stem with a pair of pliers to get it to seat better. Could be a bit of rust or rough surface or a grain of sand or some preventing a good seal.

Check the bead for leaks, if you see any bubbles, use a 2 pound hammer and whack the sidewall as close to the bead as possible. But do not hit the rim. Many times this will help eliminate a bead leak.

 

[NYBo]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

Some common misconceptions here.

1. Nitrogen will NOT fix the problem. The reason race crews use it is because it contains no oxygen so it won't accelerate a fire. Plus, it is free of moisture, so it prevents corrosion of the insides of the wheels (not a big issue in this setting, though). Nitrogen also expands and contract with temperature change. Regular air is 78% nitrogen, so you're already using mostly nitrogen!

2. All gases expand and contract with temperature change. Although different gases do so to differing degrees, the presence or absence of water vapor isn't a significant factor in this.

3. Don't use petroleum-based grease to seal the beads. It attacks the rubber.

I agree with those who wrote that there is probably something leaking more than normal. A tire in good shape will lose air very slowly. You should only be down a few PSI after winter storage, if that.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

One other thing thats possible, not as likely but possible is the bead has been ruined due to running flat. I had a trailer once that had one rim that would not hold air in a tire no matter what tire it had on it new valve stem, sanded and painted beads on both sides and it still leaked. finally took it to a different tire shop and they discovered that the edge of the rim must have been run flat at one time and it flattened the bead area out just enough that it wouldn't seal. rim was junk.. probably not your case but it can happen and sometimes on a trailer you don't always know right away if you have a flat.

 

[haskindm]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

If a tire is loosing so much air while in storage that it looses it's bead seal, there is a problem. It is perfectly normal for it to lose a few pounds (wish I could), but to lose so much that the bead breaks away from the rim indicates a problem. Finding and fixing the leak is the only solution.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

Some common misconceptions here.

2. All gases expand and contract with temperature change. Although different gases do so to differing degrees, the presence or absence of water vapor isn't a significant factor in this.

All gasses expand and contract identically according to the "Ideal Gas Law"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideal_gas_law

One of the reasons that pure nitrogen is touted to solve the leaking problem is that nitrogen molecules are slightly bigger than oxygen so it makes it hard to permeate through the rubber's microscopic pores.

http://www.getnitrogen.org/pdf/graham.pdf

Personally, the difference will be so negligible, it is a waste of money to use nitrogen to fill your tires.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

Up here part of the winterizing process is to replace the summer air in our tires with winter air!!!

I think it is better practice to replace air every season. Nothing like spring air!


When I replace winter air with the new spring air, I actually wait until April 1st.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

Geez -- I was getting worried that nobody would catch that little "gotcha" about winter and summer air. Sort of goes along with making sure you always top off the blinker fluid. On the nitrogen thing, race teams use nitrogen because it remains a little more stable than air during the course of a race (its a heat/pressure thing). When 1/4 psi makes a difference in how a race car handles, having more stable tire pressure can make you a winner.

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

A problem I have seen numerous times, is when tubeless tires are installed on older tube type tire rims. The beads will leak no matter how much glue or goop is applied to the bead area. May not leak in the test tank, but when the weight of the vehicle( or trailer) is applied it will then. Perhaps just a little, but enough to notice that these are the only ones on the property going down.

Tubes or a rim change will usually take care of that.

 

[Bondo]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

A problem I have seen numerous times, is when tubeless tires are installed on older tube type tire rims.

Ayuh,... Just curious,... What's the Difference....

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

If you take a rim and place your finger in the groove where wheel weights would normally reside on a steel rim, you will notice this area to be somewhat cupped, whereas on an older, or tube type rim, this same area when a finger is placed there will feel flatter. Subtle but obvious.

I worked at a tire shop years ago and was reminded a few years back when dealing with some stock Datsun pickup (early 70's) rims I had on a pickup box trailer I built. I bought nice radials and they would leak at nearly an exact rate. Even after letting a tire guy try fixing it with tire soap. A waxy greasy looking stuff.

I never did fully address it. I just knew to air up the tires each time I used it.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Re: How to keep tires from losing their seal?

tire slime or ride on.