Stevec

I checked tire pressure a week ago and one tire was down to 20 psi. I filled it, and five days later I've lost another 5 lbs. There is no visible nail. What's the first step - take it to a shop to check for a leak? Can they find that slow of a leak? Wheels are chrome OEM - 12 years old now. Do they become a problem at some point?

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bl420

take it to a tire shop...

they'll put it in a bucket of some sort with solution and see where the bubbles come out of.

its probably a slow leak.. and it'll probably have to be patched.

it could also be your valve and other stuff but..

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Jake@Tirerack.com

Any luck with that leak yet? I would bet on the Valve stem so just curious about the cause of your leak.

Alperovich

/\ yea it probably is just a valve step issue. happens alot. also sometimes the tires just need to be reinstalled on a rim. like its been said, take the wheel off the car, (or u can do it with the car int he air) and put in a large tub type of thing filled with water and look for bubbles. u can also just spray water (like from a spray bottle) onto the tire and look for bubbling but its not as effective.

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Stevec

Thanks for the ideas, guys.

Jake - I bought my Kuhmos thru tirerack and had them installed at Zuby's. Thought about going over there (they have been great), but there is a Big O Tires around the corner just a couple of miles from me. They redid a screwed up alignment another Big O had done and I was happy with their work. Called them yesterday, and they said to be there at 8 A.M. today. Turned out to be a bad bead seal. They put sealant in/on - however it's done (there is a little bit on the sidewall and you can see it near the bead). Service writer said it's not uncommon for chrome rims to corrode when they get older which causes the bad seal. I've heard that before, but I've also heard that's not true. Of course, I start to research tire bead and see that bead can cause problems such as drying out the tire and balancing issues. Any comments or advice? Time to re-chrome, or does the sealant hold up?

Interestingly I think they set all four to 40 PSI. Probably at least 5 pounds over what the sticker says.

Oh - no charge! I gave them $5, probably should have been $10. I think the sign said $24 for fixing flats.

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Jake@Tirerack.com

We have come across this happaning before on older wheels in both chrome and painted finishes. It is more common in areas that receive all 4 seasons because the moisture will contribute to that. What happens on the older wheels you see is that with several tire changes small scratches on the outside of the Barrel can occur because the installer somestimes will clean that area with a wire brush.

The first time may not be so bad but the scratched penetrate the clearcoat and the moisture will cause those area to oxidize and then you have the bad seal area. The sealant should hold up just fine. If you are considering rechroming them I would recommend shopping for a whole new set depending on the size. the price is $100 each wheel for the chroming and for a few dollars more you can get a whole new set.

sourdiesel

I know this is an older thread and i dont mean to be an ass and bring it up but I also had a similar problem. I took it to a shop and it turned out there was little pebbles between the rim and the the tire causing a slow leak. Has been fine with the same setup ever since. If anyone else is having this problem its something worth looking into. Good luck. hope this is maybe useful to someone.

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