Discussions

We have had issues with slow leaks on our car's tires and have heard from different people that aluminum rims cause the leaks. Anyone have issues like this? Lately I have noticed vehicles driving around without rims and I wonder if the drivers are having the same problem.  
Is it okay to take the rims off?  
Thanks in advance!!

I took mine in to tire shop where I bought the tires, they took the tires off cleaned all the crap of the bead they sort of corrode make like white crap the used a power wire brush cleaned the rims then put a sealant on haven't leaked for 3 years since no charge because I bought their tires and they repair flats free of charge Kal Tire.

without rims are probably driving with their winter tires on! get your rims bead cleaned. running nitrogen in your tires will help also as there will not be as much water in your tire sloshing around due to temperature changes affecting the air in your tires picking up dirt and placing it in the grove of the bead. Another culprit is the bead lube some places use while mounting your tires. they don't always make sure their brush and lube is clean. and some do not react well with aluminum. I hope this helps

veloster said "without rims are probably driving with their winter tires on! get your rims bead cleaned. running nitrogen in your tires will help also as there will not be as much water in your tire sloshing around due to temperature changes affecting the air in your tires picking up dirt and placing it in the grove of the bead. Another culprit is the bead lube some places use while mounting your tires. they don't always make sure their brush and lube is clean. and some do not react well with aluminum. I hope this helps "

Hilarious.

We were having issues with a leak and it ended up being a cracked rim! We are now rim shopping as that is not safe!

If you have the wheel's bead area properly cleaned and the tires reinstalled with sealant on the wheels, you should have no more leaks. Of course, the wheels and tires have to be in good condition as well.

You can research a little on using 100% nitrogen instead of air in your tires. Aluminum rims, in my experience, tends to cause issues in the winter.  
 
In any case, here is a tidbit on nitrogen. Read about it, talk with your shop about it, and if you decide to go ahead with it, report back and let us know if it actually helped:  
 
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a3894/4302788/  
 
Or, maybe somebody has tried it and can pipe in ...

The rim is the wheel-which is why the shop asks if your winter tires are on rims. Least that is what most refer to. Do you mean hubcaps? Those have no effect on tire pressure. You cannot take the rims off...you would have more than a slow leak.

Your tire is mounted on your rim. Without the rim you cannot mount the tire to the car. Perhaps the OP meant hubcaps instead, as many people don’t bother putting them on their winter wheels, resulting in you seeing the black steel wheel very often in the winter.  
 
Aluminum wheels can be prone to leakage in the winter, but going to nitrogen in your tires won’t do much to prevent it. Your rim is likely going to be leaking around the bead, and if it’s to the point where you’re ripping up a tire once a week or more nitrogen won’t stop that leak.  
 
The basic idea behind nitrogen in tires is that nitrogen is a larger atom and therefore can’t “fit” when air can. Also it is a bit less reactive to temperature change. But air is 78% nitrogen naturally, and in my opinion the minuscule performance difference between nitrogen and air is not enough to offset the extra price of nitrogen.

... but only because he is an Edmonton Oilers fan. If you can get over that, which you probably can't, what he says likely makes some sense. Just saying (gotta call those Oilers out when you see them).  
 
:^)

Years back there was some fixes I know were tried.  
 
First Many times it is not the bead that leaks. So sealing that will not work. Yet once the tire is off the rim cleaning and sealing the bead is a natural. The leak may be that in the material itself near or at the centre of the rim. Du-rite /Killarney tire had a spray paint. It could be just a aluminum paint. They coated inside the rim before the tire was remounted with bead sealer galore on it . They say it prevented comebacks.  
 
We never did that but we had a few customers ask for tubes in those days. I doubt tubes are available for the new sizes though. I really thought the leaky rim issue was solved eons ago! Oh Yes make sure they throw on a new valve stem. They age.

Too bad about that crippling Oilers addiction, though. Maybe AFM has a treatment program?  
 
 

Bandwagon during the cup run in 2006 that's it I swear!!!