S60 Wheels/Tyres: Tyres deflating

[JNMann]

My tyres go from 34 psi to 20 psi in a few days.

I had new Avon's fitted to front last year, fitter told me the tyres weren't sealing on the inside because of the state of my wheels. They do need a refurb but have been the same for 5 years, had several sets of tyres and never had this issue.

I took two better wheels down and paid to have swapped over. Still same issue but before they were going pretty much flat in 2/3 days, now they last a few days longer.

My intention is to either swap or refurb the wheels when I can but wondered if anyone had ever seen this issue? Not something I've ever come across and wondered if the type/fit of tyres could be causing this?

The tyres also rub on the inside which again is something I've never had happen.

[stuart bowes]

when you say 'better' wheels do you mean less damaged on the outside, because that probably doesn't really matter

what they might mean is, you get corrosion around the inside edge of the rim which is only visible with the wheel off

unless there's some sort of tyre size issue, or a warped wheel, what they should be doing is taking a wire wheel on a drill or air tool, and cleaning up that inside of the rim, then applying a fresh coat of that sealer stuff

would be pretty lazy of them to just put a new tyre on and tell you your wheels are a state lol well you're a tyre place, sort it out then. and put a new valve in while you're at it

again though, this assumes there's no other issues

[JNMann]

Thanks. I couldn't see any corrosion on wheels when I took in (inside) they said they would charge £25 per wheel to smooth inside but I'd rather out money towards refurb.

[stuart bowes]

well fair point, but if they're going flat I'd say it's basically an essential job i'm afraid

see if you can wangle a deal with balancing and a full alignment or something, they might be willing to haggle a bit

[ajm]

I have had this for most of the past two years with just one wheel on my car. I got seriously fed up of it eventually and replaced the wheel with another s/h one which cured the problem - for a few months until that one started doing exactly the same! It's a bit strange that it's just that one wheel, and even more strange that the replacement which was fine started to do exactly the same thing - I would suspect my rather unpleasant neighbours but as it still happens when the car is parked a hundred miles from home I don't think they're to blame in this case!

[TLPower]

I have had similar issues, to locate the leak mix washing up liquid with water in a spray bottle. The easiest way is to take the wheels off and spray all over including the where the valves seal on the rim. I had success with a back street tyre place who did a far better job than either Halfords or Formula 1 Autocentres. I took my potion with me and checked as they pulled the tyres, scrubbed up with a rotary wire brush and then coated with a liquid rubber solution. My wheels are 16 years old and have never been refurbished.

[Joe Harding]

I had a split in the alloy. Tyre depot found it for me. A local small company with a welding whizz-kid repaired it for £15. Which was considerably cheaper than a new set of alloys.

[John97Tdi]

I had an issue with a rim leak on a tyre I'd designated as a spare a few years ago ( all season with just less than 4mm of tread). Because I was intending to change it eventually it didn't seem worth the hassle of getting it cleaned up and reseated so as a 'temporary' fix I put some 'goop' tyre sealant in it. I ended up running it most of a summer and kept it for a spare for 2 years or so and it was still retaining pressure. I didn't feel entirely happy with running a tyre with sealant in - even when its sold as a fit and forget solution for leaks and small punctures,I'd prefer to know if a tyre gets damaged and therefore deflates. But I was still surprised how well it worked.
P.S.
Possibly a 'sucking eggs' question but since the tyres leak on another set of rims and are 'rubbing on the inside' are you certain that the rim size (width) is appropriate for the tyres?

[ASt85]

Originally Posted by John97Tdi

I had an issue with a rim leak on a tyre I'd designated as a spare a few years ago...............
............P.S.
Possibly a 'sucking eggs' question but since the tyres leak on another set of rims and are 'rubbing on the inside' are you certain that the rim size (width) is appropriate for the tyres?

Some makes of tyre on older corroded alloy rims fail to make a good bead seal as the rubber of the bead seal is not soft enough to make an airtight seal on "rough" metal.

[Auldgit]

Have the same problem with two of mine. Had the rims cleaned inside and resealed (twice) worked for a few weeks and then... resigned myself now to re-inflating every week or so. Would be prepared to try the goojum liquid, but apparently it makes the wheel difficult to balance, and tyre fitters won't touch a wheel that's treated with it. In the good old days we'd simply put a tube in, and problem solved, but like many other things nowadays it's apparently verboten. Hey Ho, great thing progress.