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I just picked up a 2009 Convertible Wednesday in Alabama. Pulling out of the Dealers lot, I got a low pressure RF. The Dealer did not have a compressor so I stopped at a Shell and pumped the tire up "only cost $1.50"!
It was a little over 350 miles to home and I made it OK. I checked the tire yesterday and it was down so I put more air in and did the spit test to see if the valve was leaking, it was not, no bubbles!
I pulled the tire this morning and took it to a tire store. The leak was between the rim and the tire bead. The tires are brand new Michelin Pilot Sports! The guy at the store told me that it is a common problem with Chrome rims, corrosion!
The other rims are the same age and do not leak? Anyone else had this problem?
I just looked at my GM Repair manuals and there is a whole section on tires and Rim's. They cover the fact that both Chrome and polished aluminum wheels leak! They also mention inflating to 40 pounds to seat the tire then dropping to 30! They also caution that you "cage" the tire when inflating to 40 pounds in case it blows up!
Many Many years ago while working at a Gas Station, one of the guys overinflated a tire and it blew up throwing Him through the garage door, killing Him! At that time, we did not know about caging!
Last edited by lwise4; Oct 8, 2017 at 11:43 AM.
Reason: Update
Rim/bead leaks aren't uncommon with any vehicle with any rims since they went tubeless 50-60 years ago. Porous rims are not that common either, AFAIK.
Any tire guy will probably suggest pinpointing the leak, break it down, make sure the rim and bead are clean and reseat, then check again for leaks before giving it back to you.
It should not turn into a rocket-science experiment.
Yep...nothing worse than a tiny nagging leaky tire...well, almost nothing. Too late now for this issue, but next time do the ol soapy spry water bottle thing and find the leak yourself. Then you can take it to a shop and show them where the leak is. I over many years have found out that those pesky rim leaks are so small that they can usually be fixed by some real back woods....cheap skate.....unorthodox methods of repair which I will not get into now for fear of being crucified by the elder forum members....lOL.....
Rim/bead leaks aren't uncommon with any vehicle with any rims since they went tubeless 50-60 years ago. Porous rims are not that common either, AFAIK.
Any tire guy will probably suggest pinpointing the leak, break it down, make sure the rim and bead are clean and reseat, then check again for leaks before giving it back to you.
It should not turn into a rocket-science experiment.
Very correct. Been a very long time, but I had a new set of Michelins way back and they leaked but not from porous or valve stem. From the bead seating (or not seating).
It was a bear to finally fix but the fix was to glue the tire to the rim. This went on for a couple years of gluing the tires. I much later had a big argument with a Mich. rep sent in to take care of my claims about "gluing the tires."
He didn't believe it, and the Michelin dealer told him there was no such thing--even destroyed my receipt. Until I told the rep to look up at the charges board and read the first item on the list for $4.50......as well as read him my printed number from my receipt copy.
Last summer, I had 2 tires doing the same thing, slow leak. I removed the wheels, pumped up the tire to 40 psi, submerged them in a small kids swimming pool, and found they were leaking around the bead.
The tires were due for replacement, so over the winter hibernation period, I had all 4 tires removed by a tire shop.
I cleaned up all the corosion around the rims inside edges where the tire bead sits using a wire wheel, and a dremel to smooth out the corrosion areas. I used J-B Weld Cold Weld Steel Epoxy to fill in any deep spots, and sanded those smooth after it cured.
I bought new tires in the spring, got them mounted, and have had zero slow leaks from any of the tires this year.
Last summer, I had 2 tires doing the same thing, slow leak. I removed the wheels, pumped up the tire to 40 psi, submerged them in a small kids swimming pool, and found they were leaking around the bead.
The tires were due for replacement, so over the winter hibernation period, I had all 4 tires removed by a tire shop.
I cleaned up all the corosion around the rims inside edges where the tire bead sits using a wire wheel, and a dremel to smooth out the corrosion areas. I used J-B Weld Cold Weld Steel Epoxy to fill in any deep spots, and sanded those smooth after it cured.
I bought new tires in the spring, got them mounted, and have had zero slow leaks from any of the tires this year.
And on "the flip side" of that:
I've seen tires come off of steel rims that were so rusted around the bead area you would never believe they could ever seal. But they did seal.
Yep...nothing worse than a tiny nagging leaky tire...well, almost nothing. Too late now for this issue, but next time do the ol soapy spry water bottle thing and find the leak yourself. Then you can take it to a shop and show them where the leak is. I over many years have found out that those pesky rim leaks are so small that they can usually be fixed by some real back woods....cheap skate.....unorthodox methods of repair which I will not get into now for fear of being crucified by the elder forum members....lOL.....
The only problem with this analogy is that the leak was on the inboard side of the tire! No way of finding it unless you dismount the tire!
Rim/bead leaks aren't uncommon with any vehicle with any rims since they went tubeless 50-60 years ago. Porous rims are not that common either, AFAIK.
Any tire guy will probably suggest pinpointing the leak, break it down, make sure the rim and bead are clean and reseat, then check again for leaks before giving it back to you.
It should not turn into a rocket-science experiment.
50 years ago I had a new Vette, I had no problems with rim leaks and had none with the other 14 Vettes that I have owned! This is new to me! The guy at the tire store said that it is common with Chrome Rims!
The only problem with this analogy is that the leak was on the inboard side of the tire! No way of finding it unless you dismount the tire!
I'm guessing windy assumed the reader would know enough to take the wheel off.
Originally Posted by lwise4
50 years ago I had a new Vette, I had no problems with rim leaks and had none with the other 14 Vettes that I have owned! This is new to me! The guy at the tire store said that it is common with Chrome Rims!
Tire leaks have nothing necessarily to do with "Corvettes."
Had a really slow leak in one tire on my 012 coupe the last year I had it. Chevy dealer tried 3 times to find/fix it, but couldn't. No chrome rims.
Tire would only leak about a pound a week.
Take it to a tire shop! They put mine in a very large tub of water and you could see the leak on the inside of the rim. As they say TINY BUBBLES IN THE WATER!
Rim/bead leaks aren't uncommon with any vehicle with any rims since they went tubeless 50-60 years ago. Porous rims are not that common either, AFAIK.
Any tire guy will probably suggest pinpointing the leak, break it down, make sure the rim and bead are clean and reseat, then check again for leaks before giving it back to you.
It should not turn into a rocket-science experiment.
That is exactly what the tire store did! He said that Chrome rims corrode and that this would happen again! I pulled all of the wheels off yesterday and had to use a rubber mallet on the right rear. It was corroded to the brake HUB. All of the rims were filthy on the inside and once clean you could see a lot of pitting! If yo look at the picture of the wheel in my post you will see that you cannot get to the inside of the wheel to wash it!
The only problem with this analogy is that the leak was on the inboard side of the tire! No way of finding it unless you dismount the tire!
HUH ??? You seem to be suggesting that the leak couldn't have been found unless you took the tire off the rim because it was leaking on the inside ?? I know this is Corvette Forum....but how does a tire leak on the inside ? Are you suggesting that it's "leaking into it's self"? Every leak I've ever had/seen have always had the same result....that would be air pressure exiting the wheel/tire combo, and the air has to be exiting either from the tire, the wheel, or somewhere in between. What am I missing ????.......
HUH ??? You seem to be suggesting that the leak couldn't have been found unless you took the tire off the rim because it was leaking on the inside ?? I know this is Corvette Forum....but how does a tire leak on the inside ? Are you suggesting that it's "leaking into it's self"? Every leak I've ever had/seen have always had the same result....that would be air pressure exiting the wheel/tire combo, and the air has to be exiting either from the tire, the wheel, or somewhere in between. What am I missing ????.......
windy!! I think he meant that the leak was on the inboard bead!! See my last post (#10) where I mentioned you!!
To the OP: Finding a tire leak isn't rocket science! Using soapy water has been around since they invented pneumatic tires!!
Not sure if they still do it but years ago I had a leaky rim (non-Corvette) and the shop took off the tire and spread sealant around the bead, never had a problem after that.
This is the biggest reason I don't buy chrome rims. The bead area is notorious for developing rim leaks where the chrome bubbles up from the trapped moisture between rim and tire. The stakes with salted winter roads have it worse.
I use a gas leak detecting liquid for finding difficult leaks. It can be found at Home Depot, use the supplied applicator and it foams like crazy.
Last edited by mikeCsix; Oct 7, 2017 at 11:28 AM.
Reason: Added suggestion
Chrome wheels have been known to have this issue for some time. I had the same experience with an E320. Starting to see the same on the C6 now. Eventually the wheel will have to be cleaned and a bead sealant used to properly seat the tire. Swore I wouldn’t have chrome wheels again but love the look with blade silver metallic. As good as your wheels look I would put up with it! Good luck and enjoy your new ride.
Last edited by GRCTampa; Oct 7, 2017 at 11:42 AM.
Reason: Typo
HUH ??? You seem to be suggesting that the leak couldn't have been found unless you took the tire off the rim because it was leaking on the inside ?? I know this is Corvette Forum....but how does a tire leak on the inside ? Are you suggesting that it's "leaking into it's self"? Every leak I've ever had/seen have always had the same result....that would be air pressure exiting the wheel/tire combo, and the air has to be exiting either from the tire, the wheel, or somewhere in between. What am I missing ????.......
chrome wheels have been known to have this issue for some time. I had the same experience with an e320. Starting to see the same on the c6 now. Eventually the wheel will have to be cleaned and a bead sealant used to properly seat the tire. Swore i wouldn’t have chrome wheels again but love the look with blade silver metallic. As good as your wheels look i would put up with it! Good luck and enjoy your new ride.
they do look great! But and that is a big but, they are no fun to clean!
Just had the same problem with my wife's Toyota. Alloy rims, not chrome. A simple dismount, clean, and mount fixed it. My friendly local independent mechanic of many years charged $10.
Slow leak
