I have a set of used Michelin Light truck tires mounted on the original (well older) wheels that were on the "46 when I bought it. The problem, I have trouble keeping the tires inflated. The car has been sitting for over a year in my garage or on the driveway, it is my unfinished project. The tires were mounted right after I bought the car and brought it home, I manually cleaned the wheel rims, inspected them and then had the tires mounted. I don't see any imperfections or obvious warpage on the wheels, the tires do exhibit some dry rotting when they deflate i.e. I can see light cracks on the surface where the tire is flat. When I have had the flats "fixed" by tire shops sometimes they have commented on the age of the wheels, usually used a "sealant" on the beads before re-assembly, but have never commented on the age of the tires. I hope to get the car running this spring and will buy new tires as the main reason I used the olds ones were to put the car on something and be able to move it around, which I have done. I want to be sure however that the wheels are not contributing to the problem and I want to use them because the hubcaps fit and will probably not mount on more modern steel wheels. I know I could have new steel wheels made with the same shape on the inner portion so the hubcaps will fit or even have those parts re-used. I also have some information that originally the car came with 16 inch wheels and these are 15 inch wheels (my comment in the beginning about originality). So, I could also have 16 inch wheels built and just start over completely but that would really cost more than I think I can afford now. So my question is this, has anyone had any experience with older wheels, ever had a problem like this, or have a recommendation that might help me make a decision which way to go?

 

Dan,

First, have you used soapy water to find the source of the leak? It is possible that older tires can just be leaking through the carcass. If that's OK, there IS a difference in the profile of the rim where the bead seats for tube vs tubeless rims.

 

Yes I have, have found the rims to be leaking. About the bead profile, I thought about that but forgot to mention it. Maybe that was better as your idea seems to be verifying mine. I was wondering if I should be using tubes. Those older tires have a lot of tread on them and were only discarded because they were on a fleet vehicle that gets regular maintenance and tire changes.
Anyone else or any other ideas?

 

On tubeless tires I've had spots of rust on the bead that when the car sat for a long time they leaked. It didn't go flat as long as I was driving it, not sure why!

 

That is a possibility too. Most recently a tire went flat on Sunday, I moved the car from nose out toward the street to nose in toward the garage on Saturday. This might be true. I have not repaired this one yet, everything is still wet and soggy from the rain/snow/sleet we got over the weekend.

 

I would mark the areas break it down clean & use bead sealer, Or bite the bullet & put tubes in & be done with them ,Shop for prices ,Orielys & Napa both offer them,But even with tubes the wheel has to be clean to keep the tire from slipping under torque,PS they don't balance very well for high speed. I have put a lot of tubes in the cars trucks & trailers I have had just so when I get ready to move them they are too.On second thought you could air them up with Helium Keep em floating Ha!

 

Hmmm, helium. Would that make the car lighter too?
Still waiting for better weather and a chance to figure this one out.

 

Here it is a week later, update. I took the spare wheel and tire (I forgot I had) and cleaned the bead area on the wheel really well with a belt sander, then took the wheel and tire to a shop and asked them to mount and balance the set. I left it there three days before picking it up, and mounted it on the car on Monday, it is still holding air. I think the bead areas really need thorough cleaning. I plan on doing the same with the one that went flat. NO TUBES

 

That is good that you don't have to use tubes. Hopefully after sanding the other ones you won't have the problem anymore. Too bad you don't have a son to help you clean the old wheels. They come in handy for those kinds of things.

 

Hi Dan,
Just a note. Never heard of using helium, but I work with farm equipment and since a lot of the larger floatation tires run on less than 10psi, most guys will use compressed nitrogen instead of shop air. It won't leak out through the tire like oxygen, and prevents corrosion on the rims, not to mention some compressability differences.
Mike

 

At Dans age ??! Time to put A Grandson or daughter to work.They have fun & most questions can be answered with ease Sometimes

 

Most of the tire manufacturers and shops(especially the high end ones) are recommending the use of nitrogen instead of compresses air. I don't know about the air leaking through the tires idea?, but nitrogen holds a more consistent pressure over a wider range of temperatures.

 

OH NO, not this again. Let's all keep in mind that air is ALREADY 80% nitrogen. The problem is water vapor, and if you have a proper dryer on the air line, this isn't a problem. There have been many, many, many posts, all over the web, that have debunked this.

Plus, the girlie green valve stem caps have just GOT to go...

 

Yeah you'd think that wouldn't you..........