Tire Problem
 

I have been using my Bridgestone Potenza's and their great except I have 1 wheel (the rear driver side) that has deflated on me twice now. Once while driving and once while it was parked for 15 minutes. When its deflated I just pump it with air and its fine. There are no punctures, the tire shop is stumped, they did the water and soap test and everything is fine.
WTF, there has to be a reason that this 1 tire deflates twice in the last 5 months on its own .. any ideas as to what it could be?
Change in weather?
I'm thinking about just replacing it, but still, what the hell.

RE: Tire Problem
 

Same thing has happened to me...twice.

Both times it was a bent and cracked rim.

Good luck!

J

RE: Tire Problem
 

The problem is (as 91 writes) most likely the rim. These alloy rims are very easily damaged. If you hit a pot-hole or scrapethe curb while parking, etc., you may have opened a small area where air is escaping. If when you park, and the damaged area is at the "bottom", the car's weight is putting additional pressueon the area and forcing the air to leak out of the tire. One solution would be to get a new rim....but can be costly. I've had good success with"Fix-a-flat" which you can find at Walmart or any auto place for a few bucks. Once you pump it into the tire, it seals up small openings. Lastly, I bought a tire inflator pump for $29.99 and keep it in the trunk. It plugs intothe cigarette lighter and you attach it to the tire plug. It can be embarassing though, to be on Main St. USA while pumping up the flat on your Jag! Folks going by in their old Chevys and Fordsgive you that self-satisfying smug grin...........

RE: Tire Problem
 

I agree that it is probably the wheel.

IF its the wheel and IF you can actually find the leak it can probably be repaired with a small dab of JB Weld or similar.

If you Google "Alloy wheel repair" I'm sure you'll find specialty shops that can help you.

Or take a peek at Ebay....Jag wheels are listed all the time

Cheers
DD

RE: Tire Problem
 

I'm jumping on the band wagon of its the rim. There could be a slight bend somewhere. If they pull the tire off and examine the rim it might be obvious.

RE: Tire Problem
 

Valve stem..or bead seal..both common problems....Have them dip the wholetire in soapy water to look for bubbles.

RE: Tire Problem
 

If its not the valve or a tiny hole it may bethe tyre seal leaking around the rim.Happened to one of my tyres after refurbing my wheels.Would take a week to go down noticably...had to take some of the paint off on the back edge to get a good seal and the tyre fitter had to apply some black sealant to make it airtight.

RE: Tire Problem
 

Probably the rim. The inner edge of the rim, due to the width of the rim and the fact that it is only supported by the spokes on the outer edge, is easily bent.

However, there are two quick solution, one easy and one really easy.

Let's start with really easy. Get some "Slime". You can find it in most any auto parts store. Get the big (quart) size bottle. Follow the instructions. You basically take the wheel valve out of the stem, dump in the specified amount of Slime for your tire size, refill the tire with air, and then drive around to distribute the slime inside the tire. It does a pretty good job of sealing leaks.

The second method, if it's a bent rim, is to have a tire store remove the tire and reinstall it with a bead of silicon caulk between the bead and the tire. They make a caulk specifically for this. It comes in a tube that fits a standard caulk gun and if the rim is at all serviceable, this will seal the bead. I've seen the stuff seal rims that were bent aver 3/8" from impact with a pot hole.

The best way is to have the rim straightened by a shop that knows what they are doing. It requires specific heating and straightening and will probably run in the area of $200.00.

One more thing; if you have a cracked rim, please do not do a JB Weld or other type home repair. A cracked rim is an accident waiting to happen. Remove it from your car immediately and do not drive on it ever under any circumstances. You will be endangering yourself and everyone else on or near the road. Please do us all a favor and do not drive on or attempt to repair a cracked rim.

Bill

RE: Tire Problem
 

I would agree with all except 2,
1) most of the guys that do rim repair will do a rim for about $50-75 cash on the side
2) never use fix a flat except in an emergency, and repair the tire as soon as possible and have the tire broken down to remove the fix a flat since it stay LIQUID in the tire and gives it a nasty, constantly changing out of balance condition, green slime is propobly better, but Ive only used this for offroad stuff, tractor, mowers and wheel barrows and bicycles. Could tell you the affects on car tires

RE: Tire Problem
 

Thanks for the replies!
The tire shop did the soap water test, no bubbles. Nor is there any sounds of air escaping. It's odd that it would last 2 months before it deflates again. But I will have it lifted to check for any dents/cracks.
For now I am definitely getting me a portable air pump (just in case) and if it happens again I'll get me a new rim.
The air pump and some slime will be much cheaper than getting a new tire/wheel combo but I can't risk getting a flat, since I'm going to be traveling alot this winter (snowboard season!).
Thanks again guys.

RE: Tire Problem
 

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Hey JP...........deffo sounds like the rim although you've guessed that by now...lol
One thing to consider.... I needed 2 new tyres for my car some time ago, checked Ebay and got 4 brand new rims c/w 4 brand new tyres delivered to my door for £435.00. Jeeez the tyres alone were worth £600.00....ok, so this was for my A6.
A few years ago I bought a spare set of rims for my X so I could refurbish my existing set, put a matching spare in the boot and re sold the remainder. If I remember rightly I got the set of 4 ( really good rims with only very slight cosmetic blemishes that needed retouching ) as well as 4 half worn tyres for around £200.
I'd say if you like your existing rims it may be sumthin to consider?:)

Jim

RE: Tire Problem
 

The stuff I recommended, "Slime", is not a Fix-A-Flat product. It is a thick liquid that is meant to be put into a tire before filling with air and is meant to be a permanent installation in the tire.

It did in fact come from the motorcycle industry about 30 years ago. It was originally designed to be run in motorcycle tires to protect against catastrophic blow-outs at speed with the attendant very dangerous loss of control. It distributes itself around the tire and does not effect balance if applied at the specified rate. Hence very specific application amounts based on the cross section and diameter of the tire. It is meant as a permanent tire blow-out preventative and I have always been very pleased with it.

I'd be leery of someone straightening an alloy wheel as a side business and $75.00 doesn't seem like much if the proper heating/cooling cycle is being applied, but I suppose prices are quite dependent on location.

RE: Tire Problem
 

Dip the whole tire in soapy water and see where the leak is bubbling out.

RE: Tire Problem
 

Maybe my English isnt so good living in Texas, but I said get one of the wheel repair guys to do it on the side, not that they do it as a side business. I talk to these guys all the time since theyre on site at the dealership servicing Bmw, Jag, Porsche, Rovers, Volvo, and Mini. I was reffering to pay them on the side cash. Instead of going through the shop for$150.And I wasnt talking about slime being fix a flat, I know its not, I was reffering to the earlier post on the use of fix a flat...;)