EThec

my right rear tire keeps losing air pressure very slowly. I recently put on new Kinesis k18 wheels and moved my tires over. Shouldn't be a problem right? The left rear is holding air perfectly, but for some reason the right seems to seep very slowly. It's a 285 on an 11 inch wheel. Eventually i wiull go to 195 or something wider. Anyway, I took it down and had it checked the first time it was low and found air leaking from the bead. Tire was re-seated and thoroughly checked for leaks. Nothing. 5 days later the tire was flat again. Took it down and filled it back up. Put it in a tank and submerged every part of the wheel and found no leaks!!! Today i woke up to find the tire pressure low........ ?????

any ideas what is going on here or what i should do?

thanks.

Viken

No matter what, don't install a 195 tire on an 11" wheel.

Air Kuul TT

Eric,

I have 285s (SO2) on my 11" rims too and no problem. The last time I had this problem was a puncture on the edge of the sidewall that I couldn't see when the tire is on the car. I discovered it when we did the dunk test. Let me know what you find out.... Oh it might be a good time to go to 295s or 315s now

Greg Fishman

Check the bolts in the wheels?

David in LA

could be a slow leak from the valve, or since the kinesis is a 3 piece rim they could be leaking....you could always switch to nitrogen.

Ray Calvo

What does this mean? You doing the work or you bringing it into a tire shop that knows what they're doing?

Number of possibilities:
- tire valve leaking
- bead to wheel contact leaking
- you've got a puncture
- wheel leaking (yes, you think they're solid but if they're aluminum -esp. cast aluminum - they can be porous)

Bottom line - find a competent tire shop in your area that has experience in your area in high-end digging like this and bring the wheel in to them. This way, if they dont cure it the first time, you shouldn't have to keep on paying them for additional troubleshooting if they said they fixed it.

EThec

the frustrating part is last time i filled it back up at the gas station we dunked the whole wheel and found no leaks. I suppose another duink is in order...... if there's a leak there has to be bubbles somewhere, right?

195..... uh, yeah i think 295 is what i meant.

check the bolts in the wheels?? ..... i have not checked the bolts specifically. what should i do there? again, last time i put it in water i found no bubbles. the time before i found it was leaking at the outside bead.

EThec

the tire shop that did the install says it could be the silicone. with mulit-piece wheels the silicone, if it's fresh, may leak and they will have to take the tire off and re-silicone the wheel.

does that make any sense?

TheOtherEric

Nobody mentioned you may have a bent rim. I bent a rim on some aftermarket 18's and it caused the air to leak out.

EThec

i talked to Kinesis and they felt it's possible it could be the silicone and I may need to send the wheel back to them so they can re-silicone/re-assemble the wheel. I'll go to the shop that did the installation of the tires first and rule out any obvious tire bead, valve stem or puncture issues.

sigh!...

adsc4s

Yes. If the silicone seal was not done properly, air could be leaking out very slowly. Personally, I would send it back to Kinesis. Your wheel could have come from Kinesis that way or it could have been damaged by the installer.

EThec

yes i agree adsc4s. unless i find an obvious leak at the tire shop i'll be sending it back to Kinesis.

grmnxtc

Don't forget that a dunk test is on an unloaded (i.e. no weight on wheel) test... might only leak when the tire/wheel is in a certian position.

Have you tried a dishsoap/water test with the wheel/tire fitted on the car? i.e. liberal application of soapy solution around the rim (both front and back) and seen any bubbles. This could resolve the rim leaking issue if that's what it is.

Just a few ideas... hope you solve it!

Clive.

EThec

good point the tire and wheel not being loaded. under load a very minute leak may occur. i don't really want to take any chances so i'll send it directly to kinesis if i don't find an obviouis leak at the valve stem, bead or a puncture...... thanks for all your help guys

williet1342

Yep that's right, Fix-a-Flat in the can. Works like a charm on my golf cart wheels.


Sorrry I couldn't resist.