I'm in the market for new tires.

The May/June issue of the AAA magazine had an interesting article about tires. An excellent point was made: a tire losing air faster than the other tires could be the result of rim damage, not a bad tire or valve. This is especially true for a front mounted rim, which endures the most punishment from potholes.

I have this exact situation with the front left tire. Other facts:

- Rims are all original, and have been rotated regularly.

- Tires are about six years old, but my mileage during this time period is way below average.

Here's my question: How does a tire center determine if the rim is damaged? Assume the damage isn't obvious - do they x-ray the rim?

Also, any suggestions for tire brand and model would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rob

 

In my experience at least, rim damage which can cause leakage is usually (always?) pretty obvious, especially once the old tire is dismounted.

As for tire brand, that's kind of like asking which oil or wax brand to use; it's more of a religious thing than anyting else. If you need tires I suggest you visit our sponsor TireRack and read through the reviews and test results of the various tires they offer for your car and pick the one which best meets your needs.

• Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels

 

have a tire shop stick the tire in their dunk tank and they will find any leaks that are occuring...badabing badaboom...

 

I told a guy to do that with his wheel and he argued with me that since he had nitrogen in his tire bubbles wouldn't show up when the wheel/tire assembly was dunked. Geez I wish we had a "Slaps forehead" icon.

 

can't fix stupid huh??? most people don't realize that the air we breath and put into tires is 79% nitrogen anyway...yup, the nitro machine put 100% dry nitro in the tires, but do we really need that? unless you are a formula 1 or nascar driver maybe...

 

Yeah, I've argued the 78-79% nitrogen thing many times, however, the religious furvor surrounding its use makes such arguments a steep uphill climb.

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Bruce Willis/John Smith, "I'm surprised you aren't mad at me... I thought you might hold it against me for killing three of your guys."

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Normal tire shops can't radiograph a rim. So they will look for bent rims, if they look at all. If you don't ask them to check, they might not look. The safety-guards around the balancing machine block their view, so a bent rim isn't so obvious like it was 25 years ago.

One thing that can cause a leak and isn't so obvious, is corrosion of the rim. A little bit of the rim becomes kinda "porous" and lets air leak out. The corrosion isn't smooth like the original metal, so the rubber bead of the tire doesn't seal. That can be fixed with some rubbery goop/glue that they can smear around the bead.

However, a hairline crack in the metal is another possibility and you should buy a new rim. The crack will just grow, maybe leading to structural failure of the rim.

 

I saw your private message & it's probably better to answer out here in the forum.

I didn't mean you have to buy a new rim just because there MIGHT be a hairline crack. What I meant was you should find the leak; for example putting soapy water on it & looking for bubbles.

If you find the leak and you determine that it actually IS leaking through a hairline crack, then I'd replace it.

 

The problem turned out to be a nail in the tire. Since the tires were purchased in 2005, I bought a new set of four, despite good treads and limited mileage.

Thanks for everybody's input. The Tire Rack link was great - I used it to decide which tires to buy.

Rob