Tires (even new ones) lose air

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Four of my eight Festiva wheels here in Alaska (all stock 12") won't hold air, even with relatively new tires.

I'm thinking this is due to corrosion on the wheel rims where the tires are supposed to seal. These two cars spend winters buried under snow.

I've been quoted $25 each to have the wheels sandblasted, another $40 each for powder coating. That's a good portion of the value of a Festiva!

Has anybody experienced this problem before and/or have a solution?

[mechanicaldj]

all you need to do is have the tires un-beaded,
sand down the lip of the rims(to remove any rust and old rubber)
if it is pitted and marred badly , paint some rubber (tire patch) cement on
put a new valve stem in
and re-bead the tire

[getnhi1]

Tire shops have a grease like substance they use for rusty bead seats.

[Festy46]

Put tubes in your tires. $5.00 a piece (continental US price) - problem solved.

[gomer]

Tire shops have a grease like substance they use for rusty bead seats.

The slang for it in tire shops is "tire bondo" ,, hit the rims with 60 grit and some tire bondo... since you're in Alaska I might even go for filling the tire with Nitrogen ,, it doesn't expand and contract with extreme temps which is why aircraft tires are filled that way .. put 30 psi in and it stays at 30 psi...

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

tire sealing

I had two tires popped off the rims today. metal looks clean, but there's all kinds of caked-on rubber. I'll try Stoddard solvent on them and get some newer tires put on.

I thought we were supposed to use nitrogen in aircraft tires b/c it didn't hold moisture or something like that, leading to less corrosion. I'm on floats anyway -- my landing gear, wheels, and brakes stay in my storage room.

Just in case I have tire problems, I asked Sears about 12" tires and got laughed at. They said 13" are almost history, too, and that by 2008 15" will be the minimums. All these d**n SUV drivers riding around on 18" wheels with only 2" of rubber outside of that!

[Safety Guy]

The Honda Fit comes with 14 or 15" tires. So does the Yaris.

Huge wheels and tires: tell me about it!! :evil:

Someone should look into establishing an import relationship with a foreign "little tire" source. In a few years we may be hurting for 12 and 13" rubber.

155/80-13 and 175/70-13 are now the smallest tires commonly available.

Karl

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

small tires

So that means we all have to start thinking about new wheel rims for our Festivas? My notes from this site show that the bolt pattern is "4x114.3." I presume that means 4 bolts on a circle of diameter 114.3mm?

My WA '88LX already has 13" wheels (with wide tires which gives a very nice ride), but they're some sort of Australian-made special. I know because one is a little bent and I tried some time back to locate a replacement, without success. I don't think any of my other Festivas have 13" wheels.

Where do I go looking for 13" wheels with the 4x114.3 bolt pattern? If 13" is going to be a problem like 12", just how big can we go without having to hack out our fenders? Also, isn't "offset" an issue?

I plan on driving Festivas for a good many years to come. I always figured it would be dying electronics or emissions control failures to be the Festiva's downfall, not lack of something as mundane as properly sized tires!

[Safety Guy]

I don't think tires will entirely dry up, but they will become more expensive for us.

Do a search on tire and wheel sizes. There is a lot to read. See the sticky up above.

Converting to the Aspire suspension and brakes will help find wheels.

Karl

[ajb999]

check walmart. might not be the best tires but at least they have them. i priced them and for 4 new ones mounted and balanced here was only $127. they even had 3 in stock and said it would take about 10 days for the other.

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Problem solved.

I soaked the rims in Stoddard solvent to soften up the petrified rubber, then used brown Scotchbright on the bead areas.

It's been several days now with no signs of leaking, so it appears the leaking problem is solved.

[gdawgs]

since you're in Alaska I might even go for filling the tire with Nitrogen ,, it doesn't expand and contract with extreme temps which is why aircraft tires are filled that way .. put 30 psi in and it stays at 30 psi...

Where did you take Chemistry class??

Ever hear of the Ideal Gas Law? All gasses expand and contract with temp changes. Since the air we breathe is around 70% nitrogen anyway, the amount of contraction/expansion for a nitrogen filled tire will be very similar to one filled with compressed air.

The main difference is that nitrogen molecules are larger than some of the other ingredients in air, so it leaks out at a slower rate than air. But it still leaks out.

It's a waste of money if you ask me. Just check your tire pressure occasionally and you'll be fine.

[Vel Crowe]

It's a waste of money if you ask me. Just check your tire pressure occasionally and you'll be fine.

I tend to agree. It seems to me that nitrogen is used mostly out of convenience in racing etc. As one individual said in the URL below, I think it is more of a gimmick then anything.

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=120996&page=1