A leak that only shows up on cold mornings
Some slow leaks follow the weather. The tire holds air through the summer, then in the first cold spell starts losing a few pounds overnight, and the tire gets blamed.
Often the tire is fine. The leak is between the tire and the wheel.
A tubeless tire seals against a ring of the wheel called the bead seat. Over years, that surface can corrode or pit, especially on a wheel that has had several tires mounted on it. In warm weather the rubber is soft and fills small imperfections. When the temperature drops, rubber and metal both contract, the rubber gets stiffer, and a seal that was just good enough stops sealing.
The same can happen around a corroded valve hole.
How to narrow it down
- The leak appeared or got worse with the first cold weather.
- A new tire on the same wheel still loses air.
- Soapy water brushed around the rim shows bubbles at the edge where the tire meets the wheel.
- The wheel shows rust, flaking or pitting near the rim.
If those fit, the wheel is the likely cause, and refurbishing it, cleaning the bead seat back to sound metal and refinishing it, can stop a leak that new tires never will.
Worth checking before winter
For a fleet of vans or trucks, a pass over the wheels with a known slow leak before the cold arrives saves a run of soft tires on the first frosty morning, which is when nobody has time for them.
The inspection comes first, and it decides whether a wheel can be refurbished. A crack ends the wheel and it is replaced. The national wheel refurbishing page covers the process.
A vibration that survives a balance is another reason to have a wheel looked at, and equipment rims are part of the same work alongside OTR services.
About this store
The Owensboro store runs sixteen services and is managed by Paul Wilson.
See the national wheel refurbishing page for all 42 locations.