Got a tire that's leaking at the bead despite an attempt at cleaning up the plot without removing the tire. So I thought about squeezing something gooey and sticky in there, then came inside and searched 'Tire Bead Sealer' and sure enough, they make Tire Bead Sealer, Napa has it. But before I plunk down 20 bones is there a household substitute, like hairspray, oatmeal, tub and tile caulk or something?
Well if a guy stopped by my shop and asked for some bead sealer to be put on a rim that was already taken apart, I'd goop some on for free and tell him to have a nice day. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I have a tire that a tire store gorilla ruined the bead on. He skinned off a flap about 2 inches long. I applied some black RTV. That was 2 years ago and I haven't changed the air in it yet. This is on an aluminum wheel. .bjb
It works best if you remove the tire and clean the rim first and then remount the tire applying it to the bead area before you air up the tire. I used it all the time on aluminum rims and is a absolute must on older chromed aluminum rims.
When I have a small leak at the bead I Wipe the tire bead with brake fluid and inflate. The brake fluid softens and cleans the rubber and most times it works for me.
I use it at a repair shop for a quicky seal on a bead leak. Any garage should slop some on for a buck if not free. For a home deal, try RTV silicone.
I literally just had this done to one of my slot mags that I intend to use on my pickup. I brought the shop that mounted the tires and they did it for free in about 20 mins
I used to use soap, and I suppose it will work for most applications as long as the wheel is clean. I have a can of bead sealer that I use now, it probably works better. So a lot of it is how clean your wheel is and the shape (or condition) of the tire that contacts the rim.
I've had good luck with smearing a coat of wheel bearing grease on the bead if the tire.always works but you will get grease down your sidewalls for a little while.
We used chassis grease to seal tires when I was a gas jockey attendant... And it worked! Never had anyone complain...
I'd be curious what the grease might do to the rubber, that is why I've never used it. It wasn't worth the risk. Most tire shops use a water based lube, and/or a bead sealer.
Air under pressure is just kike water , it is trying to find a path out of it's container. On a aluminum wheel oxidation can provide this path on a steel wheel rust can provide a path. Many times just cleaning the rim area with a steel brush can fix a bead leak. Bead sealer is like a filler that fills those possible paths. Any oil based lubricate is harmful to a tire because it attacks the rubber. Brake fluid falls into this same catagory but it's destruction of the rubber is much faster hence the rubber getting soft.
Lubricating the bead may allow the tire to move around enough to seal, but using the wrong lube can make the tire more likely to spin on the wheel. The lube should be something like soapy water or RuGlyde, not oil, grease, silicone, or anything that remains slippery.
Permatex , the "soupy" kind in the can {can't ever remember if that's #1 or #2 works great & is very similar to what napa sells as bead sealer. dave
The rubber bead sealer will work for a while. Eventually, it will begin to ball up on the bead areas of both wheel and tire (tires move on the wheels) and cause a leak. Just clean both surfaces really well, lube and mount.
If you are prepared to spend $20 on the sealer, why not just run on down to the tire shop and get it taken care of there? I would imagine they wouldn' charge you anymore than that.
If everything seems to be blem free,Ive used motor oil or some kind of oil to help the rubber expand and seal. If the rims pitted or rusted, I clean up the rim the best possible and use black RTV. Ive used tire sealant before works fine just seems to dry fast so you have to hustle alittle so it dont dry before you seat the beads.
I normally mount my own tires at home for fear of someone damaging my rims but truth be told I probably do more harm myself than the hi-zoot new tire machines do, even with a kid at the helm. What I should do is find one local guy I trust and bribe him mercilessly. In college I worked at a discount tire shop. Tire balancing was done on the car with the wheel spinning and a movable weight in place of the hub cap that you (me, being the flunkie) held the dials of, car shaking on the floor jack. We also did truck split rims with an axe to break the bead, and no cage to inflate in. Surprised I lived through it. But I don't recall having bead sealer around. Sorry for the reminisce and thanks for the replies!
X3 on wheel bearing grease, but i also sanded the rim first and if that didn't work then out came the grease.
You guys are prolly older and more experienced than I am but it would seem like grease might make the tire slip on the bead? After all, I am wielding a mighty 60hp with 4 wheel drums. I was just digging through my goop box and found a tube of Henry's Roofing Patch, that looked tempting....
never had a tire slip with grease on the rim ,plus if it doesn't work it's an easy cleanup ,that roofing tar will be a b**** -especially when you go to change out that tire again.
When I was in High school, working at a garage I was told never put grease on a rim. The reasoning was: that if the brakes were applied hard enough to lock up the wheel the rim may stop turning but the tire could keep turning due to the grease. True or not, I don't know? Steve
How old is the tire - shops around here won't touch anything over 10 years old - except to remove it and discard it.. Back in the day we used rubber cement - same as for patches - on leaky beads....
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