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Technical Anyone else having tubes go flat on them constantly?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by hotdamn, Nov 2, 2021.

  1. hotdamn
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 2,383

    hotdamn
    Member

    In the past month or so I’ve have 4 tubes go flat on me. The tires are clean, tubes are clean, wheels are powder coated, there isn’t any reason they should be going flat yet I am still dealing with this.

    It’s frustrating, it’s dangerous and it sucks because I have a really good running vehicle that I can’t trust to drive long distances.

    I have been told to run the tires sans tubes but I’m nervous about that since oem wheels don’t have a safety bead.

    and don’t get me started on aftermarket oem style wheels. I’ve spent countless hours talking to every manufacturer that I can find and the general consensus is I can either run a smoothie, a unilug or a wheel that won’t accept oem caps.

    Ugh…

    anyone else ran into these issues? If so where you able to solve them?
     
    alanp561 and Flathead Freddie like this.
  2. hotdamn
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 2,383

    hotdamn
    Member

    Also if anyone has leads on American made tubes that aren’t junk I’d like to hear about them as well.
     
  3. Casey Riley
    Joined: Jun 27, 2018
    Posts: 543

    Casey Riley
    Member
    from Minnesota

    I don't know where they are made, but I've used Big Max tire tubes in derby's. Everyone I know uses Big Max for all their tube needs.
     
    Flathead Freddie likes this.
  4. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,947

    squirrel
    Member

    Tubeless and safety bead are separate issues. I've had no trouble running tubeless tires without tubes on 1940s-50s wheels that don't have a safety bead.

    Using a tube in it won't keep the tire on the rim if you have a flat on a wheel without the safety bead.
     

  5. I'm with Jim on this one. While 'safety beads' were invented by Chrysler in the '30s, the other OEMs didn't adopt them until the early/mid '60s and they had been using tubeless tires since the mid '50s. The beads weren't federally mandated until the '70s. Literally millions of cars ran tubeless tires without the beads, you can too. :)

    Another thing to think about is using a tube in a tubeless tire reduces it's speed rating by one or two 'classes'. Tubeless tires have an 'extra' inner liner (the 'tube'), adding another layer promotes heat build-up and heat is the enemy.
     
  6. hotdamn
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 2,383

    hotdamn
    Member

    Im not talking about running a tubeless tires with out tubes,

    Im talking about running tube type tires with out tubes.

    also having had a flat while driving with a tube in the tire on a 40 wheel, I can tell you that it did keep the tire on the rim in that instance.
     
  7. hotdamn
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 2,383

    hotdamn
    Member

    thank you for the info, ill look them up.
     
  8. Joe H
    Joined: Feb 10, 2008
    Posts: 1,525

    Joe H
    Member

    I have bicycle tubes that go flat in a month with no sign of holes or other problems. I think it's the material they are made from, air just oozes out of them over time. Chinese rubber !
     
  9. hotdamn
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 2,383

    hotdamn
    Member

    I agree it can be done absolutely, I have done it personally. just makes me apprehensive. also Ford and chevy went tubeless in 49 didnt they?

    I say that as 15' tires are sold tubeless however 16's (35-48) are tube type only.
     
    Flathead Freddie likes this.
  10. hotdamn
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 2,383

    hotdamn
    Member

    agreed...
     
  11. Are the tubes coming apart,,,,or just going flat ?
    Same tire or all 4 ?
    Maybe the tubes are really crap,,,,air up one and roll it and spray soapy water on it,,,,might be pin holes from the factory ?
    A pic goes a long way to getting help .

    Tommy
     
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  12. BJR
    Joined: Mar 11, 2005
    Posts: 9,823

    BJR
    Member

    Have you ever checked the valve stems with some water to see if they are leaking?
     
    Flathead Freddie likes this.
  13. hotdamn
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 2,383

    hotdamn
    Member

    i have, ive also tightened up the schrader (sp) valves.
     
    Flathead Freddie likes this.
  14. Moriarity
    Joined: Apr 11, 2001
    Posts: 30,788

    Moriarity
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    Chevy went tubeless in 1955
     
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  15. Johnny Gee
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 12,606

    Johnny Gee
    Member
    from Downey, Ca

    Front wheels on my girlfriends 56. They are 55 thru early 56 factory rims. No safety bead and centers are riveted to the hoop. No air loss.
    [​IMG]
     
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  16. What Desoto291Hemi said. Over inflate the tubes and use soapy water.
    Same or different wheels? Same or different tires? Using valve caps with inner rubber grommet?
     
  17. That's a different kettle of fish...

    If the tires are marked 'tube only' then they lack the inner liner so may not hold air well. Back in the late '60s there were several 'anti-flat' products you could squirt into the tire to seal any leaks and prevent new ones. 'Green Slime' was one, there was another that was gray-colored that I used and it did work very well. I used it because my aluminum wheels were leaking though the casting, stopped that cold. Never had a flat either. Found a nail in a tire a few times, pulled it out, then listened as it self-sealed. The tire shops hated the stuff, it could be a sticky mess inside when changing tires, but might be the perfect solution for you if you can find a current product. Put it into the tube, unless you have a catastrophic failure and cut the tube to ribbons there won't be any mess.

    Might even be worth a try with the tube tires...
     
    hotdamn likes this.
  18. leon bee
    Joined: Mar 15, 2017
    Posts: 798

    leon bee
    Member

    I just watched the Pakistan big truck guys on U-tube changing tires. The last thing you do is spit on your finger and rub it on the tube's stem.
     
  19. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,919

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    In 1961, a friend had a '55 Chevy Bel Aire 2 door hardtop with shitty tires. He finally stepped up and bought a new set of (cheap) tires from Sears. Back then, they were tube types and when we mounted them up, one went flat in about two days. After many attempts at fixing the problem, we realized that the puncture as always in the same general area. Upon close inspection, we found a nail in the tire that was undetectable from the outside and almost imperceptible from inside. When the tire flexed when running down the road, the nail would stick out and puncture the tube.

    Check the tires VERY CAREFULLY"
     
  20. i thought they spot welded the rivets?
     
  21. Ford didn't, I know that for sure...
     
  22. oldiron 440
    Joined: Dec 12, 2018
    Posts: 3,301

    oldiron 440
    Member

    Years ago I had one tire in a set tubed, it lasted about three weeks then it just wouldn't hold air. After replacing the tube the second time I put the powder in we put in drag slicks, that seemed to work.
     
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  23. Johnny Gee
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 12,606

    Johnny Gee
    Member
    from Downey, Ca

    I can't confirm this. I can confirm this. Late 56 and up GM wheels no longer used rivets and centers were then spot welded to the hoop's.
     
  24. Harv
    Joined: Jan 16, 2008
    Posts: 974

    Harv
    Member
    from Sydney

    This stuff is pretty common Down Under (great for kids pushbikes):

    Slime.jpg
    It normally goes on the inside of the tube and may help the OP... wonder if it would work for tubeless too?

    Then again... the Slime website is a bit more cautious:
    https://www.slime.com/us/faq-details.php?id=17
    Will Slime damage my rims?
    If pre-existing damage is present, we do not recommend using Slime. Do not leave Slime inside your tires for more than 2 years. After that time, we cannot guarantee the integrity of your rims. Slime’s Emergency Tire Sealant formula is intended to be used as a temporary emergency repair in passenger vehicles.

    Cheers,
    Harv
     
  25. That may be why I used the 'other' brand as it was formulated differently. Slime had a bit of a negative reputation even then.
     
  26. i guess thats one misconception i had resolved.
     
  27. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,947

    squirrel
    Member

    I've run a couple of "tube type" tires without tubes, both the slicks on my Chevy II, and the Tornel 16" bias tires we put on the 40 LaSalle. Both hold air just fine.

    Like was mentioned the inner lining of the tire makes all the difference...it might hold air just fine, it might not. We don't know what tires you have, so we can only guess.
     
    alanp561 likes this.
  28. rusty valley
    Joined: Oct 25, 2014
    Posts: 3,883

    rusty valley
    Member

    This subject seems to rise up again every so often. I think before its done you will hear of many folks running bias ply tires tubeless with no problems what so ever. Have two running now myself. I find it hard to believe there is a different bias ply tire made for tube, or tubeless, a 4 ply bias tire is just that, period. Back in about 82 or so, I owned a small gas station. When I ordered a set of 600 16's for my 50 Ford from my usual tire supplier, , they came with a stamp on the side wall that said "not for highway use". This, he explained was Ralph Nader trying to get tube type tires off the road. Fact, or fiction, I don't know, but I ran the farm tires, which were the same lookin Firestone champion deluxe that we buy today, for many years. I did put tubes in them, today I would not. So, I would be Leary of any info a modern tire store is telling you, because they dont deal with this question every day, and they dont care if you ever come back
     
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  29. Casey Riley
    Joined: Jun 27, 2018
    Posts: 543

    Casey Riley
    Member
    from Minnesota

    You know about baby powder in the tire, right?
    I've seen tires tubed using shampoo and water too.
     
    rusty valley likes this.
  30. Casey Riley
    Joined: Jun 27, 2018
    Posts: 543

    Casey Riley
    Member
    from Minnesota

    Mill's Fleet Farm up here in the midwest sells them. They have online ordering too.
     
    hotdamn likes this.

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