Correct way to install metal valve stems?
I finally got around to installing a new Hawkshead TPMS a few weeks ago just days before we left for a 17 day 800 mile camping trip. We are using Hawkhead T-valves which allow air to be added without removing the sensors. Our rims are alloy.
I had the valve stems installed by a large well-known nnational tire company. They said they could not install the rubber grommets that came with the valve stems on the outside so they installed them on the inside of the rim. They said they do this sometimes if it won't fit on the outside. I wasn't sure about this so I called the Hawkshead distributor who said they are meant to go on the outside.
Then doing some reading on the internet, it seems like it is better to have the grommets installed on the inside because the internal air pressure forces a seal against the metal rim.
Is there a right and wrong way to install the grommets or does it matter? After 800 miles, the TT tires held the air just fine. Hawkshead said that their T-valve grommets should fit on the outside of most RV rims. Maybe the tire shop didn't take enough time and care to fit them correctly?
Another question is that the inside surface of the rim has a round surface but the valve stems came with a flat washer. Should a convex washer be used? Where would I find them?
I had the valve stems installed by a large well-known nnational tire company. They said they could not install the rubber grommets that came with the valve stems on the outside so they installed them on the inside of the rim. They said they do this sometimes if it won't fit on the outside. I wasn't sure about this so I called the Hawkshead distributor who said they are meant to go on the outside.
Then doing some reading on the internet, it seems like it is better to have the grommets installed on the inside because the internal air pressure forces a seal against the metal rim.
Is there a right and wrong way to install the grommets or does it matter? After 800 miles, the TT tires held the air just fine. Hawkshead said that their T-valve grommets should fit on the outside of most RV rims. Maybe the tire shop didn't take enough time and care to fit them correctly?
Another question is that the inside surface of the rim has a round surface but the valve stems came with a flat washer. Should a convex washer be used? Where would I find them?
