Forum Discussion

EldIr's avatar
EldIr
Explorer
Sep 24, 2013

Crack in wheel

So I noticed a slow leak had developed in one of my tires. Since the tires were new last year, I thought maybe a valve stem. I took it off and put it in the bathtub and found a small crack in the wheel. They are only 50psi tires, same as original so it's not too much pressure for the rim. Is this common? I've owned a lot of trailers over the years - many with rims much older than these - and I've never had this happen before.

The crack is about 3/8" long in the area circled. It's not where the center is welded or near an edge. Just right there in the middle.

6 Replies

  • EldIr's avatar
    EldIr
    Explorer
    Sep 24, 2013
    down home wrote:
    We had a 81 Chevy with factory aluminum wheels. Instead of Chevy replacing it they coated the whole rim on the inside in the middle with a big ban of silicone.
    Rim manufacture has gotten better, or so I think, in the States since then.
    One or the primary reason they coat both inside and out or at least the inside is to seal any potential leaks in cast aluminum wheels.
    Forged are denser and less prone.
    If one of them is leaking in this manner the others may. They maybe the cheapest they could find from China.
    Replace them with forged.


    These are steel, not aluminum.
  • down_home's avatar
    down_home
    Explorer II
    Sep 24, 2013
    We had a 81 Chevy with factory aluminum wheels. Instead of Chevy replacing it they coated the whole rim on the inside in the middle with a big ban of silicone.
    Rim manufacture has gotten better, or so I think, in the States since then.
    One or the primary reason they coat both inside and out or at least the inside is to seal any potential leaks in cast aluminum wheels.
    Forged are denser and less prone.
    If one of them is leaking in this manner the others may. They maybe the cheapest they could find from China.
    Replace them with forged.
  • EldIr's avatar
    EldIr
    Explorer
    Sep 24, 2013
    TucsonJim wrote:
    Back in the 1970s, I ran a tire store in California. I'd say that for every 50 "leaking" tires that were brought in, at least one of them was due to a leaking wheel. So it does happen. The best option is to replace it.


    I plan on replacing it. At least the wheel is less than half the price of the tire. Of course much more than a valve stem would have been:(
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    Sep 24, 2013
    Rare but not unheard of if you work around tires.
    Get a new/used wheel and move on.
  • TucsonJim's avatar
    TucsonJim
    Explorer II
    Sep 24, 2013
    Back in the 1970s, I ran a tire store in California. I'd say that for every 50 "leaking" tires that were brought in, at least one of them was due to a leaking wheel. So it does happen. The best option is to replace it.

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