Dual Rear Tire Valve Stems?

j-d wrote:
Let me say again:

JUST GET SOMETHING THAT WON'T LET YOU DOWN!

Gene was fortunate. The truck shops I checked at couldn't give me what Gene got.

1. Domestic "Big Trucks" use a .625" hole in the wheel for the valve. Class C's, Cars, Pickups, etc. use .453". Some valves come with both gaskets, just be sure what you get fits .453".

Friends Don't Let Friends Use Rubber Tire Valves!!!

I've "snipped" some wise comments from the excellent write-up by j-d. I should have expanded my comments. I drive a Chevy, so the rim holes are different than the Ford rims. Midwest Tire handles pickup, semi's, and the Class 5 and 6 trucks like you find on U-Haul lots and for furniture delivery trucks. So, I don't really know what the bins of straight and curved stems fit. I know the ones they used fit my Chevy rims just fine. :)

Those are short pieces of welding rod. A wire coat hanger would serve the same purpose.
Costco installed rubber stems on the first set, so I wanted to ensure the hook style extender wouldn't cause issues, which is why I created & installed the wire clips.
When those Michelins were recalled, Costco installed new stems, but this time they were metal, but still with a rubber base. A much more substantial base, but still a rubber base. I re-installed the clips.

I've yet to look at the stems on the new Sunseeker, but from what I've read, the wheels are supposed to have all-metal stems. (with a gasket/o-ring, of course) I'll install the same type of extenders on the Sunseeker before the winter is out.
On the ford, I initially tightened the inner fitting with a tiny set of channel-locks on the ford rims - it was a major pain. Subsequently, I installed the extender after balances, before the wheels were re-installed on the rig. I learned that it was easier to remove & haul them to Costco in my pickup rather than have them deal with it.... parking lot with jacks, anyone?

I posted an article on the recall, but can't seem to find it at the moment. Here's some images:


Michelin Tire Recall

More great information here. Really appreciated the different approaches being offered here, providing lots to think about including proper gauges and chucks.

For BruceMc, regarding those extension used on the outer tires, what are the wire clips used to keep them in place?

Nice to have the Tire Man solution, but not necessary. I used plastic extenders that came with our used MH until I got new tires. I asked Costco to put longer valve stems on the outers so I could reach them with my pressure gauge:
No problem with the inners. No extensions needed. I actually put regular valve caps on to keep dirt out and use BruceMc's hose or tube tool to put them on and take them off the inners (link in his post above). I can reach the outers with my fingers.

Now I'm just worried about j-d's warning about plastic valve stems. Costco only has plastic ones. Tires cost way more elsewhere. But no problems in 7 years, except one time when I tried metal extenders and one failed to close after I checked pressures at a rest stop. I will start looking for metal valve stems for the next time I get new tires.

Let me say again:

JUST GET SOMETHING THAT WON'T LET YOU DOWN!

OK - Here's a cheap fix:

Get Straight Metal Valve Stems



And Air-Through Caps



Put'em on all Six or Seven (if you've got a Spare) Wheels. You just need to remember you'll need TRUCK type Air Gauge and Air Chuck. The "straight" kind that are configured like this:



Not the more common angled one like this:



The STRAIGHT will pass through Dicor Simulators on the common 10-hole Ford wheels. Push straight onto the inner valve cap and pull back onto the outer.

Gene was fortunate. The truck shops I checked at couldn't give me what Gene got.

The fix I show here will also meet the wishes of those who want to rotate all their tires. I don't. I'm willing to leave the rear duals in place and rotate my spare with the two fronts.

Two cautions:

1. Domestic "Big Trucks" use a .625" hole in the wheel for the valve. Class C's, Cars, Pickups, etc. use .453". Some valves come with both gaskets, just be sure what you get fits .453".

2. On Ford Class C wheels, a 1-1/2" metal valve will NOT let you put even a truck air gauge onto the valve. The shape of the RIM interferes. You don't notice with Rubber valves since they'll flex. The custom guys (BORG, TM) sell Angled Front valves. If you use 2" valves, you're OK. OR... 1.5" + those Air Through Caps.

But remember this:

Friends Don't Let Friends Use Rubber Tire Valves!!!

Nope, not even with no extenders. That's how we got our Jayco, and I heard leaks just putting the gauge onto the fronts.

TwoPines wrote:
Looking for suggestions about options for adding air valve stem adapters on dual rear wheels? Bought a Jayco E-350 Class C with 225/75 16" tires a few months back and while winterizing noticed that the valve stems on the dual rear wheels are located between the two tires. So, unless I dismount the outer tire, I can't check tire pressure on either tire, nor can I add air if needed. Are there types of adapters preferred or are there replacement stems or what options are there? I would rather have an idea about what I need before going to the tire shop for a fix.
Thanks in advance.

Many of us have had the exact same concerns and have found a few ways to solve the problem. However, adding an extension piece usually will either have a slow leak or will break off the original rubber stem. We drove our RV to Midwest Tire Store that sells truck tires. Not tires for pickups, but for the 18 wheelers. Those trucks have a number of duals with the same problem. Midwest had bins full of the longer straight stems and the "u" shapped ones. You could select from brass or chrome. They were cheap - like $2 to $3 each. I had called them before driving down there and they knew exactly what I needed. I waited about 20 minutes and they were done with all 6 tires. They merely used a floor jack, raised the wheels in the air, used air guns to remove the lug nuts, took the wheels to the tire machine, broke the beads, threw away the old rubber shorties, put in the curved chrome stems, aired up the tires, mounted them and dropped the RV on the ground. Charged $10 per tire plus the $3 stem. Total cost about $80. They had done it hundreds of times before. :)

samven1 wrote:
After doing all the research several months ago and deciding I needed the one piece valve stem and then calling around for someone to remove my tires to install them I went with a TPMS that has an in cab display. I still have to pop the hub caps to add air which is a pain but it is really nice to just flip the monitor on 5 min before I leave and read the tire pressure and temp of each tire. It is also very informative to see the temp and pressure change as you heat them up and one big surprise was watching the right hand side heat up and pressure rise going across SD with a strong wind from the left. In the 6 mos I have had them I only had to add air once because of the dropping temps and double check the monitor accuracy against my digital gauge.
They do all read 2 psi lower than my gauge but I am not sure which one is off since 2 psi is within the spec of both.

Or see the difference in tire temp parked with the sun heating up the tires that face it. Couldn't believe that much difference, watched a video showing a Class A with the big tires and they had a Infrared Thermometer showing the tires before sun-up 57 degrees and pressure at 80 all tires.
A couple hours later after the sun had been up they did it again only this time the two tires facing the sun were at 107 degrees and 85 pressure while the other two still in the shaded side were still 57 and 80 pressure...

Got one of those craftsman digital tire gauges for a stocking stuffer a couple yeas back , it reads 3.5 lbs less than 3 other (2 digital and 1 manual) cheap tire gauges I've had for years and yes all three of the gauges are different brands and they all read the same...
I guess so much for craftsman quality :( ...

Didn't mean to get off track but still related ...

I had an expensive set of valve extenders on my motor home. One leaked, I almost lost a new $400 tire!

I recently purchased a Toyota motor home, on the drive home I heard a funny noise and wondered what it was and then BAM an inner dual self destructed. It was an old tire, when I was checking things the valve extension was broke.

Did the blowout break the valve extension, or did the broken valve extension cause the blow out? I'll never know.

Proper valve stems can be purchased along with gauges and inflators that will work with them. Only way I go.

I also use the 78% nitrogen fill. Jim
Jim

After doing all the research several months ago and deciding I needed the one piece valve stem and then calling around for someone to remove my tires to install them I went with a TPMS that has an in cab display. I still have to pop the hub caps to add air which is a pain but it is really nice to just flip the monitor on 5 min before I leave and read the tire pressure and temp of each tire. It is also very informative to see the temp and pressure change as you heat them up and one big surprise was watching the right hand side heat up and pressure rise going across SD with a strong wind from the left. In the 6 mos I have had them I only had to add air once because of the dropping temps and double check the monitor accuracy against my digital gauge.
They do all read 2 psi lower than my gauge but I am not sure which one is off since 2 psi is within the spec of both.

In the mean time before you get a chance to put custom valve stems on, you can still properly maintain your tire pressures.

I added short extensions to the outer dual, and use the following process to check & add air (78% nitrogen!):



I can move them to any wheel I want when I rotate the tires. I just completed this task a month ago as I had a vibration develop in the front right on our last trip. I pull the wheels & haul them to the tire shop for balancing. I reinstall them where I want, and I ensure the duals are properly installed, that is, the sight hole in both wheels is lined up with the indicator in the hub, and the stems are opposite each other:



Here's my Pressure Checking Process in pictures.