Need some quick help for a friend

[herisites 0]

Hi all,

 

A friend of mine has a Ford (dont laugh) Fiesta RS and is having problem with her tyres, basically they keep going down slowly. She took it to the garage and they checked for slow punctures and there aren't any. They also resealed the rims because they thought being an old car the wheels might be letting air escape, but the tyres are still going down. The tyres are 2 years old and pass MOT on tread etc.

 

I have mentioned checking the valves and asked if she has dust cpas on all the valves. So other than these can anyone think of any reasons why they could be going down? And i am aware that its a ford :-P :lol:

 

Thanks,

 

Rob.

[vr6storm 0]

could be porous alloys or dodgy valves

[herisites 0]

Whats porous alloys :oops:

[BigTartanJudge 0]

Porous alloys = imperfections caused by poor quality casting / formed during inadequate cooling process, resulting in tiny pin-prick holes in the metal, causing air to escape over time.

[herisites 0]

Nice one mate, so kinda like pores in your skin then :lol:

[herisites 0]

So do wheels become porous over time or are they like it when new but get worse over time?

[Goldie 2]

As they corrode the tyres do not seat properly. Ive had this with a couple of Fords in the past.

 

Either get them reconned or keep pumping them up all the time.

[andyVR6 0]

So do wheels become porous over time or are they like it when new but get worse over time?

 

it gets worse over time my mates mum has some old BK wheels on her celica to look at them there minters but the tyres need blowing up once a week on the front ones

[Jim 2]

Had this on the front left alloy on my Golf TDI.. the front tyres were on their way out anyway so I got brand new tyres and valves, etc and the front left still kept going flat after a week or so! There wasn't much kerbing so a porous alloy was all I could think it was but never ended up sorting it and just sold it as was!

 

Ho hum!

[herisites 0]

Nice one guys, i will let her know. So how would they be fixed then?

 

Rob.

[andyVR6 0]

i would have thought that there will be some sort of sealant stuff you could spray round the inside of the wheel.

[BigTartanJudge 0]

The wheels could well have been porous since new (depends on quality of casting procedure in the factory etc.)or may have become porous over time due to corrosion at various points on the wheel and do not necessarily have to be only porous around the outside of the rim where alloys are prone to corrosion, it just depends really.

 

Normal tyre-slip / sealant used when re-fitting tyres should be sufficient. I would tend to check the valves first and poss replace with proper bolt-in metal ones (less prone to perishing over time and more sturdy) or just new rubber ones (alloy bolt-in ones £15-£20 set) for about £12 a set.

[NickVR6 0]

does she have stick on weights or those that are lcipped on between the wheel and tyre??

 

i had this with my original speelines, turned out to be the weights just seeping.

 

lay the wheels flat and poor some water between the alloy and tyre. shoudl buble if you have a leak round there no matter how slow. Just look very carefully and try them face up and face down.

 

I guess if that doesnt work it must be a porous thing, assuming 2 wont be cracked.

[DanA 0]

Mine were loosing about 10psi every week, was a right pain having to pump them up all the time. Finally bit the bullet and got all 4 alloys refurbished and that sorted it!

[herisites 0]

Cheers guys, i have pretty much told her to check the same things everyone has mentioned, apart from the porous thing but i have now :lol: she has got to take it for an MOT tomorrow so i think she will ask about it there. Sadly i cant help her out with the problem as she is a GIRL (and a fit one at that :wink:) and i have a gf :( :lol:

[Toad 0]

AFAIK The alloys used in alloy wheels are porous, and the thing that stops them leaking air is the lacquer (SP). Hence why they stop leaking after a refurb. They have a nice coating of jollop all over them.

 

Magnesium alloy wheels are more porous than other alloys.

[herisites 0]

Oh right nice one, so a refurb will sort them out then. I will let her know.

 

Oh and yes she now see's me as a hero for helping her :wink: mission accomplished :lol:

[Toad 0]

if you're already ladied up, tell her it was me..... I'm charming, funny, 6'1", got a lot of love to give :norty: , Well it has been a long time....

 

You could try re-lacquering or painting the inside of the rim (inside the tyre) as a cheap fix. Although you'll clearly need to remove/re fit the tyre.