UKC

Car problems - flat ish tyre

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 mark20 26 Apr 2013
Pressure on one of the tyres always seem to drop much quicker than the others. Should be about 35psi, drops to about 15psi in a month. Is it massively dangerous or should I just keep a close eye on it? Was going to head over to Wales tonight...
 wilkie14c 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20: Keep your eye on it and keep it topped up. Sound like a slow puncture, leaking valve or leaking bead. Under inflation can cause tracking to one side, heavy steering, premature tyre wear and can affect handling and braking
OP mark20 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20:
Just did 100miles today, and it was about 12psi, doesn't make the car drive any worse than normal I'm just worried it might suddenly deflate and cause me to crash, or worse, be left stranded in Holyhead.
 andy 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20: Are you sure it's not got a screw in it? A tyre place'll repair that for a tenner.
 wilkie14c 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20: You'll micro adjust as the tyre goes down and you won't notice the difference but it will make a difference. check your spare so at least you'll know you have a good spare. The 12v type inflators from argos and the like are cheap and they work ok, worth investing in one.
 sbc_10 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20:

Its inevitable these days that you will tw@t a wheel on a pot-hole. Alloys are not the strongest material and will damage far too easily, making a good seal difficult to maintain on the rim.
If this is the case and there is no obvious buckle, shift the wheel to the reverse of the car to take the majority of the engine weight off it.
The problem wont solve itself, bite the bullet and get a fix. Any noticeable buckle, get it sorted quick as that could fail dramatically.
 LastBoyScout 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20:

Sounds like it needs looking at soon, as that's a lot to lose - it'll affect everything already mentioned plus if you do hit a pothole, there's a good chance of costing you a new wheel, as it hasn't got the cushioning it should have.

It'll get you to Wales and back if you keep an eye on it and keep it topped up regularly.

One of my tyres loses pressure, but far more slowly than yours, just a few psi a month - I suspect corrosion on the rim or a leaky valve and it can wait for when it's due a new tyre.
adam11 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20:

Or worse, your tyre which you are happy to drive with a known fault (100 miles @12psi) overheats, deflates suddenly and kills someone else.

If your not skilled enough to be able to tell that a tyre has 1/2 - 1/3 of it's optimum pressure in it, are you skilled enough to control a blow out? I know I'm not!

On a track, pressure differentials of only 2psi make discernable difference to handling and control how much heat you get into the rubber.
OP mark20 26 Apr 2013
Thanks, I'll get it looked at instead then
 Fraser 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20:

It could also be corrosion on the wheel itself, which is compromising the tyre seal. I've had this a couple of times and it's easily solved by removing the tyre, wire-brushing the rim then replacing the tyre. £5 well spent in any Kwik-Fit type place.
Jim C 26 Apr 2013
In reply to Fraser:
> (In reply to mark20)
>
> It could also be corrosion on the wheel itself, which is compromising the tyre seal.... £5 well spent in any Kwik-Fit type place.

Often times my daughter's have taken a tyre problem to 'similar establishments' they have told them the tyre was: 'beyond repair' or 'dangerous' and tried to sell them a new tyre.
I then take it to a local garage I can trust , and inevitably they just fix it with no comment! ((maybe we are just unlucky)

I would always get second opinion if that happens .
So don't turn up with the tyre ON the car, take the wheel off yourself, so you can just throw it back in your boot and get a second opinion.

If your car is up on their ramp your options are much more limited to argue, so YOU want to be in control, put on your spare and give them the dodgy wheel only, you can then just drive off to check out their opinion.

If the second opinion then says the same thing, you can still then drive off and take time shop around for the best deal, and so you do not just have to be rushed into buying whatever tyre they have in stock, when they don't have to give you a competitive quote whilst your car is up on their ramp.


 Nomisr 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20:
as above,faulty valve, puncture or more likely, given your affection for driving into bike racks and big rocks at Burbage, damaged alloys. Kiwi Fit or ATS I reckon. Dad
 Nomisr 26 Apr 2013
In reply to Nomisr:
Oops meant kwik fit, ( auto correct now off ! ) kiwi fit prob something very different.
 Dax H 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20: Get it checked. Slow punctures often turn in to fast punctures and normally when your running late, its raining and you have your best gear on.
 Blue Straggler 26 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20:

How long has this been going on?

This thread caught my eye because one of my tyres on my car that I just bought on Saturday was looking alarmingly soft on Monday afternoon so I assumed a fast slow puncture if you get what I mean. Limped it an air line and it had got even flatter and was in fact below 10 PSI. OOPS! Inflated to 35 PSI, left overnight, looked fine, drove 6 miles to work, looked fine, left all day in office car park, checked at the end of the day with a compressor and gauge from our workshop, still 35 PSI.
Still solid now although I have not rechecked the actual PSI. Assuming that it's still 35, I wonder what happened. Maybe the pressure had dropped so much that a seal was broken, causing a rapid deflation, but now that it's at the correct pressure, it maintains the seal. With that in mind - what's the recommended pressure for your combination of tyre and wheel, and what's the maximum? Might be interesting to try maximising it. Though TBH yours sounds like a typical slow puncture or other type of leak
Jim C 26 Apr 2013
In reply to Blue Straggler:
> (In reply to mark20)
>
> How long has this been going on?
>
> This thread caught my eye because one of my tyres on my car that I just bought on Saturday was looking alarmingly soft on Monday afternoon so I assumed a fast slow puncture if you get what I mean. Limped it an air line and it had got even flatter and was in fact below 10 PSI. OOPS! Inflated to 35 PSI, left overnight, looked fine, drove 6 miles to work, looked fine, left all day in office car park, checked at the end of the day with a compressor and gauge from our workshop, still 35 PSI.
> Still solid now although I have not rechecked the actual PSI. Assuming that it's still 35, I wonder what happened. Maybe the pressure had dropped so much that a seal was broken, causing a rapid deflation, but now that it's at the correct pressure, it maintains the seal. With that in mind - what's the recommended pressure for your combination of tyre and wheel, and what's the maximum? Might be interesting to try maximising it. Though TBH yours sounds like a typical slow puncture or other type of leak

Or someone let your tyre down .
Jim C 26 Apr 2013
In reply to Dax H:
> (In reply to mark20) Get it checked. Slow punctures often turn in to fast punctures and normally when your running late, its raining and you have your best gear on.

When I drove old cars I used to have decorators paper overalls in the boot and plastic gloves ,
It was a high risk of breakdown in those days, so going out dressed for a night out needed a backup plan for fiddling under the bonnet .

I suppose these lightweight overalls would still be handy in the boot for punctures,I. Might get a set again.
 Blue Straggler 27 Apr 2013
In reply to Jim C:
> (In reply to Blue Straggler)
> [...]
>
> Or someone let your tyre down .


Well yes but I discounted that as soon as it came to mind on Monday! Admittedly the rest of my post is far-fetched speculation too.
Jim C 27 Apr 2013
In reply to Blue Straggler:
> (In reply to Jim C)
> [...]
>
>
> Well yes but I discounted that as soon as it came to mind on Monday! Admittedly the rest of my post is far-fetched speculation too.

Ok, just a thought.
I was going to suggest aliens at first, but I thought that was to obvious for UKC.
 Bruce Hooker 27 Apr 2013
In reply to mark20:

Get it fixed - after looking really carefully for a nail head - sometimes they are at the bottom of a tread so hard to see. A nail doesn't always cause an immediate puncture with tubeless tyres, often just a slow leak... until...! It's not worth a blow out on the motor way or in the pouring rain given the price of tyres.
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