Forum:
We have a 2004 Charade SL, which goes very well, but both front tyres lose pressure. I have been to a local tyre establishment, who told me that alloy wheels, especially Japanese ones, are prone to leakage. I've had the tyres re-fitted twice, so far, with extra 'goo' to help them seal. Is this a common problem? Would it be practical to change to steel wheels instead? What is the full spec. of the wheels? - I can find no information in the literature that came with the vehicle, other than the tyre size. (155/65-R13 73S)
Any help would be much appreciated!
Hi and welcome to the Forum.
Hi and welcome to the Forum. Have heard of this on a few cars. Jap alloys are rubbish imo, especially Toyota/Daiahtsu ones. They seem to corrode for fun. Without seeing yours it's a job to say, but if they are corroded at all on the sealing edge where the beading sits then they will leak. You could get them reconditioned as I have done in the past, buy some nice shiny new alloys or second hand ones or, as you said, obtain some steel ones. There may be someone here who can provide you with the wheel specs/offset/pcd etc. Let us know what you decide!
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2004 Yellow YRV Turbo
Thanks for your comments so
Thanks for your comments so far. All four tyres have good treads, so replacement isn't an option just yet. I am also looking out for steel wheels for my Jetta. I discovered that Michelins are useless in snow and purchased a couple of 'all seasons' tyres for the front. These are a softer compound and work much better in low temperatures. A vast improvement! (But the Michelins on the rear led to some interesting moments on roundabouts - really all four should be changed...)
So the plan is to find a set of steel wheels for the softer tyres and to change them in, say, October and then back again in March. This will reduce the corrosion on the alloys and give safer driving during the winter months. Hopefully, during my search, I'll find some for the Charade too.
The Manxman
Same here
My wife's 53reg Charade SL has all four wheels randomly lose pressure. Sometimes they are fine for a few weeks, then all of a sudden, 1 will randomly lose pressure overnight. 2 of my wheels on the YRV were like that, but since fitting new tyres and filling with Nitrogen, the problem "seems" to have stopped.
Some of the tyre workshops just paint some tar or sticky gunk when doing the tyre, but that won't work if there are really raised corrosion or nicked bumps on the alloy where they seal against.
Britannia actually cleaned up the alloy sealing surfaces for me, tried to remove the rough bumps to get a better seal. Seems to have worked...
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Just call me G...
2004 Yellow YRV Turbo
Solution
My Charade is due for a service & MOT. I asked my local (non franchised) garage if he could resolve the problem for me. He came up with the obvious solution, which is to remove all the wheels, then the tyres. The wheels are then properly cleaned and the corrosion removed, provided it's not too deeply seated. The wheels are then painted & allowed to dry, before re-fitting the tyres and re-balancing. Not sure how much this will all cost, but it has to be less than a new set of wheels!
The Manxman