So, when I got my 92 vr4 the tires kept going flat. The project has been off the road for a while, but now that I am getting it going again, I want to address this.
A tire shop told me that there was pitting/corrosion on the rims and that there was nothing they could do to stop the leaking where the bead could not seat. I was wondering, is there some way for me to fix this? I was thinking about maybe using JB weld, in a bondo fashion, and sand and smooth it out so the bead has a smooth surface to seat on. I just don't know if that would work.
I am planning on selling the car once she is running well. I don't want to spend money on new rims, but I also don't want to do a shady repair. So if there are any better options, please let me know.
the only time i seen where that type of corrosion flatened my tires is when it was like 30 below 0... im bettin you could sand the surface a little bit. maybe paint the inside afterwards... ive welded a cracked rim sanded it down and it was golden.. tire shop wanted to hire me lol... but you gotta be carefull tire shops are like stealerships too.. cant believe what they tell you... instead play them... tell them your looking around different tire shops to repair your rims,, give them a sense of competition... they will hesitate to rip you off.. but really check other shops... for your insurance
My past experience is that tire shops think the sealer is soooo expensive that its cheaper to do the job over instead of having a happy customer the first time.
Unless your wheels are REALLY BADLY pitted, a little bit of work with a wire brush will provide a good surface for sealing. Dont forget the valve stem area too. I used a free flat repair coupon at a local service chain and the overlooked the corrosion on the valve stem pocket. All three they did had leaks there and they replaced the stem on two wheels!!
There is also a style or two of the OEM wheels with porous castings that will always leak unless you paint the insides.
I work at a tire/ auto repair chain. We always use roloc discs. 120 grit and under. We easily blast off all corrosion with those babies. Then, once both lips are corrosion free, we rinse/wipe the lips down with a light solvent. After it is clean we use bead sealant on the lips and let it dry.
I personally wipe down the tire bead with the solvent to rid it of and dirt or corrosion that may have stuck.
Finally, when I remount the tire, BEFORE I SEAT THE BEADS, I put another coat of sealant on the exposed bead. Then reseat it while it is fresh and wet. It has always worked with zero failures. I frequently see people bring in their tires we have bead sealed in the past. And they have all held perfectly.
This works for most wheels. Minus steel.
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Corrosion on wheels, tires won't seat.
