Popping a tire bead to the rim....

[Micahdogg]

Do you alwasy hear a pop? I'm battling a tire that wouldn't hold air for more than about 15 hours. I pumped it up to 50 psi, found a couple pin holes that I plugged, found a few spots on the lip of the rim that were leaking too. These rims got bashed a couple times pretty good.

So I let out all the air, used some spoons to pull the bead of the tire back from the rim (which was very easy to do). With the spoons and prybar I was able to straighten the lip out, clean it up a bit, etc....

I aired the tires back up to like 40 psi, check the lip and there were just a couple spots that were leaking. But when I stuck my tire spoon inbetween the lip and wheel I could "burp" some air past. Does that mean the bead wasn't ever seated to the lip? I tried airing up to about 60 psi and never heard a pop.

Anway, after sitting for a week, I rechecked the tire (which deflated, but this time it took a week to go down, which is a step in the right direction) and when i tossed 30 psi in there, air was leaking from all around the lip of the rim again.

I'm wondering if I just need to pull the valve stem and shoot a cool 100 psi in the damn thing so I can hear that "Pop" of the bead. Any advice is welcomed. I'm handy with bike tires/tubes, but new to atv tires.

[oOGoFastOo]

If the bead of the tire is sitting up against the outer edge if the rim than it wont help to inflate the tire to a higher psi. The popping sound you will hear when seating the bead of a tire is when it goes over the factory bead seat on the rim and hits the outer edge of the rim, but if the tire is already all the way against the outer edge of the rim than you wont hear anything. I would try putting some sort of sealent between the tire bead and the rim to seal it.

[ParrotGreenUS90]

Are these steel or aluminum rims? I had a Pro Wede 2 that had a small leak around the bead and it was pin holes in the bead. The local tire shop I have done business with for years said it will need a tube. I do not know the history of your tires but I would clean the rim and try again or just buy a tube.

[Micahdogg]

That clears things up with the popping noise. These are Douglas aluminum rims. And the leak is at the bead because I can spray some simple green around the lip and watch it foam slightly in several areas (between the tire and rim).

I thought about coating some black rtv sealer between the lip/tire. I read elsewhere on this site to use grease. Then again I've got a can of fix-a-flat that I don't want to spray IN the tire at all, but thought about spraying a line of it around the bead area and inflating it again. Any tips on which sealer to go with?

Micah

P.S. I have no idea what to normally run these tires at psi wise, but I've been pumping them up to about 13 psi for riding (front and rear). Does this sound ok?

[oOGoFastOo]

I usually run around 5-7 psi in my dirt tires. the fix-a-flat around the bead would probably work good or you could use the silicone rtv sealer also.

[big_daddy124]

yes at tire shops we use a rubber compound to seal bead leaks but a small amount of rtv would work for you fine

[fabiodriven]

I'll tell you the easiest way to do it, but alot of guys on here are against it.

Slime it, lights out. Done.

I've used it on both of my recent sets of brand new rim/tire combos AND my ice racing front tire that leaked after I studded it. The stuff is unbeleivable. The studded tire was obviously leaking at the studs, but the others were leaking at the beads, and not one of 'em has leaked even a pound since.

[deathman53]

I had a set of itp rims and holeshot xcr tires that did the same thing. I brought it to a tire shop and had them put bead sealer in. Bead Sealer is a thick black paste and goes on the bead of the tire and then it gets inflated(bead popped). It held air for close to 6 years after. You can buy it at an autoparts store and will need to break the bead to put in it.

[Micahdogg]

Thanks to some of your advice, I had good success tonight.

I pulled the tire back off the bead, sprayed carb cleaner on the tire and rim and wiped em both down. Then I applied a bead of black RTV to the tire and "popped" the bead again. I immediately sprayed some simple green at the lip/tire and got no bubbles. I think this will hold good...........thanks all!!!

Micah

[The Goat]

A quick trick for future reference, buy a can of white lithium grease... Sand the outer edge of your rims before install, spray with lithium grease, install tire and seat beads as normal. Pour a small amount of gas on each bead and allow to sit a few hours. It'll be like superglue.

I always use white lithium when applying fuel lines, makes em slide on easy and downright impossible to pull off, even if you were a gorilla.

[Micahdogg]

I think WD40 does the same thing. I know BMX guys spray WD40 on their grips, slide em on bars and it locks em on. weird, I know......

[250rAL]

Man, 60 lbs. in an ATV tire? I get nervous when they get to 25!

[Micahdogg]

Are you kidding? I've put 100 psi in them before. A friggen bmx tire can take over 100 psi.

[oscarmayer]

you coudl have buildup from the old tires or old sealant. i jsut fixed an old rim the otehr day thay i needed to get an old atc tire to seat. i had to move the tire aside and use a scrapper to clean the rim, then used white lith to allow the rim to seat. worked great! no leaks either!!!! the tire is old and has a coupel of cracks where air leask slowly from. i'm going to sliem it later on and that should fix it.

[oscarmayer]

Are you kidding? I've put 100 psi in them before. A friggen bmx tire can take over 100 psi.

if you read the manufacture info on the atv tires, they specifically say do not exceed XXX in psi. that's because any more psi and they can blow up. have u ever seen a tire blow up? it's liek a grenade... it'll kill you and anyone else next to you. be smart. if it's taking that much something is wrong...