Crimsonnaire

iTrader: (1)

Two days ago, I noticed that my front driver's tire seemed a bit low, but thought it was probably an illusion. Today, that tire went flat! I would estimate that the pressure was about 17-20 two days ago, and today, well flat. So given a period of about 48 hours, the pressure loss rate would be about 3 lbs per hour. I don't know if this rate was consistent from the beginning of the leak, but it may have started slower because when I filled it up to 40 lbs today, it stayed throughout the afternoon and evening. I also don't know when the leak started, but if it started many days ago, then it would mean that the leak started slow and accelerated as more pressure was lost. If the rate was consistent, then it would mean that it started less than 5 days ago. But the thing is that I didn't go over any large bumbs or debris. I did go over a pretty big bump while the tire had about 20 lbs (left it that way, not leaked), but that was over a year ago, and it certainly didn't start leaking then.

I'm not very educated on the tire/rim aspect of these vehicles. Is this air leak behavior more associated with a bad tire or rim? Can a tire be damaged by a bump where it doesn't start to lose air until a long time in the future? By the way, the rim isn't damaged by the tire going flat while parked being that it's pressed closer to the hard ground, is it?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

hitmanws6

iTrader: (20)

if you dont have a puncture there can only be 2 causes to it going flat. the bead could not be sealing properly due to a bent/corroded rim or defective tire, or you have a bad valve stem. have the tire taken off the rim and have both the tire and rim inspected. check the valve stem while you are at it. there was a massive recall on valve stems about a month ago.

Crimsonnaire

iTrader: (1)

OK, I'll have them inspected.

Not sure if it's important, but three details I forgot to mention are that the rim is a stock pre-01 WS6 rim (the one with the WS6 centercap) and the tire is a Falken with about 40% tread. Also, when the tire was flat, I could see clear thin cracks on the side. I figured that was just the rubber creasing from being folded. That wouldn't leak air, would it?

Did they recall stems from recent productions or from the 98-02 F-bodies in particular?

hitmanws6

iTrader: (20)

the cracks would not cause a leak that fast, they could be from the folding or dry rot. the stems were recently produced. they were chrome sleeved stems. a bad batch was sold to tire shops

Mike in LA

Try spaying on a soap and water mixture to see where the leak is coming from. It should make some bubbles where the leak is located. Make sure you cover the whole tire, along the bead, and the valve stem.

KL20

iTrader: (18)

all good suggestions above, but IMO the end result was rather quick. in less than 3-4 days i assume? it seems hard for me to see the tire going flat in that timeframe if the wheel was bent and you've had the current setup for any long time period. also, if the car was parked for longer than say a few weeks maybe, the tire could "settle" and that might have loosened the seal with the rim. there must either be a cut, object, or defect somewhere in the tire. but that's only my theory, could be totally wrong.