Tire valve stems October 18, 2021, 12:52:21 am Hi folks - what do you use for tire valve stems for the inside dualies in the rear? BOTH of mine snapped off in the past week (one on each side) causing emergencies on the road. I had long steel stems that looked good but alas… Thank god for the TPMS which alerted me to the fast leakage on the road, so we could stop in time. Thanks,Sasha
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #1 – October 18, 2021, 01:38:00 am Hi Sasha, fancy meeting you in the Mather campground office parking lot! I could have showed you right there what I did. Past responses to this topic are many, and can be found using the search feature. The solid tire valve stems, not extenders, (Borg type) may be the best solution, but I have had success with flex hose extenders. RonB 1 Likes
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #2 – October 18, 2021, 09:27:00 am Thanks Ron - and yes indeed great meeting you. My new profile pic is us at Mather when it snowed last week. I had the solid long steel ones (don’t know what brand) but they both snapped off. Will look for Borgs. Do you think extenders are bad? One of mine broke on another tire separately but also wasn’t installed well. Thanks,Sasha
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #3 – October 18, 2021, 10:53:56 am Quote from: Sasha - October 18, 2021, 09:27:00 am Do you think extenders are bad? One of mine broke on another tire separately but also wasn’t installed well. Sasha,Three weeks ago on my way to the Balloon Fiesta one of my front tire extenders came loose and the other snapped in half leaving me waiting on the side of I-25 waiting for road assistance for three hours. After getting a new tire under warranty at Discount Tire, I took my RV to A-B Tire (they're known for big truck tires) in Albuquerque. In the front the replaced the tire stems with exact size all in one piece tire stems that would allow for me to attach my TPMS valve. In the rear dualies they checked the Borg tire stems and added a rubber stabilizer which the original installer had failed to add. I've always used Discount Tire, but realize now they're only really acceptable for auto tires. The manager at A-B Tire gave me the name of a shop called Mesilla Valley Tire to use for my RV in the future here in Las Cruces. Cheryl 1 Likes
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #4 – October 18, 2021, 11:31:00 am Sasha, this website is currently down, but when it comes back, you might want to click on the link below and look up the appropriate long valves/"kit" for your 2005 Ford E450.https://yourtireshopsupply.com/category/796/dually-valve-kitsAlthough the installation of long valves is not particularly difficult, doing the job correctly requires that the installer read the instructions, follow the instructions, install all the parts in the box (yes, the rubber grommet to support the long valve from the inside dual is necessary!), and not maverick off thinking that he/she already knows how to do the job so how hard can it be? The rig owner also needs to inspect the kit for all the parts that should be included, read the installation instructions before taking the rig to a shop, and understand exactly how the valves are installed and how to inspect the final work before accepting the job. As several reports of long valve installation "fails" show, assuming that the shop/"tech" has done the job properly is not in the owner's best interests. Tire shops and the people hired to do the work vary widely in knowledge, skills, and competence. Employee turnover may be high, workers may lack knowledge and experience (and reading skills), and/or be inadequately trained and supervised. Don't forget to remove the wheel covers before taking the rig to the shop to have any work done on the wheels or tires.As ever, YMMV. 2 Likes
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #5 – October 18, 2021, 01:40:35 pm "Don't forget to remove the wheel covers before taking the rig to the shop to have any work done on the wheels or tires."I may be mistaken, but as I recall, it's important to make sure the tire shop is capable of balancing the tires with the extenders on. Not all have equipment that can do so. 1 Likes
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #6 – October 18, 2021, 03:01:15 pm "Not all have equipment that can do so." Insofar as I know it doesn't take any 'special equipment' for this job. I've gone through several sets of tires using the long stems, including the initial work done by the Tire Man Chuck in Ridge Crest in 2004. If a single tire does not balance they just keep adding weights until it does. Of course that's not always a good idea. I've seen cases where rotating the tire on the wheel helped and at least one case when they had to replace a new tire with a second one. You should watch closely to see if they are adding too many weights, it should not take more than one or two. 1 Likes
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #7 – October 18, 2021, 06:44:12 pm On occasion new tires can be out of round enough where any amount of balancing doesn’t help. I have had this happen more than once. To solve the problem I found a long in business tire shop in Florida that’s very good at shaving the tread to true round. It doesn’t take much to take off to do this. No more problems from then on. 1 Likes
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #8 – October 18, 2021, 06:48:47 pm Here are some points, based on experience with our current Class A coach, and that should apply to the LD world, mostly:1) The rubber stabilizers are essential. They prevent the stem from moving. I can see how a TPMS mounted on a stem, without a stabilizer, could vibrate and cause the stem to break off.2) I found it necessary to reshape the hole through the stabilizer in order to install it without a lot of sideways force on the stem.3) It helps to keep the stabilizer pliable to install it. Hot water works for this.4) As suggested, it pays to read and understand the installation instructions and to know the purpose of each provided part. You do need to know as much or more than the installer to get the best results.5) Ask that the installer return to you any removed parts and any "leftover" parts from the stem installation kits. I did not do this, and paid the price. In my case, the installer used the incorrect, undersized valve stem seals on all six wheels (he had two choices, and chose incorrectly). Not only did a tire develop a leak, but I had to buy the correct parts a second time, as the first installer had thrown them away.6) Some stems require the "lock" nut to be inside the tire rim. If it's not tightened well before the tire is mounted and inflated, the stem will leak and it is impossible to tighten without taking the wheel off and deflating the tire.7) Don't assume an installer knows the correct tire pressures for your coach. Check them before you leave the facility. In my case, the TPMS alarmed before I had moved 15 feet from where they parked the coach. It turns out the "junior" installer broke the valve stem when trying to bend it to fit through the "simulator," a.k.a. wheel cover. Back into the shop, get a non-matching stem from the shop stockroom, etc., etc., etc. If I hadn't caught the leak, it could have meant an expensive and problem-fraught tow back to the tire shop.8) Finally, it may be common to balance the 16-inch wheels and tires that the LD uses, but in the 19.5-inch world it's not common. I don't know why. If you want better balance (than none at all), you opt for balance beads inside the tire or a bolt-on balancer, such as sold under the "Centramatic" brand. I chose the latter.Tires are like human feet- We tend to ignore them until they don't work correctly, and then they get all of our attention.Mark H. 2 Likes
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #9 – October 22, 2021, 10:57:18 am Thank you all so much, I love this forum! We ended up at one of Flagstaff’s best shops (Southern Tires) and replaced all of the stems with the rubber ones and added tiny extenders just to be able to measure the pressure with on the inner tires. Took out all of the long extenders (including the U shaped ones), per advice from multiple tire shops and put the TPMS sensors right on the short rubber stems. I feel safer now. Hopefully this works. Thanks again,Sasha
Re: Tire valve stems Reply #10 – October 22, 2021, 11:21:28 am "....replaced all of the stems with the rubber ones and added tiny extenders just to be able to measure the pressure with on the inner tires. Took out all of the long extenders (including the U shaped ones), per advice from multiple tire shops and put the TPMS sensors right on the short rubber stems."---Do check with the tire shop that installed the "rubber valves" to make sure that they are high pressure valves, and not the valves that are used for tires with a maximum inflation pressure of 65 pounds. https://www.tireamerica.com/resource/tire-valve-stem-types 1 Likes
Topic: Tire valve stems (Read 258 times)
previous topic - next topic
Topic: Tire valve stems (Read 258 times)
previous topic - next topic