"Sliming" aluminum wheels

Jan 31, 2009 9 Replies

So many opinions on how bad aluminum wheels are- Has anyone had any luck with slime or a similar product?



I asked my mechanic how bad it was to replace a tire that had been slimed and he said he didn't care for it. But it might be worth the extra $ one time to be able to stop adding air weekly to the 8 aluminum wheels in my driveway.



Jim


I just replaced the alunimum wheels with steel ones

Get the steel wheels from a auto scrapyard, they are pretty cheap, espically if you need 8 NEGOIATE!

You can then sell the alunimu ones. I traded them for hupcaps since I didnt want to advertise the old wheels pure lazy.

best change I ever made, the only better one was a remote starter......

replace wheels at time of new tires so balance and mounting isnt extra

I had problems with all of my aluminum wheels until I started insisting that the tire tech clean the rim before he seated the tire. They get corrosion in the bead area and leak. If you wirebrush it they won't leak. If you really want it to seal or you have pitted rims, wipe a small amount of dow 111 silicone (similar to spark plug grease) on the bead area.

That slime stuff is a really nasty product. Some tyre outlets refuse to work on a wheel that has had it. It can cause off balance and other problems. Just Say No!

Agree, I think it would be far better to simply have your tires dismounted and then coat the inside of the wheel with a good coat of paint. Second the other poster's suggestion to pay special attention to the bead area, any corrosion/pitting in that area of the wheel may cause a slow leak.

nate

Agree, too many "techs" either are lazy or don't know any better. It's such a simple solution, yet some tire _experts_ fail to have knowledge of it.

=BDIt's

mine were wire brushed and sealed with a yellow goop, and still leaked spring and more commonly in the fall..........

convert to steel wheels problem permanetely gone:)

A mechanic friend got fix-a-flat in his eyes while breaking a bead on a tire. He eventually recovered, but he was out of work for a while.

If you ever use that stuff, be sure to warn anyone who ever works on the tire.

fix a flat IS some nasty stuff. It also has ammonia in it. If it's been in a tire more than a few hours, the tire interior will most likely become unrepairable.

s

=BF=BDIf it's

the proper solution is STEEL WHEELS.

Steel rusts so slowly the chance of a leak is very low

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