tyre valves

[The Count]

Hi i took the tyres of my vit mk1 2l and one of them had a inner tube!? that was punctured anyway but the tyre valve was attached and subsequently was useless. was wondering what type of tyre valve i need for it? need to renew the other one anyway so dont mind buying a set

cheers

[Clive]

tubeless tyre valves ;)

eg  
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tubeless-tyre-valves-/300426006321?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item45f2c90f31

they are short ones others are longer......
get down to your local tyre place and see if you can scrounge some is the best bet.

[Bob Bowling]

Tubes are often fitted when the tyre fitter can't get an airtight seal - you may need to check that the wheel rim is ok.

[marktheherald]

One of my ally Cosmics kept losing pressure, turned out that the wheel was porous, and needed an inner tube.  

[Clive]

06228 wrote:

Tubes are often fitted when the tyre fitter can't get an airtight seal - you may need to check that the wheel rim is ok.

Indeed, had this more than once as some of "our" wheels are getting pretty old, and a bit crusty. A good clean up on th erims and around the valve hole, followed by a coat or two of paint seems to work wonders. There is also "beadseal" which is used by tyre fitters.

[The Count]

well ive cleaned the rim and given it a good coat of paint. so i can use any valve? i thought id need a special one er i may seem dim but how do you fit one? is it just a case of hammering it in? also are bolt in valves any good? like these-

http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p1065/BOULON-DANS-LA-VALVE-DE-PNEU/product_info.html

thanks

[Bob Bowling]

Tyre fitters pull them through from the inside of the rim. How do you propose to refit your tyres?

I would have thought your best bet is to go down to your friendly local tyre shop and get them to do them for you. You are going to have to get your wheels balanced anyway.

[Clive]

THE VALVES PULL THOUGH FROM INSIDE THE RIM. Doh, pesky caps lock :B
I have used a simple valve tool screwed into th evalve, and pulled with a piar of molegrips, easiest way for DIY without a valve puller....http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SILVERLINE-TYRE-VALVE-REPAIR-TOOL-/280495885506?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item414edb8cc2

[npanne]

On a similar note - just how smooth do wheels need to be to achieve a good seal on tubeless tyres?

I'm refurbing some wheels at the mo, and the initial finish isn't that smooth. I'm going to flat down the face for decorative purposes, but do I need to put the same effort into the rims to get an airtight seal, or will they seal to a rough finish?

[Clive]

years ago I had a similar problem in that the tyres were leaking around the bead. The friendly tyre fitter popped them off, ran a grinder lightly round them to remove the lumps, and then used sticky "beadseal" which seemed to work perfectly, if rather heavy-handed.
When I got those wheels blasted, I used a couple of coats of hammerite on the beads (over etch primer) and that gave a fairly smooth surface and no leaks at all.
In more recent years on my dads old MGB ( 8) ) he had a couple of tyres that were leaky, I removed them, wire brush in grinder to get all the loose stuff off, followed by a flapdisc. Then POR15 from memory....
I think the main reason they leak is rust seems to lump up and create tiny gaps. A painted finish should stop that happening, and of course fairly smooth is good. Don't worry too much.

All the above ramblings are from my very limited experience, and may well not be the "proper" method!