valve stem extenders what a joke

petey · 07-12-2011, 10:37 PM

so i have been dealing with these valve stem extenders,real dualls inside tire the extenders come through outer wheel and there is nothing holding them.they just flop around there.i cant believe they sent this out this way.called alcoa today and they said take off and throw away? they have a solid stem that you screw on valve stem and there is a rubber boot that goes in hand hole and solid stem goes through rubber boot.this only makes sense.i wonder if ford did this or forestriver???????????? this is a stabilizer that works.

polkatronron · 07-12-2011, 10:42 PM

I wonder what model you have . We have the 2011 360 and the wheels are not made by alcoa...it is a Ford product.

petey · 07-12-2011, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polkatronron

I wonder what model you have . We have the 2011 360 and the wheels are not made by alcoa...it is a Ford product.

2012 378ts alcoa 22.5 wheels and tires

jsutherl · 07-12-2011, 11:13 PM

Same here Alcoa 22.5's and those extenders are a joke. You have to have three hands. One to hold the floppy extender, One to press the compressor valve onto the extender and one to push the lever on the compressor valve. I finally gave up and just electrical taped the level down.

Plus one of my extenders doesn't work. Neither of my compressor connections or either of my two pressure gauges will work with the one. I can shove a screwdriver in there and have it release air so it is connected.

The Ford chassis maintenance manual says to rotate the tires anyway. So I'm going to take it to the local truck tire center and have them rotated and have those extensions replaced with big long valve stems.

polkatronron · 07-13-2011, 07:22 AM

I hope your alcoa have the clear coat finish ...my last mh had them but they were the cheapie alcoa's and I had to polish those suckers twice a year and man what a job..they oxidized and went dull real fast. The ones on our new Georgetown wre supplied by Ford and they are highly polished Chrome...no more aluminum for me and just a quick wipe and they shine lilke the dickens.

**bclemens** · 07-13-2011, 08:47 AM

Can't speak for the Class A's, but on the Class C Duals, we started using a product called "Air-Flexx". The problem with most extenders is that they are "pressurized", when you screw them on they open the tire nozzle and move the seal point to the end of the extension. If they flop around rubbing on the rim and break...then the tire goes flat. If they get loose, the tire goes flat.

The Air-Flexx is rigid so it needs no clamp and it is not pressurized...there is a metal shaft that goes from the end to the tire nozzle. When you push the metal shaft, it then opens the nozzle on the tire stem. You can cut it in half and the tire will not leak. Our blown tires due to low pressure and warranty claims on leaking extenders is now non-existent. They're made in Germany, but when we started using them they set up a US distributor.

Glauch Air-flexx

**bclemens** · 07-13-2011, 08:49 AM

IMI | XACTBalance, EQUAL, ECOSeal, Truck, Tire, Sealant, Balance, Weight

This is the US distributor....but I don't see them listed on the site.

Nutmeg · 07-13-2011, 10:22 AM

Petey, Take a look at your wheels. On my 2007 the inside dual is on a steel rim with the Alcoa on the outside. The problem with the kit is it comes with a straight extension as the Alcoa wheels normal have a 90 degree stem. The steel wheel has a stem at about a 24 degee angle. An entention with a bend close to the attachment point may work but the one I got was bent in the middle and you can not get it to line up correctly. I have tried to bend a 24 degree extention to fit however the centers between the bends was a little too short but it is the right form for refrence. Let me know how you make out as I maybe missing something. Will work on posting a pic

Nutmeg · 07-13-2011, 10:30 AM

Pic shows standard Hal Tec 24 Degree Entension and the one I modified. It is close but needs fine tuning shown just for clarity of the situation.

Scooter Trash · 07-13-2011, 01:15 PM

Interesting this topic came up. I have a 2007 378TSXL and all but one of my extenders works. The one that doesn't is the passenger side rear inside dually. It has a flexible stem that's worthless and doesn't work at all. I can't get a reading on a gauge and nothing happens when I push on the stem. I put WD-40 on it to see if that did anything and it doesn't. I might try putting a little air in from my compressor and see if that releases anything??? I think the pressure is fine right now so I don't want to add or take out a lot of air since I can't get a reading. I could error in either direction and wouldn't know. Rubber mallet seems to bounce and sound the same as the outside dually however.

petey · 07-13-2011, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nutmeg

Petey, Take a look at your wheels. On my 2007 the inside dual is on a steel rim with the Alcoa on the outside. The problem with the kit is it comes with a straight extension as the Alcoa wheels normal have a 90 degree stem. The steel wheel has a stem at about a 24 degee angle. An entention with a bend close to the attachment point may work but the one I got was bent in the middle and you can not get it to line up correctly. I have tried to bend a 24 degree extention to fit however the centers between the bends was a little too short but it is the right form for refrence. Let me know how you make out as I maybe missing something. Will work on posting a pic

thanks for the pictures this will help.iam still workink with alcoa on this problem.the question i have is the extender needs to come through the hole far enough so i can install a tpms i bought yesterday.and rubber boot? lots of good info here on this sight.

Nutmeg · 07-14-2011, 08:03 AM

The rubber stabilizers fit well the problem is getting the geometry right. Be good if Ford or Alcoa would make a ridgid extention to fit. Or step up and put the Alcoa's on the inside so the standard stuff would work. For now I am using a double seal cap and having to reach in to check with a standard double foot. For the Alcoa wheels, the straight double foot is needed. Pic shows the standard angle and the straight. The straight air chuck is a 370-lo for lock-on. Seems 370 is an industry number, the lock-on feature is more of a pain then advantage with the size of the holes in the rims. Good Luck

tomandles · 10-03-2011, 04:26 PM

OK
Go to Alcoa.com You need to buy a valve stem extender stabilizer. It fits in the
wheel hole and the extender goes thru it.
End of problem.

jsutherl · 10-04-2011, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomandles

OK
Go to Alcoa.com You need to buy a valve stem extender stabilizer. It fits in the
wheel hole and the extender goes thru it.
End of problem.

They also sell solid metal valve stem extenders there.

Alcoa Wheels North America: Products: Accessories: Heavy Duty Trucks - Valve Stem Extension Stabilizers

Good info tomandles, thanks!

dpbbjc · 10-05-2011, 04:33 PM

I researched this and find that IMI is the "master distributor" in the USA for the Air-Flexx valve extender products. They apparently just sell to trucking & tire companies around the country. One of the their Air-Flexx distributors is Mohawk Rubber Sales at 800-242-1446.

Also, IMI sent me a PDF Brochure on on the valve extenders.
Very interesting! Ill try to attach it here.

nemo45 · 10-06-2011, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomandles

OK
Go to Alcoa.com You need to buy a valve stem extender stabilizer. It fits in the
wheel hole and the extender goes thru it.
End of problem.

I went to the site and they don't have a stabilizer to fit my wheels. I have a 22.5 wheels but the hole size is 1.75". There is no stabilizer there to fit that size hole.

**Chuck692020** · 10-07-2011, 03:09 AM

I can't really say weather it's alcoa or ford but I no it's not forest river this is how it comes to us from ford.

Nutmeg · 10-07-2011, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck692020

I can't really say weather it's alcoa or ford but I no it's not forest river this is how it comes to us from ford.

No its Ford that puts the steel / alum combo on probally to save $$$. And I can understand that they use the standard steel wheel valve stem for inventory simplification. The problem when they do that is of course your mixing two diffrent wheel systems so the stabilizers and straight extentions that Alcoa makes will not work in the application.

The_Stuff · 10-07-2011, 11:32 AM

I am looking at putting some valve stem extensions on due the fact i have the hard metal stems that are practically not reachable!! I do not like traveling far without knowing the true conditions of my tires even though i hiked it a 1000 miles home without knowing previously.

I was thinking of ordering these... Phoenix Valve Extender Hose Kits for dual wheels, Easy access inflation, AutoAmenity.com

I think these would be a godsend and make it a heck of allot easier to check!

What is the opinion of the forum? its not an equalizer system like i was first thinking so if one goes flat the other wont.

johnnypal · 10-09-2011, 03:00 PM

Camping world will set you up with this last post. I had this setup on my last 3 coaches. Get yourself a AC powered tire inflator and keep those dualies within 2psi of each other.

You may also like: