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Old 02-12-2015, 09:11 PM   #1
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Watch your valve stems!!

Just an FYI to everyone about my small issue. Last night I was getting the camper ready for our trip to Daytona for the 500. My coach weighs in with everything in it and full of gas and a third of water right at 27300 pounds. 10,600 on the front axles and 16,700 on the rear axle. That put my tire pressures according to the good year chart at about 85 to 88 psi all around. I round up to 90 and ensure they are spot on. So as I'm checking the psi and they are all looking good right at 90 until I get to the last tire, my drivers side inner duel. It was reading 30 psi! I took the coach off the leveling jacks and still read 30 psi. I then filled it up to 90psi and this morning it was down to 84 psi! Oh crap I have a leak and I'm leaving in one day! I also thought to myself how long has this tire been this low! I haven't checked them the last 4 or 5 trips! You can't tell by looking at it and the ride never changed since the other three wheels especially the outer one picked up the load (thank god I have a 2014 coach with the beefed up suspension with the larger tires and with my weight the tire was able to hold it)!!! So I take it to a local tire shop (for big rigs) and it ended up being my valve stem. They said it is common for them to vibrate and get loose to the point they will leak very slowly. So new valve stem with labour $35!! Got off pretty lucky and cheap!

Moral of the story, always check your tire pressures and valve stems! Sorry so long but I wanted to share my experience. Now I'm off to Daytona in the AM and will be at the track for about 9 days. If anyone is down there feel free to stop by!

Jason


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Old 02-12-2015, 09:24 PM   #2
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Good tip, glad that's all it was. Sounds like a great time ahead at Daytona! Are you dry camping or did you find a spot with hook ups?
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Old 02-12-2015, 09:34 PM   #3
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We dry camp at the track in the west lot outside turn 1. Been staying there for about 14 years now. Have met some great people there that are now good friends!!

Jason


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Old 02-12-2015, 10:01 PM   #4
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watch these valve stems

reply toJTN8, im glad you caught that tp before you left ,it could be disasterous have you consitured pressure monitors ? they would catch low pressure before its a problem , great rv products have what I use ,it gives great pease of mind when im on the road
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Old 02-12-2015, 10:10 PM   #5
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watch your valve stems

JTN8 PS als glad you know about weights and tire pressures, enjoy the races
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Old 02-13-2015, 01:00 AM   #6
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Hey JTN8 you have the Aluminum or the steel wheels with covers?
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Old 02-13-2015, 07:27 AM   #7
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Steel wheels with simulators. I did get a quote yesterday for aluminum wheels from the place that fixed my coach.

$2200 out the door for Alcoa buffed
$2800 out the door for Alcoa duribrite

That includes everything.

Jason
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Old 02-13-2015, 11:23 AM   #8
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Steel wheels with simulators. I did get a quote yesterday for aluminum wheels from the place that fixed my coach.

$2200 out the door for Alcoa buffed
$2800 out the door for Alcoa duribrite

That includes everything.

Jason
Get the buffed. That is what we put on our Legacy and they look great.

I did consider the durabrite but they always kind of look hazy from the coating. The buffed only need a good buffing once a year and when you wash there are a couple good stainless wheel wax/sealant you can put on like car wax that work very well. it will keep em looking like mirrors, my kids like looking at themselves in them!
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Old 02-13-2015, 11:26 AM   #9
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Get the buffed. That is what we put on our Legacy and they look great.

I did consider the durabrite but they always kind of look hazy from the coating. The buffed only need a good buffing once a year and when you wash there are a couple good stainless wheel wax/sealant you can put on like car wax that work very well. it will keep em looking like mirrors, my kids like looking at themselves in them!

Thank you for the input!

Jason
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Old 02-13-2015, 11:49 AM   #10
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Thank you for the input!

Jason
I mispoke, you want aluminum wax/sealant not stainless.

Sorry for the brain fart!
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Old 02-13-2015, 01:55 PM   #11
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Smile

Yes, It is a good idea to check the tires air pressure on both tow vehicle and trailer. I have a pressure reading on my truck as I am going down the road plus I install tire pressure gauges on all four trailer tires which has a monitor you attach to your windshield to keep abreast of pressures in the tires. Works Great.
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Old 02-13-2015, 02:48 PM   #12
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Have a TPMS on all tires, MH and toad. Easy to check presure before driving off.
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Old 02-13-2015, 03:19 PM   #13
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Similar problem last year. Traveled home from a trip, had checked pressures when we least for home. Got home parked and unloaded the coach. Next morning when I got up to wash the coach I saw the PS outside dual tire completely drained of air. The seal had broken. Same problem, the extension had backed off enough to let the air out the tire. I have no idea how many miles I traveled with it like that.
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Old 02-13-2015, 03:22 PM   #14
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Similar problem last year. Traveled home from a trip, had checked pressures when we least for home. Got home parked and unloaded the coach. Next morning when I got up to wash the coach I saw the PS outside dual tire completely drained of air. The seal had broken. Same problem, the extension had backed off enough to let the air out the tire. I have no idea how many miles I traveled with it like that.

Thank god our tires hold the weight if the other is down!!

Jason
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Old 02-13-2015, 03:26 PM   #15
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Thank god our tires hold the weight if the other is down!!

Jason

Yea buddy!!
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Old 02-13-2015, 05:12 PM   #16
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yes a TPMS is a good thing to have. I have it on my MH and my toad
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Old 02-13-2015, 08:58 PM   #17
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Just an FYI to everyone about my small issue. Last night I was getting the camper ready for our trip to Daytona for the 500. My coach weighs in with everything in it and full of gas and a third of water right at 27300 pounds. 10,600 on the front axles and 16,700 on the rear axle. That put my tire pressures according to the good year chart at about 85 to 88 psi all around. I round up to 90 and ensure they are spot on. So as I'm checking the psi and they are all looking good right at 90 until I get to the last tire, my drivers side inner duel. It was reading 30 psi! I took the coach off the leveling jacks and still read 30 psi. I then filled it up to 90psi and this morning it was down to 84 psi! Oh crap I have a leak and I'm leaving in one day! I also thought to myself how long has this tire been this low! I haven't checked them the last 4 or 5 trips! You can't tell by looking at it and the ride never changed since the other three wheels especially the outer one picked up the load (thank god I have a 2014 coach with the beefed up suspension with the larger tires and with my weight the tire was able to hold it)!!! So I take it to a local tire shop (for big rigs) and it ended up being my valve stem. They said it is common for them to vibrate and get loose to the point they will leak very slowly. So new valve stem with labour $35!! Got off pretty lucky and cheap!

Moral of the story, always check your tire pressures and valve stems! Sorry so long but I wanted to share my experience. Now I'm off to Daytona in the AM and will be at the track for about 9 days. If anyone is down there feel free to stop by!

Jason


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2011 cadillac SRX
You don't know how many miles you drove with the inner rear officially "flat". I would say you absolutely must have it dismounted and inspected by your tire dealer with a report in writing.
The outer tire was overloaded by 50% to 80%. It may have been damaged due to the overload. Tires simply do not fail as soon as you overload them but you have "consumed" a good portion of its "life" it may be OK for a month or a couple of years but I would NEVER trust it in a non-dual position.

If you sell the rig with those tires just hope the new owner never has a tire problem as the "cause" could be traced to you.

The failure to have a TPMS has basically cost you the price of two tires and a lot of grief.
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Old 02-13-2015, 09:00 PM   #18
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Yea buddy!!
Nope. Tires are only rated to carry the load based on their actual inflation. Check the tables and you will see that in dual application there may only be a 10% to max of 20% tolerance and then you are damaging your tires by driving on them.
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Old 02-13-2015, 09:26 PM   #19
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Nope. Tires are only rated to carry the load based on their actual inflation. Check the tables and you will see that in dual application there may only be a 10% to max of 20% tolerance and then you are damaging your tires by driving on them.

I appreciate your comments. You obviously know tires, but we are two examples that one single tire on our dually rears can hold the weight of our coaches. At least for a short period of time. I don't advocate trying it and it is not something either one of us did purposely. We had an experience with tires deflating and are warning other of the possibility.
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Old 02-13-2015, 10:38 PM   #20
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I had a tire almost go flat and it was the stem as well. We just removed the extended valve stem.
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