Bob Sykes wrote:
> I thought I would relay my experiences this week regarding sandblasted
> wheels. I had a set of rusty stock Spitfires wheels that I thought could
> stand fixing up. Having spent lots of time getting marginal results
> with wire brushes, Dremels, & sand paper. I took them to be sand blasted.
> When I picked them up, they looked great! The sandblasting gave them
> a 'textured' look, (which I like) similar to crinkle finished paint.
> All traces of rust and old paint were gone. There were a couple of
> craters where the sand had 'cleaned out' a pitted area.
>
> I gave them the treatment royale with many coats of primer & paint,
> baking them in the sun between coats. Yesterday, I took them to the
> tyre store for new rubber. Today I learn that they can't get the bead to
> seal on any of the 4 rims!
> They (tyre store manager) tell me that they tried all kinds of sealants
> etc. with no results. Aparantly the blasted sealing area on the rim is
> too rough to get a bead. My only recourse for the time being is inner
> tubes. I'm tired of fooling with these rims and it's too cold to paint!
I think the problem is that you probably had a ring of deep-seated rust around
the bit that the tyre beading
should seal on. This is very common, unfortunately, and there is little that
can be done I think. I've just
scrapped a couple of steel rims for just this reason. Corrosion around the
valve hole can cause similar problems.
In use you just get a continuous seepage of air from the wheel. If this was
the cause then it probably wouldn't
matter what kind of blasting you had used because corrosion in steel goes quite
deep and will always be uneven.
> Question: What are the disadvantages of running inner tubes in this
> manner? I know about extra heat buildup. The tyre store guy tells
> me that hard (spirited?) braking can pinch a tube resulting in blowout.
> Are there other gotchas? Is car handling compromised? Improved? :-)
My 2500S has been running on tubes for a few years and I have not noticed the
problems you describe. The
effect on handling IMHO is probably quite neutral. However, once or twice tiny
bits of paint have flaked off the
rim and when one gets between the tyre and the tube it rubs a hole in the tube.
The S wheels are alloy and seem
more prone to paint flaking than steel.
It has to be said though that tubeless tyres are not designed to have tubes and
so you are on your own if you
get problems. There can be very little question of warranty claims etc.
against the manufacturer or the fitter.
Phil
From: Phil Willson
Electronic Engineering
Queen Mary and Westfield College
Mile End Road
London E1 4NS
Tel +44 (0)171 975 5338
Fax +44 (0)181 981 0259
email p.j.willson@qmw.ac.uk
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