Am I screwed? (pic inside)

[MAZDA Kitten]

Get to work and I see this...

I noticed that when I put these tires on a few weeks ago that this one was slightly under inflated (whereas the other 3 still held their shape sitting over the summer)
I think it might be a slow leak and with the fluctuating temps this week (going from warm to cold to warm) could this have sped up the leak?

So these tires are on the first tread indicator (there is two, I think the lowest one means to replace the tire but the tread is now even with the higher one) Should I just replace these or try to fix this one and drive the rest of the winter?
Help TM3! :)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/2999603446_be9ed99ab1_o.jpg

[5_Alive]

Could very well be a bad valve-stem. Fill a bucket with water and some dish soap, take a sponge, and soak the tire and valve stem in it. If you see bubbling (air), that is where the leak is coming from.
If there is no nail/screw in the tire, chances are its the valve-stem. Shouldn't cost more than $5-$10 to fix.

Stick with those for the rest of the season if you still have meat on them.
BTW, how good are those tires? I may buy some as I got a good deal on a set.
Moe

[cwp_sedan]

If it's just a slow, fixable leak I would just have it fixed for $30 or whatever it is. Drive the rest/most of the winter and then replace them after that.

[kevcol74]

IF you can get ahold of a tread depth gauge (Princess Auto has them for a few bucks), check the depth not on a wear bar. Personally I wouldn't run anything under 5/32s of tread in the winter, might as well run your summers! (IMO)
Looks to be a slow leak, question is, where is it coming from? Nail in the tire? Rim bead leak? Or leaking valve stem? Your shop you bought the tire from may check it for free, but depends on their policy.
In all honesty, if you are at the first wear bar, and you have the money for new ones, I'd go ahead and buy new tires. No sense in playing with your own safety over the winter to save a few bucks!

[Dave_The_BMXER]

I had a tire that did that, took it in they couldn't find a nail or anything like that, the took the tire off and re seated it and it was fine.

[Walrus]

FYI - the higher wear bars are the indicator for winter, usually around 6/32". If you are down to those, it means its time to replace them if using them in the snow. The lower bars, usually around 2/32", are the tread wear indicators for non-winter use.

[MAZDA Kitten]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!! Really appreciated :)
I guess I am just gonna put some air in this one and drive it around for the next couple of weeks and pick up some new winters


PS - When I put them on I did a thorough inspection of every tire and there was no nails

[MAZDA Kitten]

BTW, how good are those tires? I may buy some as I got a good deal on a set.
Moe

The Hankook W300's are wikkid for highway crusing and when its really slushly and wet snow. Not so great in deep fluffly snow but if you do a lot of highway driving (which I do) these are awesome. The cut through slush really well and have good traction in hard packed snow. I'd get them again

[Effin Itai]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!! Really appreciated :)
I guess I am just gonna put some air in this one and drive it around for the next couple of weeks and pick up some new winters


PS - When I put them on I did a thorough inspection of every tire and there was no nails


Well you should have told us that, silly! LOL! You may have to re-seat the tire then, like the other member was saying and re-balance all four tires.

[ravin13]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!! Really appreciated :)
I guess I am just gonna put some air in this one and drive it around for the next couple of weeks and pick up some new winters


PS - When I put them on I did a thorough inspection of every tire and there was no nails

Could be a very thin nail, might have gone all the way through or even come out. best way is to get some soapy water and just soak the entire tire, you should see some bubbles. since its a steely, its unlikely that its a rim or valvestem, but it does not mean it can't be.

[Junior]

As long as you didn't drive on it flat, you're fine to clean up the bead and drive em on again. Likely happened from sitting over the summer, and alos depending on your storage methos.

It's good practice to drop the PSI a couple LBS when you're storing the tires for an extended period of time. To help keep the bead sealed.

If you drove on the flat even 1km, I would replace.

[sas]

I’m ill now and have high temperature.
Can’t catch what about here was speaking.
I see on photo deformed wheel (lower point).
Is it only raving?

[Walrus]

Wow.. you should see a doctor about that temperature, it's affecting your ability to make sense

[kevcol74]

Wow.. you should see a doctor about that temperature, it's affecting your ability to make sense

+1 What the hell is "raving"? :bang

[MAZDA Kitten]

a whaaaaaa?

[kevcol74]

a whaaaaaa?


Maybe it has something to do with the Canuten Valve.... :loco

[sas]

Thanks guys for support.
I don’t understand why you are speaking about tire and valve.
Take a look on rim.
If it’s real, there are no questions where leak is.

[dentinger]

umm.... what?

you need to see a doctor dude....

[Walrus]

sas is maybe talking about in the picture, the rim at the bottom looks bent. I think it's an illusion, was the rim wet in the picture? Is that water pooled in the lower lip of the rim?

[kevcol74]

sas is maybe talking about in the picture, the rim at the bottom looks bent. I think it's an illusion, was the rim wet in the picture? Is that water pooled in the lower lip of the rim?

I had to look hard at that too before I concluded (to myself obviously) that it was a pooling of water... Just a low tire pressure, thats all... Question is, where is the air leaking out from... But I think Kitten is getting new tires anyways after the wear bar indicator talk...

[Flagrum_3]

The rim does not look bent to me and the tire probably just leaked air from the bead, this will happen after tires have been sitting for awhile!!.Kitty I would just pump the tire up and keep an eye on it.They call for a mild winter this year so I would just stick with these tires atleast for this season...next year get new ones.


_3

[MAZDA Kitten]

Well I pumped it to 33psi and its been fine for the last two days (hasnt leaked even 1 psi) grrrr
this is so weird

[MAZDA Kitten]

sas is maybe talking about in the picture, the rim at the bottom looks bent. I think it's an illusion, was the rim wet in the picture? Is that water pooled in the lower lip of the rim?

Yeah its water :chuckle but looking at it it does look bent

[cwp_sedan]

Well I pumped it to 33psi and its been fine for the last two days (hasnt leaked even 1 psi) grrrr
this is so weird


Maybe you need to lay off the crack MK... :chuckle

[bubba1983]

the way i see it its just normall air leakage after storage...fill them up, and your good to go...:D somethign you s hould do anyways when you swap sets, :P

[MAZDA Kitten]

Maybe you need to lay off the crack MK... :chuckle

http://specktra.net/images/smilies/th_dunno.gif
crack is wack!

[WildEmu]

If it was a rim leak, where is a good place to get that fixed?

[ravin13]

This is just speculation, but I have seen it happen, albeit on aluminum rims; depending on how the tire was sitting, the weight of the car can cause a slow leak, but again as it was sitting for the summer, could be normal leak.

As for a rim leak, any shop can fix it. break down the tire, sand down the rim to get rid of any corrosion or old bead seal, put new bead seal on and mount it back on.