Does Tireweld ruin tires?

[Outl4w]

I'm about to send my RL7's off for a refurb. They all leak a bit and have paint flaking off, but other than that they are in pretty good shape, however one of the rears leaks badly and I know the previous owner used Tireweld on it.

The rears had a good amount of tread left (althoigh i don't know how old they are) so if I don't need to I would like to put them back on after but I'm not sure if using Tireweld will have caused any adverse effects?

When getting quotes for the refurb I mentioned it. One said it would need to go in the bin, one said it would be fine (just needed a clean out) and the other didn't know.

Anyone on here had any experience with this? If I need to order new tires I want to do it and send them with the wheels so they come back ready to fit....

Thanks in advance.

J

[ClassicChimaera]

If it leaks is it because it was punctured or because air was escaping from around the bead?
Either way I'd replace the tyre's. If there old they'll be hard and have little grip anyway!

[Outl4w]

Im 99% sure it isn't punctured and is leaking from the bead. Many people have commented that this is fairly common with RLs, but I do agree with your point.

Finding matching tires is tricky it seems and I'm not sure how old tires on Black Circles are, as I think the Toto Proxes (to match the fronts) have been discontinued...?

Need to do some research as don't want to swap tires for something that is potentially as old.

Thanks.

[ClassicChimaera]

Sometimes a hairline crack in the wheel causes air loss. It's probably worth cleaning the rim and looking very closely just to be sure.

I've used tireweld on my grandsons quad bike,,, lasted about 10 minutes
I can't imagine the tireweld would attack the rubber of the inner tyre but as the tyre's are the only bit of the car touching the road I'd be dubious to use that tyre. IMHO

[phazed]

When I recently had my vixen wheels refurbished at spit and polish in Kent, they commented that the old alloy is porous.

They completely stripped the wheels and powder coated then all the way around. Tehe powder coating seals the alloy and therefore you will not have any problems with leakage.

If there is a problem sealing the beads at the rim, some tyre fitters use a special bead seal, ( which is a sticky fluid as far as I'm aware) and is very effective.

[Roy C]

Outl4w said:

The rears had a good amount of tread left (althoigh i don't know how old they are)

Check the date code on the tyre (this has been mandatory on tyres for quite a few years): https://www.simplemotoring.co.uk/tyre-markings/

I don't think Tyreweld harms tyres, but fitters hate cleaning it off because it's so effective at gumming things up.

[TwinKam]

Roy C said:

I don't think Tyreweld harms tyres, but fitters hate cleaning it off because it's so effective at gumming things up.

This^^^

[TwinKam]

phazed said:

When I recently had my vixen wheels refurbished at spit and polish in Kent, they commented that the old alloy is porous.

They completely stripped the wheels and powder coated then all the way around. The powder coating seals the alloy and therefore you will not have any problems with leakage.

If there is a problem sealing the beads at the rim, some tyre fitters use a special bead seal, ( which is a sticky fluid as far as I'm aware) and is very effective.

The paint (inside the well) is all that makes the alloy impervious to air, and that paint often gets damaged during a tyre change, hence most old alloys leak. Getting them powder coated is the best way to return them to as new state of air tightness as well as cosmetics (and yours look fantastic, Peter).
The problem of sealing at the rim is generally just down to corrosion on an old rim, obviously wouldn't be an issue on a refurbed wheel; a latex-based sealant is often used instead of soap.

[bobfather]

TwinKam said:

Roy C said:

I don't think Tyreweld harms tyres, but fitters hate cleaning it off because it's so effective at gumming things up.

This^^^

^^Yes this^^

This also means the so called experts 'tyre monkeys' will tell you that it's devil's poo. There's no way tireweld would be allowed to be supplied in new vehicles if there was evidence that it caused harm to tyres

[RobXjcoupe]

Tireweld is a get out of trouble for those that prefer not to carry a spare wheel around. It's kinda like an expanding foam for flat tyres. It stops the inner of the tyre rubbing on the inside of the wheel to enable you to drive home without causing the tyre to shred. It partially inflates and seals a punctured tyre. A tyre that's had use of that product is usually thrown away. The wheel needs a good clean before fitting a new tyre so it can be balanced properly.

[de Sade]

The fitter did scrap my tyre after i used it, however the fact that i was in central London in the middle of the day and causing a bit of a jam the ability to squirt a can of Tireweld into the flat was a god send and i completed a 120 mile run back home on it i consider the sacrifice well worth it .

[T4NGO]

not sure on all the ruining and side effects, but having used in the past it seems to make them chuffing heavy after, and I have no real reason to know why, as the wheel gets no heavier and the can is not that heavy, so the contents cant be. but there is a noticeable difference after (or at least the once i've used one)

[Outl4w]

Appreciate the comments guys, thanks.

Ordering new tires now.

[Emanresu]

bobfather said:

TwinKam said:

Roy C said:

I don't think Tyreweld harms tyres, but fitters hate cleaning it off because it's so effective at gumming things up.

This^^^

^^Yes this^^

This also means the so called experts 'tyre monkeys' will tell you that it's devil's poo. There's no way tireweld would be allowed to be supplied in new vehicles if there was evidence that it caused harm to tyres

Definitely this. I worked as a tyre fitter for a while before I became a technician. It doesn't do any actual harm, it's just a pain in the ass to clean it off. It sticks to the tyre, it sticks to the rim and when you take the tyre off, it usually runs all over the machine too. Nasty, horrible stuff.

[richard sails]

As above, when freshly added to a wheel its sticky and very horrible, when it has been in a wheel for a long time and fully set, the tyre fitters don't even notice it.

When I was younger I may have driven many many miles on tyres repaired with Tireweld with no problems, several times.