tire question

[m1ldslide1]

I woke up to a flat tire this morning. Not much of a surprise, as all four of my tires have been losing enough air to need a visit to the gas station about once every week and a half. After getting the spare on, I'm thinking about my next move.

I have an '05 Jetta, and these tires came with the car. I've had them for two years, and they have about 34,000 city miles on them. The tread is still pretty good, although I haven't measured it. They don't look visibly worn, and when I was at the dealer 4k miles ago they seemed to think that they look fine and are wearing evenly (I use a lot of compression braking).

A friend of mine who used to work for said dealer feels like I should consider whether there could be something wrong with all four of my wheels, given that it's unusual for them to all leak at the same time. I'm not sure what to think about that. It seems more likely that I ran over a patch of broken glass or something than a common issue with all four wheels.

I'm leaning towards taking the plunge and dishing out the cash for new tires, but she feels like I should get some opinions first. Any thoughts on this?

Also, should I head to Les Schwab or some other reputable retailer for the best deal?

Thanks much.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: m1ldslide1
I woke up to a flat tire this morning. Not much of a surprise, as all four of my tires have been losing enough air to need a visit to the gas station about once every week and a half. After getting the spare on, I'm thinking about my next move.

I have an '05 Jetta, and these tires came with the car. I've had them for two years, and they have about 34,000 city miles on them. The tread is still pretty good, although I haven't measured it. They don't look visibly worn, and when I was at the dealer 4k miles ago they seemed to think that they look fine and are wearing evenly (I use a lot of compression braking).

A friend of mine who used to work for said dealer feels like I should consider whether there could be something wrong with all four of my wheels, given that it's unusual for them to all leak at the same time. I'm not sure what to think about that. It seems more likely that I ran over a patch of broken glass or something than a common issue with all four wheels.

I'm leaning towards taking the plunge and dishing out the cash for new tires, but she feels like I should get some opinions first. Any thoughts on this?

Also, should I head to Les Schwab or some other reputable retailer for the best deal?

Thanks much.

Take it to a local tire shop and have them check our tires out. Could be the valves, tires of the wheels.

 

[BaDave]

Sounds like the bead is leaking.Its where the tire seal against the rim.Are the alloy?

 

[m1ldslide1]

Originally posted by: BaDave
Sounds like the bead is leaking.Its where the tire seal against the rim.Are the alloy?

Sure are. That's an interesting suggestion...

 

[woodie1]

How long have you had to inflate the tires every week and a half?

 

[m1ldslide1]

Originally posted by: woodie1
How long have you had to inflate the tires every week and a half?

For about two months. THey don't deflate evenly per say, but all four have had to have at least 2 inflations over that period. The one that went flat was the worst offender.

 

[woodie1]

Originally posted by: m1ldslide1

Originally posted by: woodie1
How long have you had to inflate the tires every week and a half?

For about two months. THey don't deflate evenly per say, but all four have had to have at least 2 inflations over that period. The one that went flat was the worst offender.

Is the car parked outside overnight? Could someone have vandalized your car?
Maybe loosened the valve cores so they leak slowly?

EDIT: I wouldn't spend any money on new tires until you know for sure the wheels are okay.
Wonder if there is a bad batch of alloy wheels that develop leaks over time.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: m1ldslide1

Originally posted by: woodie1
How long have you had to inflate the tires every week and a half?

For about two months. THey don't deflate evenly per say, but all four have had to have at least 2 inflations over that period. The one that went flat was the worst offender.

Big question, are you checking the pressure in your tires with a gauge? Or going by eye.

If all four are truly losing pressure (as checked with a gauge) then most likely you've got bad valve stems. Just take it to a tire shop to get checked - do NOT let them sell you new tires, just diagnose. If the wheels are truly damaged (like you pulled a dukes of hazard jump over a railroad track) then get the dealership to replace them for no cost.

 

[alpineranger]

one possible (albeit incomplete) solution is to use metal caps, which typically have a rubber gasket to provide a secondary seal. Thus, even if the core is leaking, you don't lose pressure.

 

[m1ldslide1]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: m1ldslide1

Originally posted by: woodie1
How long have you had to inflate the tires every week and a half?

For about two months. THey don't deflate evenly per say, but all four have had to have at least 2 inflations over that period. The one that went flat was the worst offender.

Big question, are you checking the pressure in your tires with a gauge? Or going by eye.

If all four are truly losing pressure (as checked with a gauge) then most likely you've got bad valve stems. Just take it to a tire shop to get checked - do NOT let them sell you new tires, just diagnose. If the wheels are truly damaged (like you pulled a dukes of hazard jump over a railroad track) then get the dealership to replace them for no cost.

I first noticed it when I noticed that my wheels were visibly flatter. I would take it to the gas station, and on the air hose there's a psi guage. I'd fill it to 33-35 psi every time (says to fill it to 33 on the inside of my door) and move on to the next tire. The whole problem started like a thousand miles ago.

I think I'll take it over to Les Schwab in the morning and try to get a diagnosis before I get spend money on anything. My experience with them is that they've been honest and not tried too hard to upsell me on things. If anybody has a better suggestion, I'm all ears.

Thanks much all.

 

[jagec]

Don't trust the gauge on the gas station compressor. You don't know where it's been.

35k is a bit high on tires, but if the tread is good I doubt you *need* to buy new ones. You could even try spraying some fix-a-flat in each tire and seeing if that cures the problem.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Slow leak on all 4 tires? Did you drive on a street full of nails?

 

[JulesMaximus]

How is the tread on the tires? Check the tread all the way across the tire too, you could have wear on the inside edge but the outside edge might look okay-an indication that your car is out of alignment.

Tire wear is really what should determine when you replace your tires. That and age if you don't drive much but really, tires should last a good 10 years on a lightly driven car as long as it isn't a performance car with performance tires.