very slow leak in one of my tires... i feel like just pumping it up instead of replacing/patching

[BlahBlahYouToo]

verrry slow leak... it can go a month before i have to pump it up. and it doesn't go completely flat. you can just tell it needs air. i think psi goes to mid 20's.

the thing is, the tire has some life left on it, but not much. maybe 10k miles left on it. it'll cost $20 to patch, $100 for a new tire.
if i replace one, i'll have to replace both or maybe all 4, which i'd rather not do.

think it's ok to just keep pumping it up once a month or every couple of weeks?

 

[kalrith]

As long as you're diligent about keeping it aired up, then I don't think it's an issue. If the leak gets more severe or if you let the tire pressure get too low, then it could be a problem. I did the same thing for about a year and never had any problems, but this certainly doesn't prove that you won't have any problems.

 

[jlee]

Buy a patch kit and fix it yourself?

 

[Farang]

If the tires only have 10k left I would consider new tires. My new tires have an 80k warranty and my car has 113k miles, so for me it was obvious that at some point I would need new tires anyway and about 80k would last me the duration of my owning the vehicle (my last cars rate of use was 50k over 5 years, I don't see myself owning this car for 8 years).

Now when you look at your situation you might come to a different conclusion. I'm also assuming my tires last 80k, but they should be good for awhile anyway.

 

[JJ650]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
verrry slow leak... it can go a month before i have to pump it up. and it doesn't go completely flat. you can just tell it needs air. i think psi goes to mid 20's.

the thing is, the tire has some life left on it, but not much. maybe 10k miles left on it. it'll cost $20 to patch, $100 for a new tire.
if i replace one, i'll have to replace both or maybe all 4, which i'd rather not do.

think it's ok to just keep pumping it up once a month or every couple of weeks?

Sometime questions like this boggle me.

Just get the damned thing fixed. Any decent shop will do it quickly and not charge much to do it. Heck, some may fix it for next to nothing just to have you come back as a repeat customer.
After it's fixed it won't continue to be an irritant that could potentially develop into something more than a slow leak and leave you stranded with a flat.

 

[Gillbot]

Odds are, if it's that slow of a leak it could be a bad seat on the rim or bad valvestem. If you can find an actual leak in the tire itself only in the tread area, just plug it yourself with a kit from any retailer.

 

[thomsbrain]

American's Tire Company and its sister companies all patch tires for free, regardless of where you bought them. No reason not to get it patched if you have one nearby.

I have had slow leaks suddenly get worse and go completely flat after an hour or two of freeway driving, so whatever you do, don't just plan on driving on it like that forever.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

i have a portable tire pump in my car in case.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
i have a portable tire pump in my car in case.

Yeah, but if it suddenly goes flat, your portable air pump isn't going to keep it inflated...

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
i have a portable tire pump in my car in case.

Yeah, but if it suddenly goes flat, your portable air pump isn't going to keep it inflated...

spare tire.

 

[AsianriceX]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
i have a portable tire pump in my car in case.

Yeah, but if it suddenly goes flat, your portable air pump isn't going to keep it inflated...

spare tire.

Until you hit a massive pot hole and your spare goes out...

 

[LTC8K6]

The shop will also advise you about where the leak is, and how much life there is actually left in the tire. It could be the valve. It could be the seal on the rim. Etc.

 

[thedarkwolf]

7 years. At least thats how long I've been driving on the tires on my van one with a slow leak. Don't think I've ever had a car where at least one of the tires didn't have a slow leak in it.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: AsianriceX

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
i have a portable tire pump in my car in case.

Yeah, but if it suddenly goes flat, your portable air pump isn't going to keep it inflated...

spare tire.

Until you hit a massive pot hole and your spare goes out...

u think i'm goign to ride my spare for an extended period of time, ricer?
a spare will get me home or to a tire shop. if i hit a pot hole on my way there, i'll call AAA up.

 

[Spicedaddy]

fixing a leak at a tire shop...........10$

time and trouble to put on the spare when the leak gets worse.........much more than that 10$ (for me at least )

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
think it's ok to just keep pumping it up once a month or every couple of weeks?

Why is it leaking?

If it is a rim leak, valve leak, or a hole caused by something that already fell out then everything might be cool.

Now if something is stuck in your tire and air is leaking around it, well then, I'd hate to find that out that is it, when it falls out at 75 mph.

 

[StageLeft]

I have a leak on one tire that has to be refilled about every 10 days. I think it may be one that was patched, but not sure. On my other car a very slow leak, goes from around 32 PSI to 15 over a few months. I've no intention of addressing the last one and hoping the first just burns up the tread before I Need to worry about it.

 

[JDub02]

I've got a slow leak on my Mazda6 (no tread punctures). Most shops near me won't touch a 45-series tire on an 18" rim. The one that will charges $55 to put it in their dunk tank, find the leak, and repair it. The tires new only cost me ~$135. So I keep topping it off every couple of weeks.