What To Do If Your Vehicle Tires Keep Going Flat
The tires on your vehicle are designed to take some abuse, but some situations cause tire damage and could result in a slow leak that allows the tire to go flat over several hours or days. Finding the slow leaks can be challenging, but there are some things to check, and your local tire repair shop can often find the problem and fix it.
Tire Punctures
Damage to the tire tread from a small sharp object, like a nail or screw, can puncture the shell of the tire and allow air to leak out of the hole. Punctures can be so small that they are hard to see, and if the nail or screw falls out of the tire, the tire repair shop may have to use a water tank or some soap and water solution to determine where the air is escaping.
A puncture with the object still in it makes it much easier to find, and the tire shop can pull the item out, insert a plug, and seal the hole in a matter of minutes. There are some limitations to using a plug-in tire, and most shops will only put in a plug if the puncture is on the tread surface. The tire's sidewalls are often thinner than the tread, are designed to flex under load, and typically do not hold the plug properly, so most tire shops don't want to risk the plug coming out.
Some shops will place a patch inside the tire over a small sidewall leak, but again, because of the flex and movement of the sidewall, even this is a risk that most tire repair shops do not recommend. If the leak is in the sidewall, discuss your options with the repair tech, but often the only reasonable solution is to replace the tire.
Bead Or Rim Leaks
When a tire is installed on the wheel or rim, the edge that seals against the wheel is called the bead. The bead is reinforced with steel bands and fits tight to create a seal that should not leak. However, if the tire is underinflated, it can separate from the wheel, allowing air to leak around the bead.
Other causes of bead leaks can include small pebbles or road debris getting forced into the bead or steel wheels that begin to rust and flake, leaving gaps in the sealing surface. If the bead is leaking on your vehicle, the tire repair tech can separate the tires and rims, clean everything, then reinstall the tires. Often, this solves the problem and corrects the leak.
If the tire still leaks around the bead, it may have damage to the rubber that allows air to get through, and the best way to correct it is to replace the tire.