Tubeless tyres on Steel rims

Mr. boombastic · 13th June 2008, 16:31

I might be a bit late to the party here as i guess that most points are already covered but there is summing that i did to my car when i moved from tubes to tubeless which does not seem to be listed

my Accent was already 40000+ kms when i decided to change the tyres, did not wanna change the steel rims and had very similar apprehensions to the ones mentioned in the previous posts....One problem that you could face while combining steel rims with tubeless tyres is that the wheels are prone to rusting.....my dealer suggested that we coat the inside of the wheels with Lead oxide before changing over

Having done that i have not faced any problems with the steel and tubeless combo and my car is well pass 95000kms

HTH

tapabrata · 26th August 2009, 16:14

Hi guys,

I'm a new team member here. Wish to share my views on this matter.
My City ZX had nice set of running Good Year tyres till last week. At 25000 kms, there was a mild wobble at 50+ speed and I took take them for balancing and alignment.
To my surprize, I was told that two of the tyres got damaged steel belt inside.

Had to buy two tyres on spot and shelled out 6500 for a pair of Pirelli Aquamile p400, fitted them in front, with better pair of the remaining lot in the rear.
Within two days, one of the old tyre started losing air pressure. Went to the same shop to find that there was a leakage/ puncture from the same point of a previous repair.
While checking, the mechanic showed me the slight bulge that was visible around the puncture area and advised to change the tyre.

Having 2 unexpected heart attacks within a week was unbearable.

I got the second pair of Pirelli at 6000, out of sympathy (may be)

Did I get a good deal of 4 Pirelli Aquamile p400 at 12500?????

While discussing about alloy, the owner of the shop mentioned the following advantages:
a) safe on potholes
b) buyback option available at 30% of cost
c) generates less heat while driving
d) cruises smoother than steel ones
e) safer on high speed and long drives
Indian alloy rims (24k) are costlier than imported ones (16k).

Regards,
TG

Nikhilb2008 · 26th August 2009, 16:30

The fact that the first time you paid 250/- per tyre extra makes me think you got cheated.

If someone is able to reduce prices by 250/- a tyre, I feel he is making waaaay too much money per tyre! :

However, be happy that you got rid of the Goodyear crap.

Alloys: Indian ones are more expensive because they are better quality than cheap imported Chinese crap!

Alloys are perfect for Tubeless tyres. With steel rims, if there is a slight bend in the rim, the air will start leaking. Alloys dont bend(not the good quality ones anyway) and so are safer if you have tubeless.

greenh0rn · 26th August 2009, 16:44

Nikhil, if we upsize to a tubeless (say 165/65 compared to 155/70 tubed stock) on stock steel rim, can it lead to wobbling at high speeds)? Will Bridgestone Turanza cause this? I am asking this because I read so in one of TBHP member's experience on his long-term review thread.

Nikhilb2008 · 26th August 2009, 16:59

No way! A wobble cannot be caused by just changing from tubetype to tubeless unless the rim is damaged to begin with. If it was already damaged, you would have felt the wobbling even before the tyre change. And the rim damage would be pretty easily visible to the naked eye. If there are any doubts, you can always demount the tyre from the rim and mount only the rim on the wheel balancer nd you can see the wobble.

A wobble MIGHT be introduced if the tyre hasnt been mounted properly on the steel rim. The bead of the tyre should sit perfectly on the rim. If this doesnt happen, then it can lead to an imbalance. There are so many possible reasons it's difficult to say without seeing the wheel/tyre.

PS: Can you post the link here? The one where someone upsized and had a wobble.

greenh0rn · 26th August 2009, 17:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Can you post the link here? The one where someone upsized and had a wobble.

Here we go- http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post1443926

IQBAL VEERJI · 26th August 2009, 19:53

Required good condition 12" alloy wheels for maruti 800 5 speed located in Mumbai

DjNik · 26th August 2009, 20:15

@tapabrata-Is the shop you are refering to Indo radial by any chance?
If it is then the guy is pretty reliable and a lot of members have bought stuff from him though his prices are slightly on the higher side.For alloys you can consider HR/League/lenso etc.

Nikhilb2008 · 26th August 2009, 20:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenh0rn

Here we go- http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post1443926

Oh man! Wake up call for me!

Santro comes with 4j rims! Sheesh. Pathetic.

No wonder that guy had problems. 4j is just too narrow. Damn it!

Greenie, that guy had basically put the wrong size on the rims. If you match the rim width to the tyre width, there shouldnt be any problems.

greenh0rn · 26th August 2009, 22:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

No wonder that guy had problems. 4j is just too narrow. Damn it!

Greenie, that guy had basically put the wrong size on the rims. If you match the rim width to the tyre width, there shouldnt be any problems.

So what upsize would you recommend Nikhil? Or should I just stick to 155/70 tubeless?

Nikhilb2008 · 26th August 2009, 23:07

For Santro, I suggest you stick to stock size for steel rims. Unless you upgrade to alloys in which case a plethora of options open up

rageshgr · 26th August 2009, 23:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Oh man! Wake up call for me!

Santro comes with 4j rims! Sheesh. Pathetic.

No wonder that guy had problems. 4j is just too narrow. Damn it!

Greenie, that guy had basically put the wrong size on the rims. If you match the rim width to the tyre width, there shouldnt be any problems.

Hi Nikhil, I am that Santro XL AT "guy", although it is "safe" to put 165/65 R 13 on 4" inch stocks ( am not 100% sure its 4", but I read in many places its 4" , I was thinking it was 4.5" actually" ), as you said tyres were not best fit for the width of the wheel. My steels wheels were bent too.

So I changed to 5" alloys. Now it was more fitting and stable. But even then wobbling persisted. Because another cause of the wobbling was wrong alignment/camber etc. ALthough I rectified alignment many times, heavy vibration from 95 - 110 kph persisted. Then I gave the car to service citing these problems, and now its perfect. probably axle was bent/misaligned. Although now I went back to 155/70 R 13 Turanza, because 165's made my steering a bit heavy. Anyways now its stable and smooth

Nikhilb2008 · 26th August 2009, 23:23

Hi Ragesh,

I know you were the other guy! As you rightly said, it is safe but not recommended to put 165/65 R13 on 4j rims.

Even I was under the impression until today that Santro comes with 4j alloys. \

I hope you went back to 155/70 R13 turanza as 155/65 R13 is the wrong size. I think it's a typo.

rageshgr · 26th August 2009, 23:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Hi Ragesh,
Even I was under the impression until today that Santro comes with 4j alloys. \

I hope you went back to 155/70 R13 turanza as 155/65 R13 is the wrong size. I think it's a typo.

LOL, sorry, it was a typo. I meant 165/65 R 13 ( Corrected)

You mean u were the under the impression until today that its 4.5" right? , because it is 4" I guess. I got to know Santro had 4" from the Santro tyre/wheel upgrade thread from tbhp and carwale. Even in here people seem to be confused if its 4" or 4.5". 80% say its 4". So I guess that's it

greenh0rn · 26th August 2009, 23:57

Man this is so confusing! Nikhil, man you saved me, I had almost made my mind for Bridgestone Turanzas 165/65 on stock rims!! But I formed my opinion after reading through many threads here...I specifically recall KPZen recommending use of 165/65 on stock rims.

Nikhil, my primary requirement is improved ride quality/comfort and low tyre/road noise. With 63ps under the hood, I won't demand handling from the tyres much (that I'll save wehn I buy my Fiesta 1.6 Petrol), so what tyre size/brand would you prefer, if you were me?

13th June 2008, 16:31	#91
Mr. boombastic Newbie Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bombay Posts: 21 Thanked: 0 Times	Lead Oxide Coating I might be a bit late to the party here as i guess that most points are already covered but there is summing that i did to my car when i moved from tubes to tubeless which does not seem to be listed my Accent was already 40000+ kms when i decided to change the tyres, did not wanna change the steel rims and had very similar apprehensions to the ones mentioned in the previous posts....One problem that you could face while combining steel rims with tubeless tyres is that the wheels are prone to rusting.....my dealer suggested that we coat the inside of the wheels with Lead oxide before changing over Having done that i have not faced any problems with the steel and tubeless combo and my car is well pass 95000kms HTH
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 16:14	#92
tapabrata Newbie Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kolkata Posts: 7 Thanked: 0 Times	Hi guys, I'm a new team member here. Wish to share my views on this matter. My City ZX had nice set of running Good Year tyres till last week. At 25000 kms, there was a mild wobble at 50+ speed and I took take them for balancing and alignment. To my surprize, I was told that two of the tyres got damaged steel belt inside. Had to buy two tyres on spot and shelled out 6500 for a pair of Pirelli Aquamile p400, fitted them in front, with better pair of the remaining lot in the rear. Within two days, one of the old tyre started losing air pressure. Went to the same shop to find that there was a leakage/ puncture from the same point of a previous repair. While checking, the mechanic showed me the slight bulge that was visible around the puncture area and advised to change the tyre. Having 2 unexpected heart attacks within a week was unbearable. I got the second pair of Pirelli at 6000, out of sympathy (may be) Did I get a good deal of 4 Pirelli Aquamile p400 at 12500????? While discussing about alloy, the owner of the shop mentioned the following advantages: a) safe on potholes b) buyback option available at 30% of cost c) generates less heat while driving d) cruises smoother than steel ones e) safer on high speed and long drives Indian alloy rims (24k) are costlier than imported ones (16k). Regards, TG
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 16:30	#93
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	The fact that the first time you paid 250/- per tyre extra makes me think you got cheated. If someone is able to reduce prices by 250/- a tyre, I feel he is making waaaay too much money per tyre! : However, be happy that you got rid of the Goodyear crap. Alloys: Indian ones are more expensive because they are better quality than cheap imported Chinese crap! Alloys are perfect for Tubeless tyres. With steel rims, if there is a slight bend in the rim, the air will start leaking. Alloys dont bend(not the good quality ones anyway) and so are safer if you have tubeless.
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 16:44	#94
greenh0rn BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 427 Thanked: 149 Times	Nikhil, if we upsize to a tubeless (say 165/65 compared to 155/70 tubed stock) on stock steel rim, can it lead to wobbling at high speeds)? Will Bridgestone Turanza cause this? I am asking this because I read so in one of TBHP member's experience on his long-term review thread.
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 16:59	#95
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	No way! A wobble cannot be caused by just changing from tubetype to tubeless unless the rim is damaged to begin with. If it was already damaged, you would have felt the wobbling even before the tyre change. And the rim damage would be pretty easily visible to the naked eye. If there are any doubts, you can always demount the tyre from the rim and mount only the rim on the wheel balancer nd you can see the wobble. A wobble MIGHT be introduced if the tyre hasnt been mounted properly on the steel rim. The bead of the tyre should sit perfectly on the rim. If this doesnt happen, then it can lead to an imbalance. There are so many possible reasons it's difficult to say without seeing the wheel/tyre. PS: Can you post the link here? The one where someone upsized and had a wobble.
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 19:53	#97
IQBAL VEERJI Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: SAAT BUNGLA, BAMBAI. Posts: 1,055 Thanked: 343 Times	Required good condition 12" alloy wheels for maruti 800 5 speed located in Mumbai
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 20:15	#98
DjNik BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 340 Thanked: 3 Times	@tapabrata-Is the shop you are refering to Indo radial by any chance? If it is then the guy is pretty reliable and a lot of members have bought stuff from him though his prices are slightly on the higher side.For alloys you can consider HR/League/lenso etc.
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 23:07	#101
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	For Santro, I suggest you stick to stock size for steel rims. Unless you upgrade to alloys in which case a plethora of options open up
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 23:23	#103
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	Hi Ragesh, I know you were the other guy! As you rightly said, it is safe but not recommended to put 165/65 R13 on 4j rims. Even I was under the impression until today that Santro comes with 4j alloys. \ I hope you went back to 155/70 R13 turanza as 155/65 R13 is the wrong size. I think it's a typo.
	() Thanks

26th August 2009, 23:57	#105
greenh0rn BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 427 Thanked: 149 Times	Man this is so confusing! Nikhil, man you saved me, I had almost made my mind for Bridgestone Turanzas 165/65 on stock rims!! But I formed my opinion after reading through many threads here...I specifically recall KPZen recommending use of 165/65 on stock rims. Nikhil, my primary requirement is improved ride quality/comfort and low tyre/road noise. With 63ps under the hood, I won't demand handling from the tyres much (that I'll save wehn I buy my Fiesta 1.6 Petrol), so what tyre size/brand would you prefer, if you were me?
	() Thanks