Thread: Tyres leaking at the bead.

Break the bead, clean it well and reinflate

Or take it to a tyre fitters

As above, I've had it happen a couple of times, a real PITA.

First thing you want to know is why?

Sometimes mud, sand or muck gets caught in between the tyre and rim when the tyres are deflated for off road and this causes the leak .... easy fix ... clean it out. (or get your tyre specialist to do it)

I've deflated my tyres, and used my highlift jack into the towing hitch to press the tyre away from the bead so I could clean it out, bit of very soapy water helps it to pop back up properly when reinflating, and seal the leak... with the soap you'll also see if it's worked or whether you're still getting bubbles. Overinflate the tyres to ensure they have seated properly and then deflate to recommended pressure.

Rusty rims can also cause leaky beads - as can damaged tyres, if the fitter has torn the rubber on the bead of the tyre. Get your tyre specialist to have a look (from the tyre safety point of view) if this is the case.

Stevo

The tyres will need to be deflated & the bead broken. Give the tyre & bead a good clean & then inflate to reseat. A bit of soapy water or Armourall will help seat the tyre.
If the leak is due to a lot of debris/mud, then it might be best to remove the tyre complately to clean it all out.

If the rims are rough or rusty, you may still have leaks. Bead sealant can be used if the problem persists.

As the others have already said its probably debris in between the bead and the rim
Take them to a tyre shop have them remove and inspect the tyres
If theres nothing damaged on the bead and the rim isnt rusty
Ask them to use proper tyre chalk once the tyre has been cleaned properly
and run it around the entire bead so theres a good coating on the bead and then refit and balance the tyres
This should seal the tyre to the rim properly and stop all slow leaks
If the rim is a bit rusty all you need have them do is run a wire brush around the rim seat to remove the rust and follow the above method
This has always worked for me in the past

Thanks guys.

They're alloy rims, so obviously wont be rusty.

I will have a quick play to see if I can do it myself, but it seems like it would be a PITA to do.

Oh yeah... More than likely its mud/crap from my latest escapade.

Most of the time you wont have to break the bead to fix it. You can often just deflate the tyre, and flex the sidewall away from the rim flange with a tyre lever and as far as you can and then just flush it with water to remove any debris that may be in there. This will fix a lot of them.

Through cleaning the car today it has some how fixed itself up. Id say its about 80% fixed. Tomorrow ill deflate a tad and try to fix it further.