GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi Everyone. I am new to this site. I put some nice AR rims on my vibe a few years ago. Ever since I seem to have issues with mysterious air leaks. I have michelin piliots, which I have LOVED!!!! AMAZING responsive tires. A little noisy. Ready to replace them soon. Any advice welcome. I am spoiled now. Why would these rims cause mysterious leaks though???? Or, is it the tires??? I have one tire they always say, there is nothing wrong, but I constantly loose air in that one. Any thoughts????

could been a small hole along the bead or even the valve stem..or it could even be the actual rim that has a small pin hole in it from manufactoring..we've had a few rims like that actually from GM that have done it..it's insane

You "could" go over the whole thing with a rag and some soapy water to and watch for "fresh" bubbles.. The true way of finding the leak like that would be to pull a wheel and dunk the whole thing in a tub of water or a small lake or something, something you can submerge the complete wheel/tire in...

Most likely your problem is a bead leak. Here in MN this is a common occurrence due to the salt on the roads in the winter... what happens is the inside of the wheel where you tire contacts the rim to seal the tire is a little corroded, there are small spaces where the air can escape. Usually the tire can be broken down (taken off the rim) the rim can be cleaned up, and we usually put a bead sealer on the tire before putting the tire back on the rim... to test this you don't need to dunk the tire, (I usually don't find bead leaks when dunked unless it's a good one) lay the tire down flat on the ground, get a bunch of water and run it along the entire tire where the sidewall meets the rim, watch carefully to see if you get any air bubbles, you will need to check the front and backsides of the rim. you can also check the valve stem, put some water around the stem and move the stem around, you will see air bubbles if it is leaking. on my civic it started with 2 tires, then the other 2...if you're ever in MN.. I'll figure out what's wrong with your wheel!

Right on, that might works better.... The soap is just to keep the bubbles around longer (to the OP, not Kami)

I do tire repair at our shop, when someone comes in with a tire that just started going flat this is usually the case. also, I've seen it where the tire seems to "fix itself" but really it all depends on when you park where the pressure is on the tire... if it's a small enough leak it sometimes only happens when it hit's that certian spot.