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lets talk stems...

RootBreaker

RootBreaker

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well i walked outside to go to work.. and my left rear tire is flat... not sure why.. thought someone let the air out.. why would they do that :dunno:

tire looked ok... grabbed stem and it was 1/2 ripped off.. so i yanked it off the rest of the way...

looked at the front stem.... and it is dry rotten...


soooooo only 6 years on rubber stems???

my cousin works for a tire company and he said for about $20 i can get high pressure stems that have a copper center.... :woot:


so questions..
1. 6 years sound bout right to have stems replaced?
2. go high pressure stems with copper core?
3. go rubber stem and 6 years expect to redo them?
4. go aftermarket metal stems?
 
I happen to have a short metal stem on my left front (random courtesy from some tire person....). Much higher air flow than the rubber ones. But I keep wondering what's gonna happen when I hit a rock with it...

...but after 6 years, I'm more worried about tire dry-rot than the stems...
 
Under normal use for most vehicles, at least by todays standards, tires are being replaced about every 5 years along with new stems. Of course some people drive more, some less, but it's an average. Actually, by todays standards, tires have a shelf life too of about 5 years. Technically you are supposed to replace tires if they are 5 years old regardless of tread depth. This goes back to the Ford vs Firestone (Explorers rolling over) tire debate in the 90s.

If your tires still look good, put new stems in and be done. If the tires look all dry rotted and cracked maybe it's time to think about replacing them too, provided you drive it on the street on a regular basis.

One more thing, a few years ago a valve stem maker had to recall a bunch of their valve stems because they were failing prematurely. I don't think it was 6 years ago, maybe 2.
 
i probably wouldnt run those little metal valve stems. i hade them on my truck and after they get kinda old youll be fighting to keep air in your tires. the rubber seals they have rot really fast and then they leak extra fast
 
I had metal valve stems on my 86 F-250HD and I never had a single problem with them in 6 years. They never leaked and they were well worth the piece of mind knowing they wouldn't blow out or rot out over time.
 
There was a large recall on rubber valve stems awhile ago...ones made in china if I remember right...

I have used rubber and metal valve stems and prefer the metal type,over a cheesy rubber one..personally I dont see how rubber ones withstand the daily stresses put upon then,nor do I understand how a chunk of rubber pulled into a hole only 1/4" smaller than it is holds back up to 100 psi of air pressure and dont just blow out of the rim like a missle!..I put some "Pliobond" on the rubber washers on the metal type stems,it helps keep them sealed and resist dry rotting better..
 
it gets frustrating... with the truck off the road for 2.5 years and still FULL TREAD ON TIRES!!! so no i wont be dropping 1200 more on tires...

that once wired... then find out clutch hose is bad... buy a new one and before it is on.... then realize a flat tire.... so all 4 need new stems...
i still need to sand the rust and paint it.....

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What about those digital ones that tell you your pressure on a handheld and you can deflate them down to a certain psi at the touch of a button?
 
I know you want to drive it, but be happy that didn't happen while driving. Now you get to upgrade something else :)
 
metal stems are the way to go...been through 3 sets of tires on my car on one set of metal stems in the past 7 years
 
The rubber goes bad just like it does on tires, that's why they're replaced when the tires are (and because they're cheap).
 
Yeup recall on the rubber ones. New tires 3 years ago, and the stems did just as you said.

I had wheels and tires mounted back in 04 and they decided to let go driving out of town. Good thing the tires were MTR's, the sidewalls held up while I continued to drive it to get off the highway.

The metal ones are better, but for those in the rust belt. IT's best to pull the cap off and keep it slightly lubed. We've had many cases in our shop were the caps freeze onto the stem, and snap the stem off. Especially on the newer cars where they don't get checked regularly because of the TPMS
 
well my cousin had a set of metal ones from a 1985 corvette.... so they are on.. guessing i gained some aerodynamics???:haha:

oh free too!!!!!!!!!!!!:woot:
 
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