Badly leaking rim. Replace with stock or upgrade?

[Renol]

As the title states I have a really badly leaking rim that just trashed a tire. Is it worth it to try and get stock replacements or should I go with something heavier duty that still fits stock tires?

I'm thinking bottom line value. The other rims have their share of corrosion and were leaking up til recently when all the tires were popped off and resealed. The tires themselves are old and are showing some dry rot.

So options are replace one rim and new stock size tires and hope another doesn't go, upgrade to better rims but keep stock size (functionality over form) and replace tires, or say screw it bigger is better. Budget we're talking $2.5k or less.

I'm not offroading as of yet, but this upcoming season I'll be dipping my toe into some trails so hardcore would be wasted on me.

If there is a better suggestion I'm all ears.

 

[TowMeOut]

Throw a bandaid on the one that's leaking so you have time to shop around. My stock rims were peeling badly on all 4 (but not leaking) and the tires were at the end of life.

I managed to source a set of the "snowflake" 17" rims from the 5th gen SR5 at of all places the dealership for $250 out the door. I guess a lot of folks want brand new big wheels on their 5th gens (not me). I was more than happy to take their castoffs for cheap.

For tires, I did the same thing. It took just a tiny bit of lift (or some fender liner movement) but 255/75R-17 tires off a new Jeep Rubicon/Willys fit just fine. For $500 for the set of 5 I couldn't say no.

Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are your friends!! Good Luck.

FYI....your TPMS sensors are probably about shot too. I wasn't about to try and move them over to my new rims so I just did the bypass mod. No more nanny feature. I'm pretty sure I can successfully keep air in my tires.

 

[Shiftless Joe]

I wouldn't throw much money at trying to match the old leaking wheels, you should be able to get a set of Cooper AT3's and Pro wheels from a local dealer for $1900 or so.

Bought the wife that very setup, and had them re-mount the spare as it was leaking like yours. Unfortunately it's still leaking, so I plan on getting another Pro wheel for the spare as well.

 

[catrains]

tire shops in rust belt GOOD SMART ONES use a compound on the alloy wheels where the bead sits. this does work keeps the alum fluff from generating.

what I have done to avoid this issue also is spray the tires/bead areas with silicone spray .. the type that has no solvents in it safe for plastic/rubber.. home depot has this silicone .. spray in winter to protect .

I just did tire rotation and washed and sprayed the rims wheels front back.

 

[Renol]

Throw a bandaid on the one that's leaking so you have time to shop around. My stock rims were peeling badly on all 4 (but not leaking) and the tires were at the end of life.

Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are your friends!! Good Luck.

FYI....your TPMS sensors are probably about shot too. I wasn't about to try and move them over to my new rims so I just did the bypass mod. No more nanny feature. I'm pretty sure I can successfully keep air in my tires.

I might just bandaid it for now, but of course the spare is leaking too. Not too surprising considering the corrosion on it, but still annoying. Thankfully I don't have to worry about the TPMS sensors since the previous owner yanked them and had the system turned off. I laughed at the head scratching of the dealer when I told them the system was off. I MIGHT consider getting them installed since the dealer promised me the set at cost/no labor. We'll see on that one.

I wouldn't throw much money at trying to match the old leaking wheels, you should be able to get a set of Cooper AT3's and Pro wheels from a local dealer for $1900 or so.

Bought the wife that very setup, and had them re-mount the spare as it was leaking like yours. Unfortunately it's still leaking, so I plan on getting another Pro wheel for the spare as well.

So are you referring to Cooper Discoverer A/T3 tires? And what are the rims called? After poking around in the tires thread I saw ProComp Xtreme-Flat Black 7089. Were those the ones you were referring to?

 

[Shiftless Joe]

Yes, the Discover AT3's, these have around 25,000 on them and look almost new. The wheels I was referring to were the TRD Pro's.
https://toyotaparts.mcgeorgetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-17-quot-wheel-ptr2035110gr

 

[Dirtrider216]

I’ve got my stock 18” limited wheels with stock size Michelin at about half tread sitting in my basement at home from when I lifted my truck.
They have a little bit of curb rash but other than that the paint is in good condition. I’d sell all 4 tires and wheels for $400 total. Buyer pays shipping

 

[Renol]

Yes, the Discover AT3's, these have around 25,000 on them and look almost new. The wheels I was referring to were the TRD Pro's.
https://toyotaparts.mcgeorgetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-17-quot-wheel-ptr2035110gr

Very nice. So even though the link says the rim doesn't fit I take it it does without any issues?

 

[Shiftless Joe]

Yea it fits, just because they didn't come on them as a factory option at the time is why they state that.

 

[Spelunker]

I just bought a 2003 with some decent corrosion on the rims. Feel like I might be in this boat pretty soon!

 

[Montego Murph]

Question on this while the topic is on the table...

I realize it's not the BEST option, but sometimes replacing rims isn't always in the budget. How do we feel about installing tubes in the tires, assuming dry rot isn't the problem.

I've thought about doing this for the spare as one more barrier to slow leaks since it tends to be neglected, especially when the weather is miserable and I'm not likely to be crawling around under the truck if I don't have to.

 

[Ed_C]

Is it even safe to run tubes in a modern radial tire? I've installed them in bias-ply racing slicks but never a radial.

If the leak is wheel-related, have the tire and valve removed then:
- Throw the old tire valve away (or in the case of a TPMS valve, throw the rubber o-rings and hardware away)
- Sand all the corrosion off the wheels' beads and tire valve opening.
- Clean the tire's beads with something less abrasive like a scotchbrite pad.
- Install a new tire valve (or install new rubber o-rings and hardware with TPMS valves)
- Apply tire rubber cement like this http://a.co/hvAjCPT to the tire's and wheel's bead mating surfaces (be generous with it, you can always wipe the cement off afterwards) then remount the tire.

When I worked for a dealer I used to see a lot of Lexus GX470's with tire leaks due to corrosion, including my mother's. We were able to replace the "rolling" 4 wheels under warranty but the spare was still in good condition. It's been 8-9 years since (no longer work there) and the spare has developed enough corrosion to leak and constantly turn the TPMS warning on, I ended up breaking down and sealing it last summer.

PS fill the spare a with a little more air than the main tires. I'd even put it up to 40 if it doesn't have TPMS.