Big tires, air leaking from inner bead

['74 UA FJ]

Hey all. I've got 38.5x14.50x15 super swamper sx's on 10" MRW beadlocks. Whenever I air down below ~5psi, I will intermittently lose air from the inner bead. I'll be crawling along and go over a rock a certain way and I can hear the "psshhh" of the bead being pull back enough to let a little air out. It's worse on the front tires when going down steep hills, for obvious reasons.

I never had this problem with my 35s on the same wheels because there was a lot less sidewall, I'm sure.

Has anyone had this same problem, and is there any way to stop this short of double beadlocks or staun's?

It's really annoying having to stop and put some air back in the tires when they get down to the rim. I get so much better traction on certain surfaces when I'm down around 3 or 4 psi...

 

[OB]

This happens to me also with my 35x15.5x15 SX's. I have been burping air for years. When you mounted them did you use tire glue?
Basically rubber cement. I need to do this with mine, cheapest solution before going to beadlocks.

 

['74 UA FJ]

This happens to me also with my 35x15.5x15 SX's. I have been burping air for years. When you mounted them did you use tire glue?
Basically rubber cement. I need to do this with mine, cheapest solution before going to beadlocks.

I had those same tires for years and never burped air with them.

I have not tried the glue. I wonder if people have had success with it. One guy I wheel with said he tried something like that and it didn't work for him, but I don't think he had beadlocks...

 

[bustanutley]

I don't think there is much you can do:

Get narrower rims
Get some sort of double beadlock
Use the self tapping screw ghetto beadlocks people use for snow wheeling (I wouldn't)
Use more air

 

['74 UA FJ]

That's what I figured...

 

[rusty_tlc]

....

It's really annoying having to stop and put some air back in the tires when they get down to the rim. I get so much better traction on certain surfaces when I'm down around 3 or 4 psi...

Did you groove the tread blocks? I have some old TSL's that I got used that were already grooved. They work really well at about 8 PSI, but I still burp air on occasion.

They are kind of worn out but you can see how they were grooved which allows them to flex a lot more than stock.

 

[Chop Shop]

Try the tire glue and then report to us on how it did nothing to keep the tire on and is the nastiest stuff you have ever cleaned off a wheel and tire after dismounting them all to do it.

Or

If the rims are steel then weld a hoop of 3/16ths round rod onto the safety beads little bump/lip that the tire "pops" over when seating the bead. It will require some starting fluid to mount the tire over the new taller lip but it will never burp or come off easily.

My 38.5x16s have been this way for years. NEVER a problem.

If they are aluminum then you could have someone with a spool gun toss an extra bead or two on top of that safety lip also. I think a spool gun would get the build up faster/easier whereas TIGing it I believe would burn in too deep and take allot of passes to build up.

 

[hey you]

Do you have sand or gravel in the bead? It's happened to me in the desert. I popped the tire off, blew out the dirt, reinstalled the tire, and the leaking stopped.

 

['74 UA FJ]

Did you groove the tread blocks? I have some old TSL's that I got used that were already grooved. They work really well at about 8 PSI, but I still burp air on occasion.

They are kind of worn out but you can see how they were grooved which allows them to flex a lot more than stock.

I can't bring myself to take the grooving iron to a brand new set of swampers. Maybe next year...

They work great at 5-6 psi, but they work great-er in situations at 3-4...

 

[rusty_tlc]

I can't bring myself to take the grooving iron to a brand new set of swampers. Maybe next year...

They work great at 5-6 psi, but they work great-er in situations at 3-4...

Why? People comment on how well my tires hook up "For Swampers" even as old and bald as they are. If I replaced them I'd groove the new tires before went on the truck. It's not like it affects the wear or causes chunking or anything. Mine work great at 8 PSI, I can run them much lower before they break the bead unless I'm getting stupid with the skinny pedal. Think about it, if the tread can flex it's less likely to put stress on the sidewall-> less likely to roll the tire off the bead.

 

[Huroneymoose]

74 UA FJ, your rims are too narrow. I had a buddy running 19.5/44-15's on an 8" outer beadlocked rim. ( Long story) He was blowing inner beads constantly. The narrow rim pushes the side wall in and the beads are not square with each other ( rim and tire beads). So with lower pressures and/or impact to the tire it will cause air loss or bead loss. He has since remedied the situation with some wicked Allied Rockstompers that are 14 or something wide. And as for the tire glue, I would'nt. Anything sticking to your tire between the rim and tire like hey you said, will obstruct seating a bead should it break. I have seen guys try to use silicone to keep beads only to have that same silicone obstruct the seating of a bead when out on the trail.

 

['74 UA FJ]

74 UA FJ, your rims are too narrow. I had a buddy running 19.5/44-15's on an 8" outer beadlocked rim. ( Long story) He was blowing inner beads constantly. The narrow rim pushes the side wall in and the beads are not square with each other ( rim and tire beads). So with lower pressures and/or impact to the tire it will cause air loss or bead loss. He has since remedied the situation with some wicked Allied Rockstompers that are 14 or something wide. And as for the tire glue, I would'nt. Anything sticking to your tire between the rim and tire like hey you said, will obstruct seating a bead should it break. I have seen guys try to use silicone to keep beads only to have that same silicone obstruct the seating of a bead when out on the trail.

My rims are not too narrow for these tires. They are just about perfect, actually.

 

['74 UA FJ]

Why? People comment on how well my tires hook up "For Swampers" even as old and bald as they are. If I replaced them I'd groove the new tires before went on the truck. It's not like it affects the wear or causes chunking or anything. Mine work great at 8 PSI, I can run them much lower before they break the bead unless I'm getting stupid with the skinny pedal. Think about it, if the tread can flex it's less likely to put stress on the sidewall-> less likely to roll the tire off the bead.

I know. They will get grooved eventually. They work awesome compared to the old(hard) 35 swampers that I had.

If I didn't drive my 40 on the street from time to time, I would just get some 39 stickies. Those things are amazing.