Flat Tire But No Damage?

[Phishin]

Sorry if this is a silly question....

I left my house on Thursday morning and returned home on Sunday afternoon. When I pulled in the drive way, my left rear tire on my Chevy K1500 was all the way flat. Sitting on the rim. Dang.

I removed the tire and filled it up at the nearby gas station. Brought a bottle of soap water with me and couldn't find any leaks or bubbles anywhere. These are old aluminum Chevy OEM rims (the 5-star directional rims from the mid-90's) and the tires have approx. 30% tread remaining and are a bit weathered.

This morning, the tire is still at 40psi, where I inflated it to. Can this (especially withh the colder weather) somtimes spontaneously happen? Maybe it lost the bead seat somehow when I was gone?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

They won't lose the bead unless flat.

It's possible the temperature change affected it negatively. I had a set of tires on my Jeep where one of them would go flat (leak around the bead) if I didn't drive it in 3-4 days. However, if I drove it every day, it would be fine.

The RR snow tire on my Focus was losing pressure every 2 days. I couldn't find it.

I ended up having to inflate it past the max PSI for a minute and found that it was leaking, slightly, from the valve core.

I have great hearing, but couldn't hear the small leak from the valve. Fixed and all is better now.

 

[JHZR2]

I dont put much faith in checking with a bottle of soapy water.

Id dunk it after filling it to sidewall max pressure.

 

[97prizm]

Did you feel the back end sink or get mushy handling? Although I I doubt it maybe the bead is worn out?

 

[eljefino]

The (semi) official test is to unmount and look for rubber dust inside from the rubber getting chewed up.

You could have damaged something structural like a belt. Might start thumping, shimmying, or otherwise driving you crazy. Just remember/ mark which tire it is if you start getting issues.

 

[Nick1994]

Someone may have just let the air out of your tire, or the valve stem was in a position to leak

 

[mrsilv04]

A neighborhood kid might have been on a mean streak while you were gone, and flattened it.

We had a neighborhood delinquent that would set a little piece of wood with a nail sticking though it, right behind the passenger rear tire. As soon as you'd put it in reverse and roll backwards by 6", you'd be plugging a tire.

Check and make sure that the stem isn't split somewhere, and that the core is tight and isn't leaking.

 

[Ken2]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
The (semi) official test is to unmount and look for rubber dust inside from the rubber getting chewed up.

You could have damaged something structural like a belt. Might start thumping, shimmying, or otherwise driving you crazy. Just remember/ mark which tire it is if you start getting issues.
Take a look at the inside. If the rubber dust is in there, the tire is junk. You do not want to trust this tire.

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted By: Ken2
Originally Posted By: eljefino
The (semi) official test is to unmount and look for rubber dust inside from the rubber getting chewed up.

You could have damaged something structural like a belt. Might start thumping, shimmying, or otherwise driving you crazy. Just remember/ mark which tire it is if you start getting issues.
Take a look at the inside. If the rubber dust is in there, the tire is junk. You do not want to trust this tire.


The tire was never ran flat. It was deflated in my driveway. But yes, the only thing between the tire and asphalt driveway was the rubber tire. I've driven it 15 miles so far and feel no wobble or thump. I think it's fine.

If it deflates again after sitting for a few days, is it a waste of $$$$$ to put a can of fix-a-flat in it before I air it up? This is just a beater truck that I'm never sure when she will give up the ghost. I think the tires are good for another 10k miles.......so I'd like to run this rubber out until the very end. I'd hate to put new rubber on it, and then have the motor let go.

 

[eljefino]

If you "junk" this tire it will be resold and reappear in your community on someone else's car, and they might wreck into you. At least you will keep a close eye on it.

 

[Traction]

"Never fixed a flat" is ever a good idea to put into a tire. For one, it will never fix a bead leak, which is most likely the problem. I hate fix a flat. Nothing like breaking a bead down, and having it fly all over the walls, ceiling, floor, and tire machine in a clean shop!

 

[fdcg27]

I'll tell you a little story.
About five years ago, I had a set of Primacy tires mounted on our now departed '99 Accord.
Drove it home, had that nice new-tire smoothness and ease of steering.
When I got out of the car, I noticed that the right rear was very low.
I inflated it to normal pressure and thought I'd need to hit it again before driving to work in the morning.
The following morning, the tire was just as full as any of the other three.
After my twenty five mile drive to work, it was again very low.
I took it back to the shop that mounted the tires and they figured out that it was the valve stem.
Why this would cause a leak while driving but not while sitting I have no idea, but it did.
My point is that funny things can happen.
Just a thought.

 

[Traction]

A lot of valve stems get trashed because the genius installing the tire doesn't clock the tire right on the machine and pulls the tire bead into it. Just like with tpms sensors you can only do it one way. Position tire so,valve position off first, last on.