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Anyone have any thoughts about putting tubes in bias ply tires? I have a set of L78 15s that are practically NOS, with very few miles on them, perfect tread, but showing some fine cracks on sidewalls.

A couple of them lost some air over the winter, but since winter was 8 months long, I thought that was pretty good. I'd like to have them checked for leaks or small punctures, and if any are found, fix them and put tubes in.

I've found tubes specifically for that size tire at CarQuest.

You could squirt some green slime in them, it will seal them perfectly and you can do all 4 tires for less than the cost of having 1 tube installed,

Downside is some tire places will not change tires that have slime in them.

Hi 55Pac.

I wouldn't put sealer into those tires. First spray soapy water on them to find where they are leaking. It could be as simple as the valves or stems.

A good tire shop can dismount them for you and you can clean up the rims and have them remounted and balanced with new stems.

To fix any deep pitting you can use epoxy or body filler and spray paint them in your backyard.

Tubes will hold air for years and years, but they are highly subject to high speed blow out. So if you drive modestly you can go the tube route.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the good info. I never thought about using "slime," or that some shops refuse to mount tires with that stuff in them. Do they refuse tires that have had "Fix-a-Flat" used in them, too? It's basically slime and air in a can, I think.

Never heard about high-speed blowout with tubes, either. I wonder what causes that? Do they "blow" the tire at the same time? I suppose they would, by leaking out around the valve stem.

Some of the newer tubes seem to be pretty heavy duty. Of course they're more costly, too. But I get new stems for "free," so there's some saving in that.

Pretty sure I'll go with tubes. I don't plan to speed too much. Does hard cornering put a lot of stress on tubes, too?

Tube tires are more prone to high speed blowouts because the tube makes the tire hotter, due to extra friction, and holds the heat in and won't let it disperse.

I don't think this would be much of a factor at the speeds your car is likely to go, at the temps you are likely to see, provided the tires are kept pumped up.

Yes it is quite possible to reseal the tires or replace valves if the tires are not too old and hard. I was trying to save you some money with the slime.

Thanks, Rusty. I appreciate alternative suggestions... and saving money!

My wheels wouldn't hold air even though I put brand new tires on my rims. The sealing bead on the rims was rusty. I media blasted the rims, painted them inside and out, and they have held air for years now.

Good idea! It's in the shop now and will have all 4 wheels removed and at least the front tires. If I can let them know soon enough, I'll ask them to do it.

What did you blast the rims with? I don't know if they have a media blaster. Would fine emery cloth or steel wool do it?

Thanks again for the reminder.

I had them blasted with glass bead. But really anything that will remove the scale rust will works. The painting helps seal the surface and smooth any small imperfections.

I don't think Packard painted the inside of the wheels. Just whatever base primer was on them from the rim manufacturer.So that is why nearly everyone is rusty on the inside.

Did you just use rattle-can paint, or something special on your seating surface?