Troubleshooting Tires That Consistently Lose 4-5 psi

Question:

I recently received tires and metal high pressure valve stems. The valve stems seem to be leaking since I lose about 4-5 psi in a couple of weeks even if they are not being used. Do you have any recommendations?

asked by: Robert T

Expert Reply:

If you are losing 4-5 psi in all of your tires evenly then I would have to attribute that to the changing fall weather. If you are just losing psi in just one of the tires then it could be that the Americana Metal, Bolt-In Valve Stem # AM20906 was not installed properly.

To determine if your tires are leaking at the valve stem, or anywhere else for that matter, you can do the soapy water test. Spray some soapy water around the valve stem and see if it starts to bubble. If it does then you have air escaping around the valve stem. If it does not bubble then you should be good to go.

When installing a metal valve stem you will want to be sure that the washer that sits on the wheel is flat. If they are not installed flat against the surface of the wheel then there could be a small amount of air escaping and you will need to reinstall the valve stem.

I have attached a review video of the metal valve stem for you to check out.

expert reply by: Jon G