used wheels

[Pluto5]

I got some used steel wheels at the salvage yard for my winter tires. After cleaning them there is still some residual rust on the rims and a few nicks probably from previous weights. Any thoughts on how this might affect mounting or holding air?

 

[Colt45ws]

I used a wire wheel on an angle grinder to remove the rust and dirt, then washed and painted my spare tire rim I got from the j/y. Yes, rust where the bead meets the rim can affect air holding.

 

[alreadygone]

To affect seal rust must be in direct area of bead seal, or valve stem contact (for goodness sake, rip those old stems out and clean that seal area). Even major pitting can still seal if paint (actually we use a special bead sealer similar to the plastic "Dip-It" for self coating tool handles)is applied after intense cleaning. ANY pit is better than a bump/hump of rust. Due to the reforming, rubber-like consistency

of a tire's beads, they'll fill really huge pitting.

So clean 'em, paint 'em (maybe 2-3-4 coats) allow to cure well, mount tires, and forget 'em.

Bob

 

[Pluto5]

Thanks for the responses, this is really a great site. I returned the wheels for a refund since the rust was too extensive to remove by hand. They would have to be sandblasted before painting.