what do you guys use to seal wheels?

[Tuck&Poke]

pretty much any sealant will work provided its water-proof and can be used on aluminum. If its leaking you probably put it on wrong.

[H5G]

^^^ this or not enough...black rtv = fail in my book

[SteveO@OpenRoad]

i use fatlace and effin euro stickers exclusively to seal the wheels.

hahaha

[Madface]

I've used black RTV on probably 10+ sets of wheels, my own and other local guys, and have never once had a leak. I only put a small bead, smaller than the diameter of a pencil and then spread it with my finger to get all of the air bubbles out, then the next day do it again.

From what I've seen, the more sloppy it looks the better chance there is of it leaking. I've had to re-seal wheels for like 4 people around here and all of them had a shit load of sealant on them and looked like a kids finger painting project. With one tube of black RTV (caulking gun size) from Autozone you should be able to seal 3 sets of wheels and still have some left over.

[zrobb3]

so did any of you guys put rtv/ sealant on the face before putting the lips on, then bolt them together?

[Tuck&Poke]

negative, not necessary

[Han]

so did any of you guys put rtv/ sealant on the face before putting the lips on, then bolt them together?

I do. That's how a lot of wheels come from factory and another 10-15 minutes to apply those coats and it won't hurt anything.

[.Mad Hatter.]

except that it will probably harden or shrink or shift after some time...and i wouldnt want the torque of my bolts being affected by it.

[tivs31]

I just went to home depot and got a silicone sealent for bonding aluminum.

We've done 3-4 sets of wheels and never had a problem with it. But you have to layer it on thick, and then using a wet finger, smoother the bead out flat. I've gone as far as using painter's tape to create a smooth line as to where my bead should end, so that it doesn't look ugly, as well as become off balanced because of more silicone on one side of the wheel compared to the other.

But mainly, but a ton of silicone (about 1/2 a tube) in the groove, and go all the way around without stopping , then using a wet finger, smooth the bead out so that it's flat, and there are no air bubbles exposed. If you do use tape, then remove the tape to create a nice clean line, just like a manufacturer.

g

[BreakMyWallet]

no one told me taking apart wheels was such a pain in the ass! haha

[BreakMyWallet]

so i took the wheels apart but i didnt seperate the barrels. they seem to be on there pretty good. u guys think there is any way i can get away with not sealing them? i mean they are SUPER tight together.

[ssphantom]

any bathroom sealent will work fine

[BreakMyWallet]

so i took the wheels apart but i didnt seperate the barrels. they seem to be on there pretty good. u guys think there is any way i can get away with not sealing them? i mean they are SUPER tight together.

?

[kramerbuccs24]

My amateur opinion would be to reseal them. Having ~40lbft of pressure on the seals released might have opened up small holes, you never know. Is it worth the possibility of a PITA job of taking the tires off and resealing them anyways?

[BreakMyWallet]

yeah thats what i was thinking.

fock it!