Stupid Tire Question

[CJFusco]

Please excuse my ignorance, but is it generally a good idea to order new valve stems with a new set of tires, or is this just a way for the tire distributor to tack on some extra profit?

In other words, should I just assume that my valve stems are okay to re-use?

Thanks in advance!

[javadog]

Always replace them. Rubber bits don't last forever.

JR

[porsche4life]

Most likely the tire shop includes stems in the install...

But they are like a buck apiece, always replace them....

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by CJFusco

Please excuse my ignorance, but is it generally a good idea to order new valve stems with a new set of tires, or is this just a way for the tire distributor to tack on some extra profit?

In other words, should I just assume that my valve stems are okay to re-use?

Thanks in advance!

Always replace. You seldom know how old they really are. I had a valve stem blow out last summer. Never before heard of it happening, but the little guy had an aneurysm right there on the road while I was stopped in traffic. The tire went flat in 30 seconds. It could have been ugly, since I had been going 70 mph just 10 minutes before.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Most likely the tire shop includes stems in the install...

But they are like a buck apiece, always replace them....

It may be a company policy. I had some tires mounted last spring and they replaced the valve stems. I hated the tires and took the car back the next day for different ones. They replaced the valve stems again. I asked why and they told me it's policy - tire comes off, new valve stem goes in.

[CJFusco]

Thanks for the input!

[Scott R]

I told Rover to not replace the stems on my LR3. This was a major mistake. It hit -10 here a few weeks back and I whacked one of the old stems with my foot. That was the end of that brittle thing broke just enough to run the tire flat in a few miles. Nothing like a flat tire in -10 degree weather.

[stomachmonkey]

It's generally a good idea unless you want a flat in your Tahoe that's loaded to the hilt at 80 MPH then a couple of months later you get another flat with you/wife/kids/inlaws in the vehicle at which time you realize the tire shop did not replace them last time and 3 of them are dry rotted so after putting your 1 spare tire on you decide to go straight to a tire shop, any tire shop you can find but only make it another mile or so before a 3rd valve lets go completely stranding you cause now you have no spare and roadside won't come out if you don't have one causing you to call a cab to get the family home while you wait for a friend to come get you and one tire so you can find a shop to fix it then go back and swap it out and drive like a madman back to the shop to get the 3rd and final one taken care of.

Ask me how I know.