What silicone do people use on 3 piece wheels

[70rsr]

What is the correct silicone for re-sealing 3 piece wheels? Should I disassemble them and put silicone "inside" the wheel halves or just at the crease with the wheels properly assembled?
Thanks for the help.
Dave

[NY65912]

Dave,

here is what was supplied to me when I had to replace a few damaged shells on my Kodiaks by Jeff Alton the wheel guru.......

Dow Corning 832 Multisurface Adhesve/Sealant

Available at McMaster Carr

The Kodiaks were just siliconed in the crease, but applied heavily and pushed
into the crease with strong finger pressure to form a nice wiped linear band around the circumfrence of the wheel.

Good Luck

[3.2 CAB]

I believe that some or most of the 3-piece wheels makers actually have a gasket or sealing ring for the sections. I have also seen, that after the wheels are assembled, with the gaskets/seals in place, there was also a fairly good size bead of silicone added to "smooth out" the mating seam. The 832 sealant is good. Good luck!! Tony.

[Jim2]

Exactly what Mike says above. I've used regular hardware grade silicone for several years with any problem. Look for the type labeled "silicone rubber". I find the new improved "type II" silicone which is odourless is frequently stale dated and never cures - pure crap.

I start by applying a thin bead once around, rotating the wheel on a hub. Then lots of pressure with your finger which forces the silicone into the crevas, rotate maybe twice. I then add a second bead to thicken the fillet. Clean the crevas first with thinner or solvent but make sure it drys before applying the silicone. First wheel used black, the second pic is clear silicone. On one used set of wheels I bought the silicone was spread nearly three inchs wide, bunch of morons.

[911 Dog]

GE clear ( no color) silicone seemed to adhere the best for me on the two piece Centerline wheels back in the Chevy hotrod days.

[hobieboy]

I have just repaired my Kodiak with Dow Corning 832 per the manufacturer's recommendation (the leak happens because of my moronic tire installer ).

Originally Posted by Jim2

On one used set of wheels I bought the silicone was spread nearly three inchs wide, bunch of morons.

For reference, the seal on mine was ~2" wide.

[Jeff Alton]

The 832 is a superior product. That said any silicone "adhesive" seems to work better than silicone "sealants".

BBS and Speedline use gaskets. Most "cottage industry" wheels like Fikse, Kodiak, Kinesis etc all used a sealant.

Cheers

[70rsr]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I will try the 832.

Dave

[Jeff Alton]

Make sure the area where you are going to seal is nice and clean, give it a final wipe with brake clean or another quick evaporating solvent. We use brake clean.

Cheers

[David]

I have a leaking Kodak wheel where there is an obvious 1/4” long split in the sealant. Can I just scrape out all the old sealant and reseal with 832 or should I split them and put sealant on the rim faces too?

[Jeff Alton]

David,

I would split them. There is some chance just filling it would work, but it if doesn't you have to take it all apart anyways... Plus, if does fail, a rapidly deflating wheel isn't much fun

Cheers

[David]

Jeff, there was no sealant between the rim halves. Is this correct? If so, I’ll just super clean everything, bolt it together, and work the 832 into the joint and then feather out a couple inches.

[floridabmx]

Rtv.

[Jeff Alton]

David,

Correct, nothing between the halves. Only in the valley created where they join. CCW had (maybe still has?) a video out putting sealant between the half flanges, but all you will do is induce run out in the wheel.

Permatex, loctite, wurth, dow. "great stuff" etc, pick your favorite. Our preference is Dow and Loctite. We haven't varied from them as we have great results, but others likely work just as well.

Also, folks need to remember that a 3 piece wheel is a maintenance item, just like every maintenance item on your car, it requires checking routinely to ensure it is functioning properly and is torqued correctly.

Cheers

[David]

Thanks Jeff.

I also found this video that seems to be the most professional:

[Jeff Alton]

David,

Pretty decent video. Clean, clean and then clean again the areas that mate to each other, and the sealing surface. Be careful if using mechanical tools like the air tools shown in the video. Only remove the previous sealant and not any material, which can happen quickly with air tools.

For a clean pro finish, take a minute or two and mask off the area outside of what is getting sealant. This produces a clean sealant line and smooth consistent depth. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing the best you can...

Cheers