3 Piece Wheel Gurus--please help--my tire won't hold air

[JonT]

I repeatedly took a wheel back to a tire shop who discovered it wasn't the tire it was the wheel that was leaking slowly on the inside of the tire where the 2 wheel barrels are bolted to the front of the fuchs front (these are 3 piece fuchs replicas).

I took apart the wheel and there is a gasket in between with a small rubber piece that runs around this gasket--its basically a circular strip that is around 1/2" wide and very thin with a small rubber gasket on it.

Now recently I replaced all the hardware the 4 wheels--non of the others are leaking.

I need help putting it back together--do I need a new gasket or can I use a bead of high-temp silicone on both sides?

Are there any tricks to putting the wheel back together?

[Zeke]

I'd run a bead of silicone along the seam after assembly. That was the way I did kart rims that had a o-ring. I just buried the o-ring in silicone.

[1986911]

JonT below is what I used on my 3pcs wheels. It was recommended by my powder coater. It works great, just lay a bead down where the 2 halves join and your good. I know it says its for windshields but its awesome stuff.


http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?66666UuZjcFSLXTtoxTc5xF6EV76EbHSHVs 6EVs6E666666--


Good luck

[Dantilla]

Fikse uses sealant from their factory. I'd do likewise.

[JonT]

Thanks guys--another question--I was cleaning the two wheel barrels with a scrub pad and brake cleaner and they came pretty clean--now when I was scrubbing the metal gasket with the rubber o-ring on it the little rubber strip came unglued. Should i just ditch that piece and try the silicone bead or order a replacement?

[Mia911]

i used hi temp silicone to seal your barrels, have work for me in the past with all my other 3 pc wheels.....

[dfink]

Perhaps consider hylomar. Cleans up easily does not harden so if you have to tighten the halves it will reconform. May be easier to take apart if ever needed in the future.
Hylomar sounds cooler than silicone sealer so makes for great discussion. Mostly I would use hylomar because everybody else said to use silicone.

[silver911rdb]

Who makes the rim halves? I had BBS rim halves with machined fuch centers. The BBS rim halves used a center spacer which had a face groove on either side of it. The face groove held a rubber o-ring which sealed the assy when bolted together. The guys at BBS motorsport told me not to use any sealant, but to just use the rubber o-ring. Maybe they just wanted to sell their seals, but I did what they told me and I never had a problem.
I loaded a picture of the wheels on my car before I sold it earlier this year.

[JonT]

Rich--I bought these wheels used but they do sound like BBS based on your description--center spacer with a groove on each side and the rubber o-ring.

I may try to find similar spacer with o-ring. My mechanic said try the hi-temp silicone. I've got a couple choices here. Thanks everyone.

[David]

I've had good luck with just silicone between the halves.

[silver911rdb]

JonT- If you decide to buy new spacer with o-ring, you can buy them directly from BBS Motorsports down in Florida. I don't have their number handy but I'm sure you can google for their number. As I recall they weren't very expensive.

[Mia911]

JonT..Remove the tire and go get yourself a tube of silicone, apply it to the space between the barrel (where the rims are join) its a easy fix, some wheels have a black rubber seal over the 2 barrels, if so remove it first, if not just apply.....i have done this for several of my show cars, im always changing wheels....