I've had two of these OEM type valve stems fail over the last few years and just had metal valve stems put in on all five rims. Fortunately both failures were in the driveway. My old cars (66 and 67 Chebies) have had metal valve stems and I never had one fail.
The rubber ones fail by cracking right where they go through the rim like you saw. Everytime you check your air pressure and air up you flex those valve stems and the pivit point is the rim. The hot and cold cycles take a toll on the rubber ones. Go metal!
1998 2500 Dodge V10 3.55 Quad cab. Lance 5000 camper 9'10" and tow 17.5 ft Larson Boat
J&S~B wrote: ..... So, he recommended replacing it with a standard stem that is more flexible and assured me that they would hold up under high pressure....
A standard rubber stem WON'T hold reliably at 80psi. There is a good chance you will experience a stem blowout when carrying a load at that pressure. Especially if you hit a pothole or other road imperfection that could spike the pressure.
Mine is an 05 and I had the same stem failure on one of the outside rear duals. The stem failed right at the end of the metal tube inside the rubber part.
I wonder if that 06 time span they talk of in the recall may extend back further by the time it's done?
05 Dodge 3500 4x4 DRW Long Bed 4dr
07 Lance 992
III so far.
The consumer media has given a great deal of ink and air-time recently to the issue of tire safety and the various factors that can cause a tire to fail. But one item most of these reports have not touched upon is the valve stem.
Think about it. The valve stem is what keeps the air in the tire. If the valve stem doesn't seal properly and leaks air at the base or thorough the valve core, the loss of air pressure can cause the tire to run hot or go flat. A low tire is a dangerous tire, especially when driving at high speed during hot weather or when a vehicle is heavily loaded.
"Though the valve stem is the least expensive component in a tire/wheel assembly, it's also the most important," says Steve Zimmerman of Tuffy Manufacturing in Akron, Ohio, a supplier of tire repair products and equipment.
To most people, a valve stem is a valve stem - they all look the same so the only difference they see is the price. But one of the most serious safety issues facing our industry today, he says, is cheap, low quality valve stems that are coming in from offshore manufacturers.
Zimmerman says many of these products are made of inferior materials that don't stand up well to ozone, heat and cold over time. Yet many tire dealers don't realize there is a difference - a huge difference - in the long-term reliability of some of these valve stems.
Bigger Difference Than Price
Quality name-brand snap-in valve stems from reputable suppliers for passenger car/light truck applications typically cost from 16 to 25 cents per piece in quantity vs. maybe 11 to 12 cents each for "no-name" imported stems. For grommet-style truck valve stems, a quality brand may sell for $1 each compared to 60 cents or less for a no-name brand.
A few cents difference in price may not seem like much, especially when most tire dealers charge $2.50 or more to their retail customers for an installed valve stem. But when you're talking hundreds of valve stems over a period of time, the pennies add up - especially if a tire dealer is replacing valve stems for a large fleet account at no cost to the customer.
Frank Banzanhof of Schrader Bridgeport International Inc., Muskegee, Okla., a manufacturer of OE valve stems, says many import stems are made of natural rubber rather than EPDM, a tougher synthetic rubber used in most quality valve stems. EPDM has a much broader temperature range than natural rubber, and remains flexible in the coldest weather. It also resists ozone and chemical attack that deteriorates natural rubber.
"The materials they are using will not pass the SAE 1205-1206 ozone requirements, which is a standard created by the Society of Automotive Engineers. No vehicle manufacturer will accept a valve stem that doesn't meet this standard."
Banzanhof cautions that using valve stems made from low quality materials is asking for trouble. After only two years of service, natural rubber valve stems dry out, he says, becoming hard and brittle, allowing for cracks and leaks.
Unfortunately, there are no government standards that apply to valve stems. The Tire & Rim Association publishes a yearbook that lists standards for valve stem dimensional tolerances, but the group does not get involved with performance standards.
Finding Quality Stems
So how can a tire dealer tell if he's buying a quality valve stem? Banzanhof says to ask the valve stem supplier if their product meets the SAE 1205-1206 standard. You should also ask if company that manufacturers the valve stem is QS9000 or ISO9000 certified - both of which require meeting stringent quality control standards, procedures and recordkeeping.
Tire dealers should watch out for no-name valve stems, according to Norm Prinzo and Dave Magoulick of the Akron-based Myers Tire Supply. "If you don't see a manufacturer's logo or country of origin on the product, I'd be very suspect of it. If there's no identification on the valve, who's going to stand behind it if there's a problem?" asks Prinzo.
"A no-name valve stem may look and fit okay today, but how long will it last? The life of the rubber is determined by time and temperature. Many tires last a long time - up to six, eight or even 10 years. Truck applications are even more demanding because of the miles driven, heavy loads and extreme operating environment," said Magoulick.
Valve Stem Replacement
Most valve stem suppliers say tire dealers should always replace the valve stem when replacing a tire. Valve stems should also be inspected anytime a tire is balanced, repaired or dismounted. A valve stem that's cracked, damaged or leaking must be replaced.
Before installing a new valve, inspect the hole in the rim for nicks, burrs, corrosion or other roughness that could damage the new valve or prevent a leak-free seal. Most valve stems are coated at the factory to maintain their appearance and to ease installation. If a lubricant is used, do not use a petroleum-based product (rubber absorbs oil). Carefully pull the valve into the hole and make sure it is properly seated.
On some light truck applications, special "high pressure" valve stems may be required (refer to the pressure rating of the tires). Most passenger car and light truck valve stems are only rated to a maximum of 65 psi, so if the vehicle has high load tires it will require high-pressure rated valve stems.
Never assume the old valve stem is the correct one for the application because it may have been replaced previously. Use a replacement valve stem that correctly matches the type of wheel and vehicle application. Many alloy wheels require a clamp-in style valve stem with a threaded metal nut.
On heavy-duty trucks, make sure the valve grommet is the correct size for the hole in the wheel, and that the valve stem is properly positioned for balance and to allow easy air pressure checks.
Finally, make sure the valve core is fully seated and does not leak air once the tire has been mounted and inflated. And always install the cap to keep out dirt and moisture.
2004 GMC Sierra 3500 4x4 D/A EC LB DRW
Ride-Rites, RS9000X, TorkLift, Fast Guns, Superhitch
2007 Lance Max 1181
Quote: He also noted that the tires were 2005 on our new last year 2007 GMC Sierra.
When you buy new tires or upon receiving the keys to your out-of-the-factory new truck: always, always, always check the date of manufacture of the supplied tires! This requires knowing where the code is stamped on your supplied/bought tire, and knowing how to decode the alpha-numeric string that is the date code...
Additionally, out of OEM dealer tire sellers may be placing 65 PSI rated valve stems on your light-truck's E rated installs (read the article above). Make sure you have high-pressure stems installed on your E rated light-truck tires. If your OEM tires and stems were 2 years out of date from the get-go, this is 2008; at 3-years your stems and tires may have needed replacement at time of failure. We now replace all our tires/stems every 3-years regardless of wear or apparent life left in 'em!
Note that the TopSeal valve stem, identified as the defective unit in the law suit, is supplied by Dill Air (hardly an unknown company); the TopSeal stems coming in from China appear to be the stems used by most major auto manufacturers in the world:
"Shanghai Baolong Industries Co. Ltd. was established in May 1997, and counts itself as a leader in the tire valve business and stainless steel exhaust system businesses worldwide.
Baolong supplies auto manufacturers such as GM, Toyota, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, and also supplies its worldwide aftermarket distributors in more than 50 countries.
Baolong’s main products include: Topseal® tire and wheel service products"
IMO: Virtually everyone who has had their tires replaced over the last 2 years should and must inspect their rubber valves for base cracks asap, and continue to do so weekly, or, have them replaced with all steel valves asap.
Apparently, there is no way to trace the defective stems after said being deployed to consumer, whatsoever. This in itself is very disconcerting.
The problem I see with treating the tires with 303 (or, any equivalent protectant) is getting the entire tire coated. It's a hell of a job to spray every square centimeter of all 5 tires with 303: outside walls, inside walls, and tread and tread groves, then roll the truck forward, and spray the remaining 4 tread patches!
I don't know about your bottle of 303, but mine states that the object of treatment must be faithfully treated every 3-weeks to maintain optimum protection. That's one heck of a lot of work. I'll have to hire an illegal, and employ them full-time, and perhaps even house them on-site just to keep up.
It's easier and way less costly for me just to replace the tires every 3-years
I personally don't use the metal stems on any of my trucks or trailers. I use high pressure OEM type as our 2500/3500 trucks come from the factory with. I've had to many rusted in issues with metal stems but mostly it was breaking them off on construction sites or out in pastures/etc. Even had broke stems from rutted road ice. See valve stems for the different valve stems. Don't think because you use the metal clamp in style you won't have leaking stems. They leak also as they all have a rubber seal and can be cut from a bad hole in the wheel or with a sharp edge or a burr.
Jim
'03 2500 Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs
'97 Park Avanue 28' with two slides
Quote: Even had broke stems from rutted road ice...
That's a very good point. Although we store our camper indoors, our truck now tends to sit outside over winter, driving only our non-salted mountain access road several times a week-- for some 4x4 exercising.
Often (this past winter, 37 times!), our wheels are blocked in solid ice after days upon days of relentless ice storming, and if I had not paid meticulous attention to free up the wheels from ice, and had installed steel stems, I would have (probably) snapped them off the rims several dozen times this past winter alone. Your geographical mileage will vary with steel stems I think...?
I side with getting the proper rubber stem (if your geographical location warrants it) for 80 PSI use; not the oft used 65 PSI stems so prevalent after a light-truck LR-E tire change...
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