Slow leak in tire?

Question

I've had to put air in the same tire 3 times over the past few months. I have examined it closely and do not see a nail or any other type of puncture......is this dangerous to drive on?

What should I do?

Answer 1

For a slow leak you may not necessarily be able to see the damage.  Some causes can be a failing valve, small puncture in the tire or poor seal at the rim.  All are very cheap and easy to fix by the correct mechanic.

If you really wish to find the leak make up a soap solution and start squirting it on various parts of the tire.  You will see bubbles forming around the leak.

It's unlikely to be dangerous to drive on unless you let the pressure go too low.

Answer 2

bring it to the tire shop they will tell you whats wrong

Answer 3

If it is a front tire I would hesitate from driving the car until you take it to the tire shop and have it repaired or a new one put on.

Answer 4

I'll agree with robort king... take it to a Tyre Centre..

At what point have you had to re-inflate?  

It is unlikely to be a leak due to puncture or a bad valve as you would need to re-inflate more often.  

However, if you've been doing a lot of high-speed driving, and the rim has been 'kerbed'  - it is possible that there is some distortion, which allows air to seep out when the rubber is warm and more flexible, and the internal pressure has increased due to the heating...

Answer 5

Yes, it could be dangerous.

The reason being that the tyre is running on too low a pressure some of the time until you pump it up again.

This will cause overheating in the tyre and premature belt failure.

You have already done 'some' damage to the tyre, hopefully not much.

Answer 6

you should change the tire... the tire could be old and might have cracks in it

Answer 7

As some others have said the cause of a slow puncture isn't always visible with the naked eye - also if you have alloy wheels these sometimes become porous and allow air to 'soak' through the wheel rim - this can be cured by having a tire shop remove the wheel and paint the inside of the rim to seal it.

Answer 8

Check that the valve is not leaking by pumping tire to 38 psi and then fill the valve end with saliva, if you see it bubbling then you need to get the valve replaced. The tire place will probably slug you for a whole new tire.

If no bubbles you need to take it to a tire specialist any way.

Answer 9

Just take it to a tire shop because sometimes you cannot see what is causing the leak and in some cases the rim mounting surface could be the problem.