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Originally Posted by brunson67
2.) I’ve read I should change from rubber valve stems to steel, is this suggested?
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Yes, it is suggested, but it is highly likely that you already have metal valve stems already from the factory, unless the tires have been changed previously by a prior owner, where the tire shop fitted rubber stems.
It seems highly unlikely that Workhorse chassis would allow rubber valve stems on 19.5" wheels, since even the highest rated HP rubber valve stem is limited to 100 psi, and most 19.5" tire fitments on a motorhome chassis newer than 2007 are specified with load range G tires, which have maximum inflation rating of 110 psi.
It would be uncharacteristic of a manufacturer to mismatch valve stem ratings to tire ratings, so if you do have rubber valve stems currently, then I would suspect this change occurred after the coach left the factory.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brunson67
3.) If steel valve stems required, is there a brand recommended?
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The valve stems need not be steel. Steel rusts, and valve stems are exposed to moisture and air from outside and inside. Most metal valve stems are made of brass, and a step up from brass is nickel plated brass, for increased corrosion resistance.
The most well-known tire valve manufacturers are Dill Air Products... and of course Schrader (a name that is to tire valves like Xerox is to photocopying or Google is to online searching or Coke is to brown colored soda pop). I don't really understand the business ownership of the Schrader tire valve brand, but you may find permutations of the Schrader name such as Schrader-Bridgeport (not Bridgestone), Schrader-Electronics, & Schrader-Pacific.
Neither Dill nor Schrader sell tire valves to the public. A couple of trusted distributors in the tire industry are Haltec Corporation and Myers Tire Supply. Haltec Corporation serves the most severe tire applications imaginable... mineral mining, heavy civil infrastructure, military, aviation, Caterpillar.
I mention this supplier serving severe commercial applications because brass tire valves are readily available on eBay, Amazon, Alibaba, MadeInChina, and from an uncountable number of resellers who buy low priced cheaply made products from copycat manufacturers with no accountability (or scruples), and then resell those products made of mystery metal at prices just under what the real "Dill" costs.
Since you asked if there was a brand recommended (an unusual question to ask about a tire valve, a decision which many just leave to the tire shop), it seemed appropriate in response to consider the pedigree of the supplier and the market they serve, where the consequences can be more costly with failure.
Irrespective of tire valve brand, the most important considerations to keep in mind are as follows:
A) Rim Hole diameter. I'm going to guess that yours is 0.453" for the valve stem, but since you have a Workhorse chassis of a later vintage that could have been manufactured by International, there is a small chance you might have wheels with a 0.625" rim hole for the valve stem. The Rim Hole diameter makes a difference in terms of which valve stem part number you order or request from your tire shop when changing tires, because the sealing grommet and capture washers are sized to fill the rim hole diameter.
It makes even more of a difference with rubber snap in valve stems. With the higher probability that your wheels have a 0.453" rim hole diameter, the highest rated rubber snap in valve that I am aware of is limited to 80 psi (TR600 and TR602). To utilize the TR800 rubber snap in valve stem, rated at 100 psi, requires a 0.625" rim hole diameter for the valve stem. That is why I allow for the slight chance that you might have the larger rim hole diameter, because your post suggests that you believe you have rubber valve stems, and it seems improbable that a tire shop would fit TR600/602 snap in rubber stems rated to 80 psi with 19.5" tires that are rated to 110 psi.
Yet if you had load range F tires, with a maximum inflation pressure of 95 psi, then a TR800 HP snap in rubber valve stem rated at 100 psi would be an appropriate fitment, even while clamp in all metal valve stems would be better.
I can't suggest any trade numbers for brass or nickel plated brass clamp in valve stems without first knowing your rim hole diameter. And for you to know it might require pulling a valve stem to measure, and by that time, you likely are already at the tire shop having them do that for you. So go to a good truck tire shop who will know what they are doing, and insist on all metal clamp in valve stems if you don't aleady have them.
If you DO already have metal clamp in valve stems, then the only thing you might want to change is the grommet. The valve stems will not need changing. A new valve core inside of the stems is also recommended.
An additional consideration to keep in mind if you do not have all metal valve stems and have to buy them, is the angle of your wheel disc. Some wheels favor pre bent valve stems, to improve the access through the hand hole of the outer dual wheel for inflators and gauges. Some wheels in the 19.5" size do better with 23 degree bends in the valve stem, clocked away from the wheel disc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brunson67
4.) I need new wheel simulators, is there a better quality brand?
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Hard to know without knowing the quality brand you currently have.
But rather than talk about brand, we can talk about mounting style.
There are two basic styles of stainless steel wheel simulators...
A) Simulators that hammer on and pry off like hubcap from the 1960's
B) Simulators that bolt on and off, using cab nuts that screw on to the exposed threads of the wheel studs left remaining after the lug nuts are torqued.
I highly recommend the "B" style of wheels sims, that bolt on. Much easier to mount. Much easier to take off. Less harmful to the wheel.
The "A" style that has to be hammered on and pryed off has sharp pawls that dig into the wheel rim, cutting away the paint and electrodeposited primer, creating a constellation of corrosion sites for the raw exposed steel that it cuts into to stay on the wheel.
PhoenixUSA (although not made in USA) is one brand of wheel simulator that I know uses the "B" style bolt on/off mounting method recommended.
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