Community Forums

dano50 · 06-24-2016, 12:10 PM

While driving around a tight curve, my right rear wheel snagged the edge of a rock wall and bent the rim. It is about 1.5 inches of the rim that was affected. There is a slow air leak. I was able to make it to my destination about 5 miles up the road and set up camp for the weekend. I have the ability to add air as needed to get it to a repair shop to replace the wheel. Would it be a bad idea to drive it to a shop as long as I checked the air frequently and added as needed? I am a currently camped in a pretty remote location and would prefer to get it somewhere more accessible if possible, but I don't want to do anything to make matters worse. Any ideas to stop the slow leak between the tire and the rim on the way to the shop? There was no damage to the tire or the coach, amazingly enough. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

gruelens · 06-24-2016, 12:52 PM

Sorry to read of your misfortune. Do you have a road side assistance plan? Do you have the tools to safely remove the rim from the RV? How slow is the air leak? A bit more info and the group will surely advise you.

RichR · 06-24-2016, 01:24 PM

Is this a steel rim? If so you can take a hammer and hammer it back close to normal, I have done this a few times 4 wheeling. If not steel, good luck!

530ktm · 06-24-2016, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dano50

While driving around a tight curve, my right rear wheel snagged the edge of a rock wall and bent the rim. It is about 1.5 inches of the rim that was affected. There is a slow air leak. I was able to make it to my destination about 5 miles up the road and set up camp for the weekend. I have the ability to add air as needed to get it to a repair shop to replace the wheel. Would it be a bad idea to drive it to a shop as long as I checked the air frequently and added as needed? I am a currently camped in a pretty remote location and would prefer to get it somewhere more accessible if possible, but I don't want to do anything to make matters worse. Any ideas to stop the slow leak between the tire and the rim on the way to the shop? There was no damage to the tire or the coach, amazingly enough. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I am guessing you have aluminum wheels so you probably will not be able to whack it with a hammer and bend it back. Kind of depends on how slow the leak is. If it is losing 5 lbs in an hour or so then I might be inclined to drive on it slowly to a repair place but if it is faster than that then I would be looking for a way to replace the wheel now rather than drive on it. Bummer this happened but at least you don't need a new tire along with an expensive wheel.

Lovin2Camp · 06-24-2016, 02:56 PM

I would get it fixed right where your at and not drive it,
But that's just me.....
Good Luck!👍

Sent from my iPhone using iRV2 - RV Forum

spinn · 06-24-2016, 03:01 PM

Check to see if your insurance covers wheel and rim damage. Mine did saved me $500

Gary RVRoamer · 06-24-2016, 03:37 PM

A can of the inflatable tire repair goo, e.g. Slime, might slow it down somemore. Might need a couple cans in a big tire with a big gap.

Shop Slime 16-oz Aerosol Tire Repair Sealant at Lowes.com

If you are religious about checking the pressure frequently and have the means to add as needed while you travel, I see no major risk in driving on a slow leak. If you are the type that means well but then forgets, best not to try it.

slickest1 · 06-24-2016, 04:43 PM

I would fill it up and drive it to a tire repair shop. If it is a slow leak it wont leak out that much. If it leaking more then stop and top it off.
I have done this many times with a leaky tire and never had a problem.

TQ60 · 06-24-2016, 09:44 PM

Check insurance first.

If rim is toast order one from amazon or ??? Then have a mobile tire guy install it.

Roadside service insurance may cover some or all.

Darwin · 06-24-2016, 09:45 PM

You don't indicate what type of rv. If MH with duals I would drive it to a shop. If travel trailer I would think about removing the wheel and take it to a shop if it is not a lot of trouble to remove. Either way a slow leak and check regularly I would drive to shop.

dano50 · 06-25-2016, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gruelens

Sorry to read of your misfortune. Do you have a road side assistance plan? Do you have the tools to safely remove the rim from the RV? How slow is the air leak? A bit more info and the group will surely advise you.

Thank you. I do have a roadside assistance plan, but they said to contact insurance as it would be considered an accident. I don't have the tools to remove the rim from the RV. It has leaked down to 60lbs from 95lbs but may have stopped there because it is now on the jacks for the weekend. I did some research today and have ordered a new rim and new tire which will take 3-4 days to arrive.

It is a 2016 Monaco Diplomat with a tag axle. The affected wheel is the right side dually. The tires have about 9,000 miles on them and the coach is 5 months old.

dano50 · 06-25-2016, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichR

Is this a steel rim? If so you can take a hammer and hammer it back close to normal, I have done this a few times 4 wheeling. If not steel, good luck!

No such luck. It is aluminum.

dano50 · 06-25-2016, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 530ktm

I am guessing you have aluminum wheels so you probably will not be able to whack it with a hammer and bend it back. Kind of depends on how slow the leak is. If it is losing 5 lbs in an hour or so then I might be inclined to drive on it slowly to a repair place but if it is faster than that then I would be looking for a way to replace the wheel now rather than drive on it. Bummer this happened but at least you don't need a new tire along with an expensive wheel.

It is losing air a little faster than that. It is actually parked at the campsite for the weekend and the jacks are down so the air loss has stopped at 60lbs. We normally have it at 95lbs for our weight.

We thought we could get away with just the rim, but have been advised there could be damage to the tire that is not obvious. Better safe than sorry. Both are on order and won't be in for 3-4 days. Hoping we can just make a really slow trip back to civilization. It is not in a good place for repairs.

dano50 · 06-25-2016, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slickest1

I would fill it up and drive it to a tire repair shop. If it is a slow leak it wont leak out that much. If it leaking more then stop and top it off.
I have done this many times with a leaky tire and never had a problem.

We were advised not to add air. Have you done this when the air leak was at the wheel rim?

It is the right rear dually and there it also has a tag axle.