Visit our Popular Forums

HowieE · 08-12-2008, 12:24 PM

After the second valve stem failure on my daughters trailer I looked at the other 3. They were about ready to fail.

When I went into the tire store they advised me that most of the stems supplied on new trailer in 05 to 07 were supplied by a new manufacture in China and they are failing at a very fast rate.

If you have a trailer manufactured in that period check the valve stems. If they are going bad a split will be apparent at the base of the stem as you bend the stem to one side. Don't bend it too much or it will fall off in your hand.

purman · 08-12-2008, 12:30 PM

It's getting hard to not find stuff made in China... I try not to buy to much stuff a wally world especially toys, there just plastic junk... But even the small toys stores have stuff made in China.... I read the only part on a John Deer tractor made in the USA is the paint... I have a Japanese motor in mine..

I think I would rather pay more for something made right the first time... And made in america doesn't always mean better either....

But China,,, It all seems to fall apart faster....

crispyboy · 08-12-2008, 02:37 PM

A friend of mine purchased a new mustang last year. This year we noticed that all the valve stems were dry rotted. I have never experienced this before. More of the same junk I suppose.....

easyride · 08-12-2008, 02:48 PM

Yeah but it~s cheap

48-remi · 08-12-2008, 09:05 PM

Hi,

I suggest you switch to the steel valves used on HD wheels. This is what I have on my motorhome. The tire dealer put new ones on when I bought my new tires.

Remi
2002 Airstream L/Y 30, 2006 Vibe (towed) and 2004 Miata (toy)

lewster · 08-12-2008, 10:07 PM

AGREED!

Metal valve stems should be used on any tires that inflate to 50 PSI or more. In fact, it's not a bad idea to use them on ANY tire.....I have them on my Sprinter, my CCD, my work trailer and my motorcycle........Hell, even my bicycles use metal valve stems. There's a pattern developing here

juel · 08-12-2008, 11:42 PM

Got a notice from Discount Tires that I needed to bring my pickup in because the valve stems installed last year are beginning to fail and they will replace them. Since I traded in that truck for the new Ford, I hope whoever has it isn't in for lots of trouble. I am getting the feeling that China thinks the rest of the world is a sandwich short of a picnic. And now with some of the tricks they are pulling in the Olympics, who do they think they are fooling?

wahoonc · 08-13-2008, 02:55 AM

We have had a bunch of those too. We do what Lewster does and replace them with the high pressure metal ones.

FWIW some of the Chinese plants are capable of producing a quality product. What is driving the problem stuff is companies cutting corners to provide the cheap price consumers demand while at the same time maximizing profits. Unfortunately it is a slippery slope and we have been heading downwards for a long time.

Aaron

halimer · 08-13-2008, 05:21 AM

Back in June 2003 I had tires installed at Costco. They used metal reinforced rubber valve stems. I have had to replace all of them due to cracking (3 separate incidents). Costco paid the freight due to the fact I was not near a Costco when they failed. Luckily, I was not driving when they failed. I had the solid metal ones installed. You still have to keep an eye on the rubber 'O' rings used on the metal stems. They can dry out and leak.

Over59 · 08-13-2008, 07:46 AM

I have them on all tires. The dealer (local guy been doing it for years not big chain tires R us) tried to talk me out of spending the money and I think it's a a little extra work for his guys but did what I wanted. One less thing to go wrong out on the road, car, trucks, or trailers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewster

AGREED!

Metal valve stems should be used on any tires that inflate to 50 PSI or more. In fact, it's not a bad idea to use them on ANY tire.....I have them on my Sprinter, my CCD, my work trailer and my motorcycle........Hell, even my bicycles use metal valve stems. There's a pattern developing here

doorgunner · 08-13-2008, 08:38 AM

MY pet peeve

I used to sell these things some time ago, Dill and Schraeder were the top U.S. made products. Then the chinese hit the market, all kinds of quality problems, lots on the alcoa and truck steel wheel valve hardware, At that time TR-413's were being sold to tire dealers for $80/box of 500.
Then as quality improved the big U.S. valve suppliers started using "junk" hardware to stay in the ball park.What a shame.
I could rant even more but that would probably tweak some of those that read here.
So the chinese have it figured out , use the USA as their toxic waste dump, incorporate it into everything they export to the good old USA.
The sad part is when one of these valves lets go YOU have an immediate problem on your hands, most noteably at freeway speeds.

richinny · 08-13-2008, 10:10 AM

we buy new tires, from china, with new valves, made in china.
the valves go bad ruining the tire.
we buy new tires, from china, with new valves, made in china.

we buy new tires, from china, with new valves, made in china.
the valves go bad ruining the tire.
we buy new tires, from china, with new valves, made in china.

treadmill anyone?

345bill · 08-13-2008, 12:34 PM

Last December we purchased eight new tires, valve stems, ect. for the MH thinking all is well. I checked tire pressure last Friday and found one outside rear with only 8 psi. The tire dealer checked it and reported a failed valve stem, which they replaced. I'll sure keep a closer eye on the rest of them after reading this.

halimer · 08-13-2008, 02:58 PM

Found this article via Tour of America concerning a valve stem recall.

Distributor recalls 6 million Chinese-made tire valve stems

Distributor recalls 6 million Chinese-made tire valve stems
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- A distributor of Chinese-made tire valve stems has agreed to recall 6 million valve stems, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Tech International, a Johnstown, Ohio-based distributor of the Chinese-made parts, announced a recall of 6 million TR413 model valve stems, offering free replacements and to pay for any tire damage caused by the defective part, according to a June 2 letter made public on NHTSA's Web site.
But Tech International doesn't know who actually owns tires with the recalled tire valve stems and said it believes just 8,600 of the stems -- or less than 1 percent -- are defective. The valves are manufactured by Shanghai Baolong Industries Co.
Advertisement

"Tech International does not know the identity of any end-users of the TR413 valves and has no realistic method of determining the identity of such individuals. Furthermore, there is no realistic method for Tech International to identify the production dates of any specific TR413 valves," the company said in its letter to NHTSA.
The distributor will notify tire retailers of the recall.
The Chinese manufacturer conducted tests that showed that no valve stem produced after November 2006 was faulty, Tech International said.
In its recall notice, Tech International said that the stems could crack and tires could gradually lose pressure after they had been in use for more than six months. It said it first received notice of "a small number of potential valve stem failures" from a distributor in January.
Safety advocates on Thursday urged motorists to inspect their valve stems for cracks and to check tire pressure.
"Air loss at highway speeds may result in a tire failure and loss-of-control crash," said Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategies.
He said it was questionable whether Tech's estimate of 8,600 faulty valve stems was accurate.
A lawyer for Tech International didn't return a phone call seeking comment.
In a separate move, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary investigation into another 30 million Chinese-made "snap-in" tire valve stems in the wake of a Nov. 11 fatal crash. Those valve stems may have come out of the same Chinese factory that made the recalled vales stems distributed by Tech International, safety advocates said.
NHTSA's investigation follows the death of Robert Monk of Orlando, Fla., who was killed when the right rear tire of his 1998 Ford Explorer failed, triggering a rollover crash.
Kane said the tire failure has been linked to a cracked a Dill TR413 valve stem manufactured by Topseal, a subsidiary of Shanghai Baolong Dill Air Control Products, LLC.
In March, the Monk family filed suit against North Carolina-based Dill Air Control Products, alleging that the defective tire valve stem caused the crash.
"The Monk family wants to get the message out there to ensure that no one else is hurt," said Richard Newsome, an attorney with the Newsome Law Firm in Orlando, Fla.
On April 30, after receiving notice of the Monk crash, Dill officials met with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to discuss the problem.
On May 2, Dill sent a Technical Bulletin to major tire retailers advising them that the company had received complaints of surface cracks appearing on the outside of the rubber near the rim hole in several models.
"When the rubber is exposed to high levels of ozone as it is being stressed, surface cracks can appear. High speeds and an unsupportive rim profile allow the rubber valve to flex at a greater angle and may cause these cracks to propagate, leading to a slow leak of air," the bulletin said.
Dill officials told NHTSA that valves -- made from July 2006 to November 2006 -- may leak from cracks caused by ozone exposure.
Brian Rigney, general manager at Dill, didn't return a call seeking comment.
You can reach David Shepardson at (202) 662 - 8735 or dshepardson@detnews.com.

Roadtoaster · 08-23-2008, 07:33 PM

Couple of months ago I had a flat due to a failed stem. Didn't think too much about it until I read this post. After inspecting all stems, two more were looking poorly. Had them all changed today, including the spare. I really don't like changing a tire on a busy interstate.

Tarheel · 08-23-2008, 07:53 PM

I had to replace all the valve stems in my 2006 Dodge same reason

TBRich · 08-23-2008, 08:55 PM

Are these vale stems marked with a code/number or anything so you can tell if they are part of the recall? I went to the article about it but it's not longer available. We have rubber valve stems now, but will switch to "high pressure" stems when we get new tires (or replace them for some other reason)...

And just when I had just about run out of things to worry about!

Roadtoaster · 08-24-2008, 08:52 PM

I have no idea if they can be identified or not. The tire folks pitched the bad ones and I did not look beyond the cracked area when I decided to replace.

lewster · 08-24-2008, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBRich

Are these vale stems marked with a code/number or anything so you can tell if they are part of the recall? I went to the article about it but it's not longer available. We have rubber valve stems now, but will switch to "high pressure" stems when we get new tires (or replace them for some other reason)...

And just when I had just about run out of things to worry about!

Terry,

I would replace them all rather than worry if you have bad ones and when they will fail. BTW, if you decide to replace them, go with all metal valve stems......just to be on the safe side. They're all I use on all of my tires.

TBRich · 08-24-2008, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewster

Terry,

I would replace them all rather than worry if you have bad ones and when they will fail. BTW, if you decide to replace them, go with all metal valve stems......just to be on the safe side. They're all I use on all of my tires.

Thanks for the advice, Lew...I'll look into doing this at our AS dealer...I'm really leery of anyone not familiar with Airstreams jacking up the Bambi. Or maybe I should just jack it up myself, take the tires (one at a time, of course) to a tire place and have them remounted with metal valve stems. That should kill a day....but then I'd have exprience jacking the little bugger up, at least!