General Broke the bead on tire

[Michaelsfiat]

My wife has a tendency with her car 2013 Fiat 500 Sport to run into curbs resulting in curb rash (BIG TIME!) tire size 195/45/16
Infact she curb rashed the drivers side so much it upset the bead (seal) on the tire and now its flat!
Luckly I have 16” Fiat spare steel wheel I put on the driver side same size 195/45/16
Knowing I would need spare some day and that day has come
Before I go the tire shop I tried to fill the tire to no avail it kept leaking obviously the bead is broken
I have photos of the rim and will the tire shop able reinstall the tire?
I don’t know if you tell by the photos!
Next step CURB FEELERS for her car

 

[porta]

Have you got a compressor and a copper or leather hammer?
If so, try some washing up liquid all round the rim where it meets the tyre. Let it soak in for a few minutes and try inflating the tyre to it’s correct psi and see if it reseals the tyre.
If that doesn’t work, and there’s an obvious crack/fracture, which will be obvious as there’ll be bubbling from the washing up liquid…then don’t do anything, it’s ‘fuhbahed’
But if it’s just not seated, again, obvious from bubbling, deflate tyre and a few taps with either of the soft hammers may reseat it. Then try reinflating again.
Wheels can be refinished if beyond home repair, but worth a try

 

[Michaelsfiat]

Thank you
I have 2 compressors and got rubber mallet but no leather mallet
I think I got a copper mallet
But I”ll try the dishwasher soap first and see if works before I start hammering lol
I really considering the curb feelers and fixing the wheels with a little bondo lots of sanding and some black paint

 

[porta]

Rubber mallet is fine
Bondo’s not much good on wheels

 

[Michaelsfiat]

Well there must be some type of filler I could use
I remember using bondo and red putty on Mazda Miata wheel and got it sanded and painted with a rattle can of some Mazda wheel paint and it matched perfectly

 

[portland_bill]

The impact could have just unseated it, or the rim might be damaged preventing a seal. Difficult to see from the pics, all a little dark in there.

Sharp edges from the kerbing could puncture the tyre, or gently chafe at it. Probably a good idea to let a tyre shop have a look. Wheel may well clean up with a file once the tyre is off. If it has taken an impact enough to unseat it, it may have sustained internal damage, which will not show, but may develop, and go pop some time later. If it's had a good bump, safer to scrap it.

 

[Michaelsfiat]

I understand exactly what your getting at Bill
I keep thinking I want to mess with wheel/tire myself but I then I think to my self I should get a used or new wheel and hell to with it at least I know it will work
I did try to fill it with air and it was leaking (didn’t use soap) just tried to push it place a number of times but it didn’t work
The cheapest (same) 16” wheel I saw was about $140 for a reconditioned one on ebay
Maybe I’ll try a junkyard around here but I’ll have to sure the wheel is straight and true
Then I am definitely fitting the car with curb feelers like a 1950s American cars!!
So at least my wife is retiring on July 12 2023 so no more going through bank drive thrus!

 

[Michaelsfiat]

Been checking a new wheel it ranges in price from $149 to $312
$149 for unblemished take off at 500 Madness and I think I maybe I will be able to trade in the old wheel to 500 Madness making it cheaper
I not sure I will have to call on Monday and see
Ironically I checked on getting a set of all 4 aftermarket alloy wheels from $400 - $500 cheapest being 4x100 bolt pattern rather than Fiat 4x98 bolt pattern
I saw a set of wheels going for $89 per wheel in 4x100-16inch
I guess I could get a set of 4x100 bolt pattern and use wobble bolts and centric rings
Any comments?

 

[portland_bill]

The thought of 'wobble bolts' I find quite worrying. Your wheels, (or in this case, your wife's) are your contact with the road. They take all the driving, braking and cornering forces, and need to be secure. The Fiat engineers have spent time designing the location, to work with the car, and remain safe. Throwing a bodge at it is unlikely to ever be as good. It may work, it may threaten your life, or anything in between.

The wheels have a centre hole, which should be a snug fit onto the hub. This takes a lot of the support forces. Any replacement wheel should have the correct size centre hole, otherwise you are relying entirely on the bolts.

Do Fiat supply any models with steel wheels in your country? They would fit properly, and tolerate a lot more kerbing.

 

[porta]

The thought of 'wobble bolts' I find quite worrying. Your wheels, (or in this case, your wife's) are your contact with the road. They take all the driving, braking and cornering forces, and need to be secure. The Fiat engineers have spent time designing the location, to work with the car, and remain safe. Throwing a bodge at it is unlikely to ever be as good. It may work, it may threaten your life, or anything in between.

The wheels have a centre hole, which should be a snug fit onto the hub. This takes a lot of the support forces. Any replacement wheel should have the correct size centre hole, otherwise you are relying entirely on the bolts.

Do Fiat supply any models with steel wheels in your country? They would fit properly, and tolerate a lot more kerbing.

I agree with bill, wobble bolts just a step too far, particularly with alloys…the prices you quote for wheels are very competitive compared to what we in the UK pay

 

[Michaelsfiat]

Porta and Bill
Are saying wheels are more or less in Britian?
Also I have to agree with your comments on the 4x100 wheels
But with centric rings the wheel would not held on with bolts alone it would actual fit fit on the hub
But I guess its still questionable!
It just seems there are lot more wheels made 4x100 than 4x98!
I have a 16 inch steel wheel with 195/45/16 tire on there now that I bought about a year ago to use as a spare…good thing!
But talk about a weight difference it must weigh 4x more than the original alloy
I put on the front driver side (opposite of you guys) front left I guess you would say

I actually had trouble getting it on the hub I got all out of breath (it doesn’t help it ls 90 degrees in Florida)
I see they make a guide pin to help mount the wheel on 500 Madness website
And the steel wheel pulls to the left so the faster I get this straightened out the better
I have an appointment with tire shop tomorrow maybe the rims ok
and can they reset the bead
I tried and I could not get it hold air
So we’ll see what happens!

 

[porta]

Wheels more expensive here!

 

[Michaelsfiat]

Upon closer inspection I found a hole in the tire a little bit higher than the rim
So I ordered a tire to match the ones on the car
Should get it in one or 2 days
Then I will to go to tire shop and see if it seals on the wheel
I will clean up the wheel in the mean time
If it doesn’t work on the wheel I will order a used or new wheel and put the tire on it
And drive it if theres still a problem I’ll have the front end looked at to see if anythings out of whack and get it aligned
Then as I said before I will install curb feelers!!

 

[AndyRKett]

Upon closer inspection I found a hole in the tire a little bit higher than the rim

I had only just seen this, I was going to suggest reading through everything above that kerbed wheels do not tend to cause punctures but if you go into the kerb and then roll off it its possible to pinch the tyre between the wheel and the kerb and puncture it that way. sounds like that maybe what has happened.

You can get filler for alloy wheels. It is made of stronger stuff than normal bondo, needs a lot more effort when sanding, but won't go flying off the wheel at speed as bondo on a wheel could potentially do if it broke up.

Just search the net for alloy wheel filler.
The main issue with your wheels is they look like they are diamond cut faces so once filled you may have to make the decision to paint the whole wheel one colour to then not see the filler around the edges, and cover up the bare alloy (normally just lacquered over the bare metal on diamond cut wheels.

 

[Michaelsfiat]

Andy
Well today I had the new tire put on
And surprisingly it seems fine!
Dodged a bullet on that one!
No bends-no leaks
I did sand down the gouges on the wheel before I got the tire put on the wheel
I decided on painting the whole wheel BLACK!
Or silver to match the car

That way I be able to touch them up
Because before long they be mess all over again!!

Yes I will do a search for wheel filler rather than bondo and see what can come up with
When I find something I’ll put on the post

 

[Michaelsfiat]

There are plenty of alloy wheel fillers on the market
Isopon alloy wheel filler and
JB Weld seem to good wheel fillers
I will go with one of them!