Help With Dual Rear Wheel Valve Stem Access

Gizmo1137 · 10-16-2023, 04:07 PM

So we just picked up our Vita 24P on the Mercedes chassis and as I was familiarizing myself with it, I noticed the valve stems on the rear wheels are impossible to access but I can barely see them. Part of the problem is the tiny holes in the wheels, so much so it took forever to unscrew the vale stem cover on the front wheels. Another problem on one dual rear wheel is the tiny holes on the outer wheel do not line up with those on the rear, so impossible to insert a tire gauge or air pressure chuck in straight.

The immediate obvious solution is to install extensions, but having been told by the tire business who replaced tires on a dually I use to own that because of hazard, safety and air leak issues he refused to install them. While it makes me nervous, if this is the only viable solution I would consider it.

Any suggestions, I would appreciate and gratefully received.

**creativepart** · 10-16-2023, 05:15 PM

The solution is solid extensions that require you to dismount the dually tire and install a solid extended valve stem in place of the standard valve stems.

Like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Dually-Valve-.../dp/B07WFY9QYF

Morich · 10-16-2023, 05:27 PM

Tires and dealing with them are a wide subject with many options to consider, so just think of this as my idea?

For most of us , we feel we have a lot of money invested in the Rv and we also don't want to kill ourselves!
For many of us, that 2+2 means we are willing to go pretty far to get better use of the RV and be safer at the same time.

For me and mine, I feel there is no better investment than adding tire pressure monitoring (TPMS) to the RV.
If it costs a $100 or even 200, I'm okay with that after seeing what happens when we don't! Four tires on a car, the TPMS is good as it catches tires getting low in time to fix the problem. On an RV and especially with duals, it is the ONLY way to get that info full time, every time we drive and every mile we drive!

Buy the right setup and it will let you set alarms and give you the pressure and temp of every tire, including the ones inside where you can't see them!
Checking every stop is where a lot of folks think they are good enough but we all know that we can check the tires and drive a half block and run over something that will then blow out as soon as you hit the highway.

This is not a sales pitch and I have no specific brand, etc. to sell you but I will never drive an RV without putting monitors on all wheels. That finally comes around to suggesting you do the full job and add extensions or whatever is needed to mount the type of wheel sensor you choose. Do it all at the same time (after shopping) and you only have to do it once and it also means the tires can be aired with normal tire chucks and far less hassle than stopping to get out the air gauge every time you pass a station.

My final choice was going with braided flexible extenders that let me mount the sensors securely on the wheel covers. I'm willing to go with the idea that the extensions do add another joint in the chain but I'm okay if it tells me when it begins to leak!
I do not go with anybody and the sales pitch but look at what the pro drivers have on their trucks and I see TPMS!

Gizmo1137 · 10-16-2023, 05:38 PM

Yes I believe in and have had TPMS, before but as it stands now there is no room to screw the sensors on.

Morich · 10-17-2023, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gizmo1137

Yes I believe in and have had TPMS, before but as it stands now there is no room to screw the sensors on.

Yes, that is where we found ourselves also.
We tried several different solid stems models and none were correct for our wheels, so I found the flexible to be about the only way to go to get the correct shape to allow me to place them where I could be feel they were solid enough not to swing too much and cause fatigue failures and also be able to unscrew to add air when if it was needed.

I know that the torgue of a spinning wheel sensor, even an inch out from the wheel is going to be huge, so I wanted it mounted quite solidly.
I have fat hands and knew I did not want to try to force my hands into the holes on the wheels but have the sensor mounted out where I could reach it.

My solution went against the idea of not using extensions, so putting them on and using a bit of Loc-tite on the threads was one way to feel better about them coming loose. As a small point, I did make sure to keep it out of the areas where the valve sets as I did not want that sealed tight!

My garage is full of stuff I rarely use any more but the DIY gene is strong, so I cut and fashioned el brackets of aluminum angle stock to pop rivet to the thin wheel simulators of our RV. I suspect their are brackets to mount them somewhere to be ordered but I was more willing to make them than search for where to buy them!
Lots of ways to skin the cat? Old saying which seemed to fit!

EDIT? One small advantage of the outside, easy to reach mounting? When selling and the new owner, "did not trust that new stuff"?
I took the sensors off and sold the system for $50!
Happy to make them happy!

Gizmo1137 · 10-17-2023, 12:49 PM

Thank you for your input. As I read and responding I am having flexible braided extensions. So solves my problem and now will feel comfortable getting a TPMS.

reeman · 10-17-2023, 03:11 PM

If you need to reach in and put too much torque on the inner stem this problem can easily cause early valve stem failures. Duals all have this issue. Poorly installed cheap valve stem extensions can be problematic because they are difficult to secure and will create wiggles while spinning and bounce as the tires spin and hit bumps.

When I was running duals years ago a simple pair of long bent nose pliers with tape on the tips to stop them from wounding the stems helped me avoid the problem of causing inner stem failure on the busses and dumps that I ran.

Pushing far too hard on stems with either a gauge or air inflation extension fitting is not a good idea at all and can easily cause stem leaks and out right failures resulting in instant flats or worse dreaded slow leaks from the stems! Stem bases and valves are the first place any trucker should look for slow leaks, same applies to all tire installs in my experience.

thataway4 · 10-22-2023, 04:42 PM

I had a somewhat related problem on a trip I just finished. I had a slow leak on the passenger side inner dually tire. It has one of the very long valve stems in it and centered with a rubber device on the center of the "small hole in the rims". This very slow leak turned into an almost immediate leak--and I found that the long valve stem had rubbed on the outer wheel's side of the "small hole" so that there was a cut in the brass long valve stem which was about. half the diameter of the tubing! I will be off to the commercial RV/Truck tire shop who installed this several years ago says. I had this long valve stem because of the issue with putting the TPMS sensor on the rear wheels. It is possible that the weight of the external TPMS may have contributed to this abrasion. I wll be looking at other wheels, and their stems. I would advise anyone who has the long stems to do the same.

MDJDCarter · 10-22-2023, 07:00 PM

I had a leak that went flat and went to truck tire shop for repair, etc. It was the LRO tire and a label had worked its way between the tire and the rim. Shop had never seen this before. So, the tire and rim were both OK. I asked them to put the braided extensions on, but they advised against that because the extensions were stainless and my Rims are aluminum. All 6 valve stems are extra long and all metal. I have to use a 2 headed chuck to add air and this type of chuck is a rarity at truck stops and gas stations. I bought a Ryobi battery powered compressor for topping off each morning if needed before we hit the road and I use my chuck which fits. I tried the extensions that are solid and curved. They leaked immediately and were worthless. I tried several TPMS systems. One problem was was not all sensors would fit in the Rims. I also dislike the monitors. Most show a 4 wheel vehicle pulling a trailer. I never found one that showed a dually configuration. I finally settled on a Hieha system that is adequate, but really lacks instructions. When I need new tires, I will also get TPMS with internal sensors at the same time as well as make sure the valve stems are all new, rigid, and easy to get to. As important as tire care and proper inflation can be, it irks me that the manufacturers don't automatically include a TPMS with internal sensors, etc. It also irks me that they would sell a dually and have some of the valve stems inaccessible. When someone is willing to pay $100K+ for their rig, another $500 for a top notch monitoring system is nothing. I have a Mercedes auto and with the push of a couple of buttons on my steering wheel, I can see the pressure in all 4 tires on the display in front of me. If the pressure in 1 tire goes out of range, the car automatically alerts, shows all 4 tires and the offender is highlighted in red. Take note Winnebago, this is a very important safety issue. We need to know tire pressures in real time and we must have access to the valve stems.

bigb · 10-22-2023, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thataway4

I had a somewhat related problem on a trip I just finished. I had a slow leak on the passenger side inner dually tire. It has one of the very long valve stems in it and centered with a rubber device on the center of the "small hole in the rims". This very slow leak turned into an almost immediate leak--and I found that the long valve stem had rubbed on the outer wheel's side of the "small hole" so that there was a cut in the brass long valve stem which was about. half the diameter of the tubing! I will be off to the commercial RV/Truck tire shop who installed this several years ago says. I had this long valve stem because of the issue with putting the TPMS sensor on the rear wheels. It is possible that the weight of the external TPMS may have contributed to this abrasion. I wll be looking at other wheels, and their stems. I would advise anyone who has the long stems to do the same.

Was the stem not surrounded by rubber and touching metal to metal?

Morich · 10-22-2023, 08:00 PM

This brings a point that we all should know and be ready to deal with it as it shows up.
There are very few things which can be so well designed that it can't be screwed up by the folks who work with it!
Take a look at the Smithsonian Channel group of shows called "aircraft disasters" to see how even the smallest thing combined with other small things can ruin even the best plans!
When a burned out light bulb on the landing gear can crash an airliner down in the Everglades, we might as well admit we will never have something as cheap as an RV that is bullet proof!

RayJorg · 10-23-2023, 09:35 AM

I had a similar isssue with my Sprinter based View, and had 3 failed installation attempts by the local RV dealer and a local truck repair shop. My advice is to 1)Buy Borg extensions made specifically for your wheel combinations. The ones creativepart posted may or may not be correct. 2)If there's any doubt, buy direct from the factory. 3) Make sure the shop follows the Borg instructions EXACTLY for the right seals to use and the torque specs. My shops thought they knew better, but the stems leaked.
I eventually had to stop at Lichtsinn RV in Iowa (next to the Winni factory) on a trip and have them installed correctly. They are the gold standard experts on everything Winnibago.
4) Install a TPMS system as others have advised, and I suggest you spend the $ and buy a quality system. I bought a $100 cheap system and it didn't even last a year. I now have a TireMinder which works great.

Seymour2Lane · 10-23-2023, 09:52 AM

X2 on the Borg valve stems. I had Les Schwab order and install them all the way around several years ago and have had zero issues. I'm also using an Eez Tire tpms with no issues.
Regards, Mike

Bobn1957 · 10-23-2023, 01:50 PM

I installed the ARB TPMS system with flexible extensions on the inner rear wheels and solid bent extensions on the front, the display shows all the wheels programmed and if you want to see the pressure/temperature you need to scroll through the display! The system works flawlessly and I'm happy with it.

thataway4 · 10-24-2023, 07:14 AM

Caution with long metal valve extensions or primary valve.

I had a somewhat related problem on a trip I just finished. I had a slow leak on the passenger side inner dually tire. It has one of the very long valve stems in it and centered with a rubber device on the center of the "small hole in the inner rims". This very slow leak turned into an immediate leak--and I found that the long valve stem had rubbed on the outer wheel's steel side of the "small hole" so that there was a cut in the brass long valve stem which was about. half the diameter of the tubing! I will be off to the commercial RV/Truck tire shop who installed this several years ago says. I had this long valve stem because of the issue with putting the TPMS sensor on the rear wheels. It is possible that the weight of the external TPMS may have contributed to this abrasion. I wll be looking at other wheels, and their stems. I would advise anyone who has the long stems to do the same.