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MG MGB Technical - Flat tires

I have ture wire wheels with 1 year old Michelins. The tubes are new. I am getting flats on the rear, never the front. When the tire is stripped off the wheel, the tubes have failed on the inner radius.

I assume that when I accellerate hard, the flex in the tire is ripping the tubes? Has anybody ever heard of this? I have had 4 flats. I would like to understand/fix this problem

Any ideas

1965, Ford Type N 5 speed, some engine modes - maybe 100HP
Frank Baker

Frank - Are you using tubes that are specifically for radial tires? If not, they will fail in very short order. the other thing is to mke sure that the inner portion of the wheel is wrapped with tape or a band to cover the nipples for the spokes. My final fix on our car was to convert to alloy wheels. Since we use the MGB as our primary transportation vehicle and do a lot of long distance traveling in it, I got tired of having to fuss with flats. It was particularly bad away from home where most tire shops won't even talk to you if yu have wire wheels. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

I think the innner bands are good, but the tubes may not be for radials - I am not sure. Do you know what the difference is? Are the tubes for radials thinker, or more flexible or???
Frank Baker

Also, are all the spokes nice and tight with smooth heads and no thread showing through the domed nuts? My car has a thick rubber band that runs round the wheel well, specificaly to prevent this. I also agree that for a daily driver I would not use ww.
Stan Best

The wheels are actually 70 spoke Dunlaps (it was a factory race option) I found these and switched from the 60 spoke wheels. They seem very stiff and stable compared to the 60 spoke wheels. They are also very true.

I can not (yet) check the bands inside. I will have the 2 flats from this weekend busted out today or tomorrow. It seems to be ripping them rather than puncturing them (first 2). I think I do this when I drive hard (accellerate hard)

What kind of tape do people use? Duct tape? If there is a problem, I would like to build this up a lot more.

Comment on wire wheels: It is a part of the character of the car. I would not switch away from the wire wheels (becasue it would negitively change the car), but I agree that wire wheels are a pain in the ass
Frank Baker

Frank....
Had the same problem. Couple things you can do to cure this from my experience. 1. Get (specify) tubes for radial tires and 2. Get the tubes an inch smaller than the wheel. Had a tire guy in Woodland Park, CO explain it when they fixed a flat for me. The larger tubes fold over on themselves and the crease creates a rub that eventually creates a hole. The smaller tubes inflate completely eliminating the fold over issue and thus the flats. Haven't had flats for that reason since. I also made sure they had some tire talc in there to hold down the rubbing.
J.T. Bamford

Thanks. Discount tire (one of the very few places that will deal with center hub knock off wire wheels) is busting off the tires today. I gave them the information and I am hoping they will put on the correct tubes

More information later
Frank Baker

If you decide to use duct tape on the rim, be very careful about how you install it. The duct tape must be installed smooth, with no folds or creases. Tape folds or creases will rub the tube and cause flats. Also, make sure that any labels on the inside of the tire are completely removed - they can also rub the tube and cause flats. Good luck.

M. D.

I'm not sure if it's still used, but back in the 'old days' when tubes were the norm we used to use a liberal sprinkling of talc or 'French chalk' inside the tire to help lubricate the tube and prevent chafing. The most common source for this today would probably be an unscented baby powder.
Bill Young

Well, the tires are back on the car. Discount changed people around, so no explanation was included.
Frank Baker


Had the guy at Discount tell me they get it especially for tires and it is a little heavier substance than the baby talc I use on my road bicycle tires. Here's a couple places I saw on the web that appear to have it.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/lgpages/tiretalc.php

http://www.desser.com/accessories.html

J.T. Bamford

Thanks - I nwill run the tires as they were returned to me .... until the next flat.

If Discount Tire actually figured it out - that will be a long time. if they did not - 7 - 10 days, maybe less
Frank Baker

I do not recommend Duct Tape. Go to a plumbing shop and get 2" or wider black pipe tape. It is thicker and smoother.

I wish I had a solution for you. I also have two rims that tended to get flats all the time, and like yours, the tubes had a tear in them. I finally bought new Chrome 70 spoke Dunlops. Have not had a flat since.
BEC Cunha

This thread was discussed between 30/07/2007 and 02/08/2007

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