About two months ago (~4k miles) I had new tires put on in the rear. BTW, I have the OEM 19's and the new tires were Bridgestone Potenzas, same as stock. Yesterday, after the tire pressure light came on I checked the tires and found the right passenger side to be at 25 psi. I filled it to ~45 psi cold, and went about my business. Later that day, I had the same issue. I checked the tire for any obvious foreign object damage (nails, glass etc.), checked the rim for cracks/scrapes/dents, but couldn't find anything. I filled the tire again which brings us to this morning, where once again the pressure had fallen.

Each time after I put air into the tire, I went for a drive and checked the pressure afterwards. The pressure was a tad higher, but that is expected when going from cold to hot conditions. It seems like the tire waits for me to let it out of my sight before it loses pressure

My question(s) for everyone is(are) this: Have you ever experienced a slow leak in the G? Have you ever had problems with a defective valve stem? If there is a small leak, will products like fix-a-flat work with such a large high performance tire? Are there alternative repair methods that could be used?

My last thought is this problem may be related to driving on a highway (I-270 for those of you in MD) that is being repaved lane by lane. On a car with a larger sidewall, I wouldn't be hesitant to change lanes. But in the G with 19's, I wonder if the ~2" height difference between lanes creates a problem. Still doesn't explain why it's only on one tire though *sigh*...

I appreciate everyone's input on this one. Thanks for reading my essay (just wanted to be thorough ).

 

You probably got a nail, and the nail fell out. When I had that problem, I took the wheel off, filled it with air, and used a garden hose on the tire. I quickly found where the leak was.

As far as changing lanes when lanes are repaved lane by lane... I never change lanes on those, unless I'm "stepping-down" from the new pavement to the old. If it means I have to pass the exit, I pass the exit. Around these parts, that's pretty rare. They almost always pave the left lane first, and work their way right.

 

correct me if I'm wrong.... but isn't 45psi way too high?

 

Do u use the same wheels during winter ???? I had this problem with my old car ....the leak is from the centre where the tires and rims meet...how old is ur wheel ??? due to corrosion and other built up materials along the edges of the rims ...theres an uneven meet this causes the wheels to leak....try taking the wheels out and submerging it under water ..see where the bubbels r coming out from .....or spray ur tires with water and see any signs of bubbles....

 

The maximum pressure as listed on the sidewall is 51 psi. In the manual, or the door frame, Infiniti has recommended pressures for the front and rear. The pressures recommended by Infiniti are lower, which makes for a smoother ride. I feel like the car handles better with a stiffer tire, and it also slightly improves gas mileage.

AVS007 - If I find where the leak is coming from, what can be done to repair the tire? These tires have 4K miles on them, and I don't want to spend another $240 to replace one

Gline - I'll drive the car in winter, as long as it isn't snowing/sleeting. 19" summer tires don't seem to like that kind of weather The place where I had the tires put on submerges each rim after they put a new tire on. So I would be less likely to blame corrosion in this case because it would've had to developed in the past couple months, which have been nice and warm.

Again, thanks for your help!

 

Update:
I just spoke with a friend of mine who repaired a small leak on his wife's RX-7.

"You can go to Walmart and get a tire repair kit. Basically, you find the hole and ream it out with this t-handle reamer. Then, you cram a tube of rubber that is coated with glue into the hole so it folds over itself. Then, you cut some of the excess."

I'll probably try to do this early this week. I'll post an update when the work is done.

 

a leak can be fixed, no big deal. a leak could be due to several conditions, such as: leaking valve stem, incorrect tire fitment on rim, faulty tire, hole in tire.
any decent tire shop will be able to troubleshoot the problem and come up with a solution.
i wouldn't recommend a walmart kit. the proper way to patch a tire is from the inside, not by cramming in some goo. the goo will affect the tire's balance meaning you'd need a re-balance of that tire.
take it back to the place you bought the tires from, most places will offer free/discounted repairs or warranty work

 

1. Take the wheel off
2. Get bucket of soapy water
3. Apply to bead on rim (front and back)
4. watch for bubbles
5. Try valve stem
6. watch for bubbles
7. stand tire upright
8. apply to tread in small sections at a time until you have gone around (360')
9. watch for bubbles as you go around
10. Mark leak and bring it to a garage (you can use sidewalk chalk to mark it)
If you don't have kids beat up the neighbors and steal their chalk J/K
See.........wasn't that easy and cheap? Sounds like a girl I use to date.