Newbie here..
My tires are losing air. Long story short, I replaced my tires on my 2005 G35 Coupe about 9 months ago. I purchased Michelin Pilot Super Sport 225/40ZR19 for the front and 245/40ZR19 for the rear at American Tire to match my previous set. The wheels are OEM Chrome. About 3 months ago I noticed the left front had a slow leak. Took the car back to American Tire, they indicate they leak is due to the chrome rims. Apparently the chrome wears off at the bead and over time causes the leak. In other words, it’s not the tire or the install that’s causing the problems, it’s the OEM Wheels.
Now, I’m starting to notice slow air pressure loss in all four tires! I’ve owned this car for 4 years and never had this problem with the previous tires. I’ve tried to search this site for similar issues but could not find any.
So, the question is, is there an historical issue with the chrome OEM rims? Is my tire monkey taking me for a ride? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Rick

Below is a picture of the rims.

 

something sounds awry.....Rims are bent or you have a bad install. of course keep in mind, Im sure you, like me (and im lying of course) have NEVER hit a curb and parallel park my car perfect EVERY time so it couldn't possibly be you bent the rims

 

A quality tire store would bring your tire pressure up and put them in a water barrel so they can find where they're leaking. Even the smallest leak will show up under water! I just installed a new set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports myself, made sure the UPC stickers were removed from the tire lip before I installed them....stickers on your tires or wheels will cause your tires to leak!
Gary

 

Don't think rims are bent, I believe that would have shown up during balancing. Hmm, I've never hit a curb. lying...) And would understand that if it was only one tire losing air.
I did notice while the tires were off that under the bead, there was an occaisonal "Bump" on the inside of the rim, perhaps something from the manufacturing process of the rims. I wish I had a picture. I will do the water test soon, that always works..
The tire monkey really wanted me to buy new rims. He said all chrome rims have the same problem.
Perhaps I'll hit another installer and get a second opinion...
Thanks guys for your quick responses. This is a great forum.

 

Your tire guy is a complete tool, pun definitely intended. I have run chrome rims on different cars for years including 2 different sets on my G and his assertion that "all chrome rims have the same problem" is so much BS I want to find out where this idiot is and punch him in the face.

Do your due diligence and find out where the leak is truly coming from and go from there. I'd never go back to said azzhat ever again.

 

Lol

Although, I think I know where this guy is coming from. I had the same issue with OEM chromes and I did a little research. Apparently, depending on the quality of the job in plating the chrome to the wheels, corrosion over time from the inside does cause the chrome to leak (just google it!) The only solution is to re-plate the wheels. I decided it wasn't worth the money/hassle and just bought different rims from TireRack.

Good luck!

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but were the 19" Rays ever offered in chrome from the factory? I always thought they were only the hyper coated silver finish?

Every chrome 19" rays wheel I've seen has been due to an aftermarket, post factory delivery, process.

I only bring this up because I have seen a situation where an aftermarket plated wheel leaked at the bead because of the plating interfering with creating a good bead seal.

You can mix a soapy solution in a spray bottle and spray down the wheel and check for bubbles. This method works VERY well for detecting slow leaks. Go slow, spray and look for tiny fizzing bubbles.

 

The coupe 18s and 19s were offered in chrome from the factory but both were a pretty rare option. A lot of the G wheels could be had in chrome but not many people took advantage of that option.

 

Such a shame. Very nice looking wheel

 

Another option is to have them refinished or powdercoated by a good wheel shop and ensure a clean bead and straightened/rebalanced wheel.

 

All this advice over using chromed wheels and how bad they are is nonsense! He needs to follow my advice and find where the tires are leaking! I know for a fact that the installer wasn't smart enough to remove the UPC stickers. The inside lips of the wheels need to be checked if that's where the leak is, simple sanding should allow the wheels to maintain air pressure. This isn't rocket science, but you need to eliminate the cause!
Gary

 

Great responses guys! I had know idea I had such rare chrome wheels! Thanks again for your knowledge and help. this is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I'll keep everybody posted as to the ultimate solution and I promise to use this site more often!

Rick

 

It's not out of the realm of possibility, but probably isn't the issue. Did they dunk tank the tire/wheel to see where the air is escaping? That would prove where the leak is. May want to check valve stems also.