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OT Auto: New Wheels for Envoy

EPAIII

Diamond
Joined
Nov 23, 2003
Location
Beaumont, TX, USA
My Envoy apparently needs new wheels. I have had a long going air leak in one of the rear tires and I thought I had pinned it down to one of the brand X tires so I replaced both rear tires. But I still have the leak. It goes down in about a month or six weeks. Real slow. I was told that there was rust inside the wheels and even shown it, but I thought my tire swapping routine had eliminated the wheels. But apparently both of them were allowing leaks.

Anyway, I guess I need to replace the wheels. I have zero experience with that and am wondering what to look out for and also how to get a good price while not going too cheap and asking for more problems. I am thinking aluminum, but am open to suggestions.

And should I shop locally or order on the internet?

All ideas and thoughts are welcome.

TIA!
 
Leaking wheels are pretty rare--not something you're going to encounter very often. I would think that
any decent wheel will do the job. Pick something that looks good (to you) and fits your price range and
go for it, Whether you buy local or on the net really depends on what you can find and how much you
want to spend...
 
There are places that buy and sell stock wheels taken off new cars at the dealership when they sell upgrades. I bought a set of new factory Mustang wheels for $100. My guy was in Lakeland Fl, so probably not helpful to you.
 
I agree....look for OEM take-offs. Most aftermarket wheels are poop in one way or the other, even if you pay big $$$.
 
Are you near the coast? that much rust in Texas seems unlikey to me. Is it the wheel leaking or is it the bead seat? Do not limit yourself to Envoy wheels many GM make wheels will fit fine. Just check offsets etc. I would bet some car wheels will bolt up as well.
added on edit:
Turns out you have a real oddball 6 bolt pattern. maybe buy adapter plates and normal 5 bolt wheels like from a Ford. Some of the factory wheel hubs are designed to be drilled for Ford wheel bolts.
Bill D

Saab 9-7x should fit. This suv was made by GM.
 
IME Al wheels often leak, from corrosion under the bead or around the valve stem. Casting porosity is another possibility but i have not personally seen it.

A fix that works most of the time for me is to liberally paint the entire "inside" (area that contacts rubber or pressurized air) of the wheel , and the beads of the tire, with linseed oil, before re-mounting.

It does not make the tire slip, does not eat the rubber, does not make the tire hard to remove, in my experience.
 
IME Al wheels often leak, from corrosion under the bead or around the valve stem. Casting porosity is another possibility but i have not personally seen it.

A fix that works most of the time for me is to liberally paint the entire "inside" (area that contacts rubber or pressurized air) of the wheel , and the beads of the tire, with linseed oil, before re-mounting.

It does not make the tire slip, does not eat the rubber, does not make the tire hard to remove, in my experience.

A buddy of mine used to use the blue gasket sealer on customer cars that had snow tire bead damage from twice a year mounting and removal. This was after obtaining spare wheels for the snow tires to remain on.

I've even repaired peeling chromed wheels by buffing the bead mounting surface with a surface conditioning disk to feather the plating and then painting with aluminum filled enamel (bright aluminum paint).
 
I agree....look for OEM take-offs. Most aftermarket wheels are poop in one way or the other, even if you pay big $$$.
And you know this how, exactly ? The wheel factories I have been in sell to both. We made molds for both. Same quality exactly.

View attachment 336466
View attachment 336467

IME Al wheels often leak, from corrosion under the bead or around the valve stem. Casting porosity is another possibility but i have not personally seen it.
When he said "rust" I assumed steel and shut up, but all the Morris Mags for racing had to be sealed. The aluminum ones were okay but all the mag ones leaked. They all had to be x-rayed too, cuz mag is flaky. But light :)
 
Is there a Belle Tire or similar chain in your area? I'd go there and ask them what your options are and what you can/cannot get. Then go home with that information and shop around.
 
"I agree....look for OEM take-offs. Most aftermarket wheels are poop in one way or the other, even if you pay big $$$.
And you know this how, exactly ? The wheel factories I have been in sell to both. We made molds for both. Same quality exactly."



Most aftermarket wheels of the sort you'll get at the tire store are Chinese-made. Because they are usually made to fit many models, they are therefore lug-centric and not hub-centric. They generally have finishes that are sub-par and there is a good chance the offset will not match the OEM offset, which means you wheels will stick out too far or in too far. The lugs nuts are often different than OEM, too, which means you're playing the lottery on whether you end up with as good a fastener.

Anyone who's ever pulled up next to a 1 year old Mercedes and seen some generic-ass aftermarket wheel knows that.
 
Most aftermarket wheels of the sort you'll get at the tire store are Chinese-made. Because they are usually made to fit many models, they are therefore lug-centric and not hub-centric. They generally have finishes that are sub-par and there is a good chance the offset will not match the OEM offset, which means you wheels will stick out too far or in too far. The lugs nuts are often different than OEM, too, which means you're playing the lottery on whether you end up with as good a fastener.

Anyone who's ever pulled up next to a 1 year old Mercedes and seen some generic-ass aftermarket wheel knows that.
You really are a stupid fuck. ALL of them are mostly made in China. We made molds for Ford and VW. Friends in the south made molds for Ford, GM, Mercedes, and Toyota, as well as aftermarket suppliers. I've been in foundries and factories in Guangdong, Kunshan, Nanjing, and Shanghai where the wheels themselves are made. All same. (Kind of fun to watch, too. Electric arc melt, low pressure counter-casting, diamond tooling, femco wheel lathes, pretty standard.) We even had an interesting trip financed by a bunch of smugglers to look into rolled plate wheels but too iffy for us. The girls were good tho.

What's different is the price. There are lower-tier places that will make junkier stuff for Wheels-R-Us but almost all aluminum wheels, oem or aftermarket, are Made in China.

You are talking out your ass again. No surprise there.
 
Love how liberals roll out the personal attacks when they have no argument, which is always. Every single point I made...you ignored. I don't care if your grandma in Malaysia makes wheels for everyone...that is the oldest and stupidest argument of all time. Guess what? Maybe they make them to different standards and specs, and therein lies the difference.

Take a loss and admit absolute defeat while you still have a shred of dignity. You're sort of the Alec Baldwin/Chris Cuomo mashup of this BB. Don't add Fauci to your credentials.
 
I'd seal the wheels you have. I use Dawn liquid dish soap. 1-2 cups per wheel, depending on how large the wheel and tire are. Anywhere it is seeping out it will dry and seal the leak. Getting wet could make it leak again but it will seal again also.

I agree some of the aftermarket wheels are junk. I've had some good ones and some bad ones.I was pulling out from a stoplight behind a car once, about 100 feet past the light both rear wheels broke the center out on the car in front of me. It sat down on the tires and ruined both quarter panels. If that had happened at high speed it would have been really bad for him and anyone else near by.
 
I'm going to suggest 24" spinners, or the Roman chariot wheels, nothing says success like a pimp daddy ride:D

As for leaking wheels, I have 2 on my box trailer that leak thru the weld. Pulled the tires off a few years ago thinking I would see a rusty pinhole and spot weld it, could not see it, so I tried a a heavy coat of rattle can epoxy on the interior of wheels, it worked on one, but not the other:(, guess I need a new set.
 
Have you tried tire slime? Rim leaks are rare, I got one once, beating the train going over tracks at about 90 mph, I got airborne. It was a good old US mag. Tire went down pretty quick.
 
Your wheels suffer from a rough surface that will not seal at the bead. If you can't do it, get someone to dismount the tire, clean the rim well with a wire brush. Then, coat the inside and bead area with linseed oil. Farm tire shops have a specialized paint that works even better. No more leaks.
 








 
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