Having put up with various tyres on minilite lookalikes going flat due to bead leaks I am thinking I will go for some tubes to get past this issue.
Not my favourite thing, tubes, but having wasted hours and dollars having the bead reseated multiple times I am over it.
Unless anyone has any brilliant ideas or solutions, tubes it will be.

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Cheers Dave.

Hi Dave,

I used tubes in all of my Targa Tasmania wheels on minilites on a mini, the reason was if you bump a kerb a tubless can go down and you would lose a Targa trophy there and then a tube will probably keep it inflated. I use rally tubes which come with seals around the valve stems and a nut to hold the stem to the wheel, the extra bit of friction between the tube and the tyre also helps warm tyres up sooner.

My experience with tubes was terrible. Modern tyres that are designed tubeless are rough inside and can wear into the tubes. I must have had 3-4 flat tubes before I managed to convince the tyre shop into mounting them tubeless.

Do the wheels have any markings on them?

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@Timmy, I agree tubeless tyres are rough inside.
Back in the distant past I used talcum powder on the tube, it provided a little dry lubrication.
These days I run tubeless but it's only road use.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

are they JBW rims?

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1986 Mayfair (998 auto), 1974 S, 1974 Van, 1972 PMG Van

Too many minis

They could be, do they have a history of problems?

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Cheers Dave.

Yes. Many issues. One model is designed/made so poorly that it is almost impossible to install tyres without wrecking the tyres.

This is one that someone on TMF was having trouble getting tyres fitted to. Tyres kept getting wrecked. The well should be to one side (on a mini it is usually the back).



It wouldn't surprise me if your issue is a manufacturing one if they are from JBW.

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1986 Mayfair (998 auto), 1974 S, 1974 Van, 1972 PMG Van

Too many minis

Thanks Max, I have already ordered standard road tubes, but I will keep your comments on Rally tubes in mind for next time.

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Cheers Dave.

There is no brand on the wheels, only the JWL industry mark and some numbers on the rear. The well is offset to the front.
Whether the tyre or wheel or both is the problem is unknown but always bead leaks regardless of fitting, lube, etc, and not always the same place. Tubes to be fitted as they are unuseable as they are. And i'll bet the tubes last longer than previously without.

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Cheers Dave.

I'm used to ROH Contessas, they go on easy. No safety hump bead seats because 10".
Are these a thing now, I've not seen them on 10" wheels.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Ironically I have found the probable cause of the constant leaks. At some time these wheels have been powder coated or painted with some tough type of paint. This coating still remains on the inside of the wheel but is patchy and peeling / falling off. The bead seal area is also affected with this coating coming off.

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Cheers Dave.

HI All
There is a problem with nearly all the new after market rims you get today and that is they are to big on the outer diameter.
Also the well is getting further away from the outer edge making it harder to stretch the new tyres over the outer edge
I turn a lot of rims down in diameter so the tyres can be fitted, if you go back to the original Minilites they were down
around 10 5/8/ or about 700mm.
The rims today are around 11 1/4 ins or 850mm i turn them down to 10 3/4 or 750mm.
The contessas have a small lip on the od of the rim which makes it hard to turn down what i do with these is to make a big
Radius out of the lip and polish it to a very smooth finish to help to get the tyre over the lip.
Hoosier said you can take them down to 10 1/4 in dia any tyres the fit to mini rims they turn down.
Most tyre fitting machines can not hold the rim because the tyres are just to tight and they just slip on the rims and mark the od,i have trouble fitting the AO32 to the rims after the have been turned down.
Hope this helps
Graham Russell

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"It's better to be not informed than ill-informed"

Having stripped the 2 worst offenders and fitted tubes it became obvious that the issue was the wheel bead rim and the powder coating thereon. So I eased the bead on the other 2 and leamed up the rims which seems to have fixed the otner 2 without the need for tubes. Time will tell but they are holding air at the moment.

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Cheers Dave.