Did a search, found nothing, so I figured I'd throw this out there and see if anyone has any ideas/recommendations/past experiences.

Friday night, my TPMS warning went off, so I pulled out my air gauge and saw the rear driver side tire was down to 10 psi. Kind of annoying, considering I'd put air in the tires only a few weeks before (not to mention that I only have 3400 miles on the Clubbie).

Saturday morning, went out to get some iced coffees for myself and the wife. Car felt a bit funny, so I got out and, sure enough, the tire was low again. Based on experiences with my R53, I've been planning to replace the runflats on the Clubman the second I have an issue with them, and, well, no time like the present. So, instead of coffee, I got to spend two hours at Discount Tire.

Then, on the way home, the TPMS light went off again. Pulled over and found that the rear passenger tire was flat. 0 psi. I called Discount, and they proved very helpful, sending someone out to take the wheel back, put a new tire on it, etc.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. After waiting an hour and a half, they called me with word that the wheel (17" webspoke) had a leak. Not around the rim, but around the bolts where the two pieces join. Super-extra awesome, considering the dealership's in a completely different city. Figuring I'd rather wait at home for roadside assistance, I got them to air the tire to 40 psi so I could try to limp home.

Turns out I did more than limp home. I drove five miles (same distance I drove before the flat) with absolutely no air loss. Checked again this morning, and I was still at 40 psi. Drove it around the neighborhood, then out for a brief highway jaunt. Got home, found the tire was STILL at 40 psi.

Given what happened, I'm very wary of driving it to work, but at the same time I hate to call roadside and have to go through the ensuing logistical nightmare of getting down to San Antonio during a very busy workweek for what may be a) a very easy fix or b) not even a problem at all.

Right now I'm planning on calling a local shop in the morning to see if they can take a look at it. Beyond that, I'm completely at a loss.

Anybody ever experienced anything similar, or have any advice?

 

Seems odd since the centers join the barrels....and unlike most 2 piece wheels, upon unbolting and removing the center, the tire and barrel would still be sealed. This isn't like many 2-piece wheels where the two pieces bolt together and hold in the air. On some 2-piece wheels, the bolt area where the two parts meet can be at risk of leaks, but that's not the case for the webspokes.

If there truly is a leak in the wheel and it's located around the bolt area....it's not due to being a 2-piece wheel which means that it would have to be some kind of crack or puncture in the wheel itself.

If you have the time, the easiest way to find the leak would be to take some soapy water and spray the suspected areas, or place the whole wheel in a bathtub and watch for bubbles. Though, if it's not losing pressure anymore, it might not bubble.

 

Thanks - that's good to know about the two-piece design. Would it be possible, you think, for air to get in behind those bolts and maybe bubble out when dunked in a tank? Wondering if maybe they saw something like that and just assumed, when in fact the second flat could have come from a bad valve or something...

 

I'm not really sure....sounds like a weird situation. My initial guess would be to say no, not much air would able to get behind the bolts. They just bolt through a little lip on the inside of the barrel.

Good luck figuring it all out

 

Just dunked it. Saw a steady trickle of bubbles from around the lip where the two pieces bolt together, but it quickly trailed off. I'm guessing there's probably some tiny bit of air between the two pieces.

My only real concern is that the bubbles never quite stop. There were coming out maybe once every 45 seconds or so...I doubt that's fast enough to cause a flat in less than five miles...so now I'm leaning toward something being wrong with the first install...but trying to have it checked professionally before I put my faith back in it.

 

I would do that. It's possible that there is a leak in that area and you will want to get that checked out. It sound as if it's small.....so the repair should just be a quick weld job which shouldn't be too bad.