This has happened on each separate occaision I've tried to adjust the pressure in the tyres over the last month of owning my Jag; the worst being a 30min monopoly of the service at the local petrol station to do all 4 tyres (l now take a pocket of change with me...)

The issue I've got is that when I fit the pressure pump from the station on to the valve adapter it doesn't seem to fit properly, and you can clearly hear the hiss of air coming out whilst I'm trying to insert air. Eventually it does inflate but painfully slowly.

The valve adapters all are in excellent condition and the screwing in to the holes is faultless. It does not matter how hard (or softly) I push the air pressure 'gun' on to the adapter I get the (amazingly annoying!) hiss of air escaping! The foot pump/pressure guage I have at home also provides me with the same result.

Any advice greatly welcome!

Jules

 

Easy - find a different station with a proper valve nozzle fitting. Some stations just have lousy or poorly-maintained equipment. I've walked away from several stations with leaking air hoses or improperly-fitting valve nozzles....

 

Jules,

Are you on split rim alloys where you have to remove the cap and screw in the valve extension?

Graham

 

Yes, they are split rim 20' Montreals. There are 2 valve adapters in the pouch, and one does seem to work slightly better than the other. I've tried both local garages and have had the same result.

 

I've found it impossible to tighten the extension sufficiently by hand to make an airtight seal between the extension and the wheel and have been using pipe-grip pliers. Perhaps you're actually losing air at the extension to wheel joint rather than the air hose nozzle connector?

The only solution I can think of to be able to tighten and remove the extension easily is to lock a pair of hexagon nuts together on the stem so a spanner will fit...........

Graham

 

My complaint as well. When I first bought the car one of the selling points was the Montreal rims and I thought it was pretty slick that there wasn't a valve to stick out and spoil the appearance. Then I discovered what a chore it was to check air in the tires. This is something that I have always done regularly with my cars and is normally a 5 minute job. But with these BBS wheels it is always an adventure. First I try to time it so that I am not blocking out other folks that also want to check their tires. Then there is always the fuss of unscrewing the caps, screwing in the valves, and then praying that the filler at the gas station will work with the valve. Not to mention the almost certainty of having one of the caps or the valve drop out of your fingers and roll under the car.

In my area, I have found one gas station where the filler valve works okay with the BBS valve. But there was one day where I must have tried 3 or 4 stations to find one that works.

You would think that on an $80K car where these wheels were a $6K option, there would be a built-in tire pressure monitor or warning system. Back in the 1990s these were pretty much standard on any cars with run-flats and these days tire pressure readout on the dash is almost standard with many cars. It boggles the mind to think that this could not have been included with the Jaguars when forking over $6K for the fancy wheels.

Doug

 

I don't know if it is possible to damage the valve adapters without breaking them!?

I have 20" Detroit wheels and can check/inflate all 4 wheels in about 10 minutes, now I have gotten used to the procedure.

The tyres normally only need a pound or two, so I do it at home with a double barrel foot pump. The pump hose clips on without any leaks and I only have to screw in the adapter finger tight. (+ I don't trust the station pressure gauges!)

Are you using the correct pressure? F=32 psi R=30 psi

Are your adapter rubber sealing washers OK?

 

I have Sepangs and don't have any problems with adding air. I do it at home with a small portable compressor. I hand tighten the adapter and have no pressure loss.

 

I see that some of these guys (chaps) are in the UK.

Over here in the states, we have some very low cost ($15-$20) compressors available that run right off of the cigarette lighter. Those are a heck of a lot more convenient than having to go to some air pump at a station somewhere.


AAA 300psi Air Compressor: Automotive : Walmart.com

Hopefully, there are some available in the UK as well.

 

Yes, you can buy them from about $8 here (Ebay)

 

In the UK Ring Automotive make 12v tyre air compressors that run off your cigarette lighter. I've had one for a few years because the tyres on my Mondeo regularly lose air.
I think mine is the RAC600 model that also has a bright light on it if needed.
Was about £15 when i got it but i've just seen the same model on fleabay for £26.
It's a bit noisy but saves all the legwork, and has a digital readout for tyre pressure.
Well worth the investment.

 

I keep intending on getting one of those small compressors but still, wouldn't you think that an $80K car would have come standard with tire pressure monitors or at least include this feature when paying another $6K for the wheels?

Doug

 

Derek,

Double barrel foot pump! You must be built like the proverbial brick s*******e. I'll not be picking any fights with you.

Gave those things up after almost gasping my last twenty years ago blowing up a tyre from flat on my LWB Land Rover Safari. It's the plug in compressor nowadays for me.

If the extension was twice the length, it would be a lot easier to screw in and to release. Maybe my hands are too big but I find it very difficult to get a grip on the extension.

It's just a shame Asheville, NC is so far away. Otherwise I could go round to Mike's on a Sunday morning and drink his beer while he checks my tyres!

Graham

 

Agreed. My 2001 BMW Mini came with a compressor in the tool kit for its runflat tyres.

 

Graham

Looking at your and Redeye's wheels my Detroit valves may be easier to get at, less spokes in the way?!

 

Thanks for pointing out the major hassles when attempting to air up your tires on these ridiculously-expensive wheels. I'll pay much more attention in the future when looking at cars like these. We got lucky with our 19-inch Atlas chrome wheels that came standard on our 2006 Victory Edition XK8. The valve stems are as easy to check and fill as any other vehicle we have....

 

How does the valve recess on my Sepang compare with your Detroit?





There's not much room to grip the extender.

Graham

 

same here saves lots of aggro

 

Graham, you're more than welcome at the house in Asheville which has attained the status as a beer capital in the States. For the price of a flight from Europe you could probably buy a lift, air compressor and a mini-tap for the bar in the garage.

 

Appreciate all the feedback. The rubber seals on the adapter valves look in good order, but are skinnier than the ones shown in Stumpy's post. Did notice tho that the area under the screws isn't sparkly clean so will spend some time on cleaning them up before I next try. Everything does seem to screw in properly & securely and it's really a case of the nossle isn't fitting on the adapter fully. You will see from the pic one of the adaptors is marked with black as I noticed the screwing part of it wasn't perfectly straight. The other one is fine.

I'll order one of those air compressors - will take away the hassle of hogging the air pumps at the station for ages - and the nossle fit could be better than service station ones.