Tyres, vented or non vented

[wombat]

Hi all, just stripped down 2 sets of beadlocks and tyres to swap around the tyres, couldn't believe the amount of water in one set of foams, the other set was bone dry. One set of tyres are vented so thinking of sealing the vents, either with a small square of gorilla tape or a dab of silicone, as the local crawler course has some good water features 

What are people's thoughts on vented and non vented , and how do you seal your vents

Cheers, Ian,,👍

[Lone-wolf]

If you run in water a lot then vented not so good, water sitting in the tyres can destroy foams, if the rims are vented seal with a little dab of hot glue as this can easy be removed

[steephill]

Agree with @Lone-wolf.

I've blocked the holes on wheels if I'm using them for trail driving. As much as I I say I won't I always end up driving through mud an water. 

My lcg rigs vented isn't a problem because I only use them on the rocks and don't like getting them wet or muddy. 

[JonnyUK]

I've always made sure the tyres are fully glued round the rims, or if beadlocks, sealed air tight. Plus I always seal up the breather hole on the inner rim.

 

Stops water getting inside and sand etc.  None of which is good for foams.

 

The only point to note is it's better to seal them in cold weather. Otherwise when it goes cold the tread can get sucked in.  If that happens, you can unseal the air hole and let the tyre inflate then reseal the hole. 

[m4inbrain]

I always run vented - it's all just a matter of aftercare. If i ran through water, it'll get full throttle after the run until no water comes out anymore, then you'll just store them in a reasonably warm place. Never had foam go bad.

 

That being said: the obvious solution is to get away from foams and use anti-foams (that's the idea for my next build). I personally dislike running non-vented (or blocked) tyres, if the air can't go anywhere, they can't deform properly. Not much of an issue  on the trail, but certainly in the rocks.

[Partydaz]

I always block up the air vents on the crawler tires. Getting water in them is horrible especial where I run them, all the mucky clay water and sand sets after a while and they end up with lumps in them 😑. I even block up the air vents on the bashers in winter, give them that bounce effect as they land on mini beach balls filled with air 😆

[wombat]

Last year I sealed the vents on some beadlocks fitted with axial ripsaw tyres, used them twice then stored them laid flat on a shelf.Last week I got them down and was horrified to see every tyre was deformed. When I stripped them down the tyres returned to normal. The foams must have been damp, and as they dried must have vacuumed the tyres in on the sealed wheels, so from now on all crawler wheels will be vented. Just relieved that my favourite tyres are ok 😃

[JonnyUK]

3 hours ago, wombat said:

Last year I sealed the vents on some beadlocks fitted with axial ripsaw tyres, used them twice then stored them laid flat on a shelf.Last week I got them down and was horrified to see every tyre was deformed. When I stripped them down the tyres returned to normal. The foams must have been damp, and as they dried must have vacuumed the tyres in on the sealed wheels, so from now on all crawler wheels will be vented. Just relieved that my favourite tyres are ok 😃

 

Can't dry if completely air tight. 

More likely a change in temperature cooling them after sealing.