Wheel corrosion with Ride-On

[John U.]

It sure surprised me. I've been using Ride-On for a few years. I've replaced two rear tires that had Ride-On in them with no wheel corrosion.
I just  broke down a front wheel to replace the tire and was greeted by CORROSION. Small pustules with corrosion areas beneath. I cleaned it up, sanded all the spots (Many) down flat. Neutalized with baking soda and dryed.

What I don't know is will the corrosion continue? I'm considering coating the affected surfaces (which means the entire portion covered by the tire) with epoxy but the corrosion could continue under the epoxy.

I have a spare so I'm still on the road, but I may be one rim down.

The other thing I can't explain is why this rim and not the others. I have Ride-On in another front tire now for a couple of years and I'm scared of what I'll find when it needs changing.

So, sorry to sound the alarm, I wish you better luck them I'm having. I think the answer to future problems is to coat the rim with something (I like epoxy) before using Ride-On or any other tire sealant. Rims are expensive and getting harder to find=more expensive.

Anyone with a suggestion for stopping aluminum corrosion?

[BonS]

You sure would think that Ride-on.com would have a lot of knowledge about this. The why's and how's to deal with it.

[RP#62]

Mechanically remove all evidence of corrosion, powder, pits, etc with aluminum oxide sand paper, scotch brite wheels, etc.  Do not use wire brushes or silicon carbide paper as they will leave little embedded bits that will promote further corrosion.  If you have access to alodine, (chromic acid), treat the bare aluminum with that.  Baking soda neutralizes acid, but I don't think it makes much difference to corrosion (unless you use it as blasting media).  On aircraft we would then use a good primer, followed with an enamel paint (its less permeable) and once that dries, top coat it with a corrosion preventative compound.  This is probably way overkill for what you're doing, but that's how its done.
-RP

[Valkpilot]

Have you checked your source of air?   

Without a water separator or dryer on the compressor, or if the holding tank is not opened and drained regularly, airing up your tires injects a lot of moisture.

I've seen gas station air supplies that actually spray water.

[98valk]

there is nothing in ride-on, quad-boss, etc that will corrode the wheels. something else is the cause, such as mentioned here.

http://www.randakks.com/TechTip62.htm

"I dismounted the tire from the rim, and found some grayish white powdery corrosion. This corrosion usually forms after a tire is lubricated with soapy water. Apparently, the soap in the soapy water had enough sodium hydroxide (the stuff that makes soap slippery) to corrode the alloy rims that are used on later model Gold Wings. Parts of the rim were also pitted right where the bead contacts the inside of the rim."

[John U.]

Have you checked your source of air?   

Without a water separator or dryer on the compressor, or if the holding tank is not opened and drained regularly, airing up your tires injects a lot of moisture.

I've seen gas station air supplies that actually spray water.

there is nothing in ride-on, quad-boss, etc that will corrode the wheels. something else is the cause, such as mentioned here.

http://www.randakks.com/TechTip62.htm

"I dismounted the tire from the rim, and found some grayish white powdery corrosion. This corrosion usually forms after a tire is lubricated with soapy water. Apparently, the soap in the soapy water had enough sodium hydroxide (the stuff that makes soap slippery) to corrode the alloy rims that are used on later model Gold Wings. Parts of the rim were also pitted right where the bead contacts the inside of the rim."

It seems like  moisture in the air supply is unlikely to be the cause. First, Ride -On is water based so it seems doubtful that additional water would create a problem. Second, the same air supply has been used for all the tires I have used Ride-On in and the others had no corrosion. The same answer to the question of soap. I use the same mounting proceedures on all tires I mount. I always wipe the soap off once the tire is on the rim. Also, with reference to CA's quoted passage, the rim shows no corrsion on the surfaces where the tire touches the rim.
I appreciate the responses but I am still mystified.
BTW sorry for the delayed response, weve been enjoying hurricane Irene here in southern Delaware. Lost power for the last several hours. In fact it looks like a power surge killed one of our two computers despite being connected to expensive surge protectors. Sometimes things just don't work like they should. 

[John U.]

CA, I just read the info on the link you provided. I use No-Mar products to mount and dismount tires. They sell a spray which I use for dismounting and a paste for mounting. Both products are claimed to be vegetable based and rust inhibiting. Too bad rust isn't the problem. Still, as I mentioned I wipe it off after mounting to avoid providing lubrication between tire and rim.

For the benefit of others reading this, here is another quote from CA's linked article:

"I finally found a product that will ease the mounting and dismounting of a motorcycle tire. This product also acts as a sealant. The product is known as a protectant. Two brand names of such protectants are STP Son-Of-A Gun and Armor-All Protectant. These products are used exclusively in my shop, and they can be purchased at most auto parts stores and discount store automotive departments."

It's certainly worth a try; though I still can't understand why one wheel corrodes and others don't.

[RonW]

What I don't get about using STP Son-Of-A Gun or Armor-All Protectant is that their own labels warn against using it on motorbike seats because it makes the seats slippery. Wonder how well the bead would still stick to the rim. The author (Wing World) mentions in the same article that Lemon Pledge causes a slipping problem so I surmise if slipping was an issue he wouldn't have made a recommendation.

[Fudd]

A lot of people on another website recommend (this is not a joke)  "K Y  lubricant."  It is slick as Owl dookie and dries up clean.

+1 on the compressor moisture being a possible cause of  rim corrosion.  Ride-on is supposed to coat the inside surface under the tread only, not the side walls or the rim.

[Ricky-D]

Here again I find myself agreeing with CA.

That crap in a jug with a big swab appliance is junk and I will not let any of that get on my wheels.

The tire guy uses it on so many wheels that it more than likely has all kinds of contamination and everything else that you can imagine getting on tires.

And finally, if they replenish it with concentrated liquid detergent, it (to me) simply makes matters worse.

You have to always keep in mind that the tire guy doesn't give crap about your wheels and you will be going away in a short short, and maybe a year or so later will be the next time he see you, if then at all!

***

[RonW]

I emailed Randakks asking:

"Do you know of any problem with the bead slipping with STP Son-Of-A Gun and Armor-All Protectant (per article)?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Randakks was nice enough to reply back from which I presume he used the products first hand himself on tire beads:
 
"That method is fine in my experience."

Randall Washington (Randakk)
President & Chief Executive Rider
Randakk's Cycle Shakk, LLC
Winston-Salem, NC USA
www.randakks.com
 
Randakk's Facebook Page:
 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Randakks-Cycle-Shakk-for-Vintage-Honda-Motorcycle-Enthusiasts/10150135042030276

[Ricky-D]

My only recollection regarding the "armor-all" and all the others of the same stuff is that:

It wasn't much time later (months) and the sidewall of my car tires would start to begin checking like it was almost dry rotting.

That was enough for me whether or not I was using it properly.

I can't imagine a tire bead slipping off the rim with as much air pressure it take to get it seated, and not even to mention that ferocious slam when it finally does fully seat. POW!!!!

***

[John U.]

Here again I find myself agreeing with CA.

That crap in a jug with a big swab appliance is junk and I will not let any of that get on my wheels.

The tire guy uses it on so many wheels that it more than likely has all kinds of contamination and everything else that you can imagine getting on tires.

And finally, if they replenish it with concentrated liquid detergent, it (to me) simply makes matters worse.

You have to always keep in mind that the tire guy doesn't give crap about your wheels and you will be going away in a short short, and maybe a year or so later will be the next time he see you, if then at all!

***

In this case the tire guy and his swab never got close to any of the tires in question. The lubricant was No-Mar  vegetable based paste, which was applied sparingly and wiped off before the tire was seated on the rim.

It should be understood by those who haven't tried it that Ride-on will get all over all interior surfaces, not just the road contact surface of the tire. Ride-on washes out readily with plain water. It is water based, seems that a moist environment will exist in the tire interior as soon as Ride-on is added. So how much problem can a bit more moisture cause and why to only one rim out of three when the same compressor is used to air all three?

[Valkpilot]

It should be understood by those who haven't tried it that Ride-on will get all over all interior surfaces, not just the road contact surface of the tire.

That is not my experience.  Each time I've had a tire with Ride-On changed, the compound was observed to be in a thick, viscous layer against the inner side of the tread area.

The tire guy didn't even know it was there.

[Kylenav]

I just ordered Ride-On for my tires front and back...  If you want a product that we use on Aircraft to do both remove and prevent corrosion this is the stuff...

http://jeppdirect.jeppesen.com/product_details.jsp?id=prod10100122bu&cid=GB01157

Pretty cheap and it works incredibly well.  We fly our Coast Guard C-130's over the ocean as low as 50ft on a fairly regular basis and this stuff holds up very well. The airframe is aluminum so I imagine it'll be safe for a wheel but I haven't used it yet for that purpose.  I do put it on all my rifle barrels and various things that may rust or get corrosion sitting in the garage in FL.


Just a thought.

[John U.]

It should be understood by those who haven't tried it that Ride-on will get all over all interior surfaces, not just the road contact surface of the tire.

That is not my experience.  Each time I've had a tire with Ride-On changed, the compound was observed to be in a thick, viscous layer against the inner side of the tread area.

The tire guy didn't even know it was there.

When I've changed tires with Ride-On in them I've found a thin coating of the product on the rims. Not much but enough that I felt it needed to be cleaned off. I agree that the bulk of the product will be slung to the outside by centifugal force but it must either drip off onto the rim surfaces when not moving or get displaced when going over bumps.
Maybe the shop that did your work didn't find it necesary to clean it but I'm sure some of it was on your rims.

[John U.]

I just ordered Ride-On for my tires front and back...  If you want a product that we use on Aircraft to do both remove and prevent corrosion this is the stuff...

http://jeppdirect.jeppesen.com/product_details.jsp?id=prod10100122bu&cid=GB01157

Pretty cheap and it works incredibly well.  We fly our Coast Guard C-130's over the ocean as low as 50ft on a fairly regular basis and this stuff holds up very well. The airframe is aluminum so I imagine it'll be safe for a wheel but I haven't used it yet for that purpose.  I do put it on all my rifle barrels and various things that may rust or get corrosion sitting in the garage in FL.


Just a thought.

And a darn good thought! Thank you Kylenav, that looks like it might be just the answer I need.

[Master Blaster]

I had a front chromie eaten up with corrrosion about 6 months or so after adding Ride-On.  Had ran the chromie a few years before using the product.  Think the chrome may have been scratched at some time when a tire was installed and the product reacted with what was used to prep the wheel for chroming. It was very nasty and large strips of chrome floated free.  It ate into the aluminum so much that the wheel was not salvageable.

[X Ring]

I had a front chromie eaten up with corrrosion about 6 months or so after adding Ride-On.  Had ran the chromie a few years before using the product.  Think the chrome may have been scratched at some time when a tire was installed and the product reacted with what was used to prep the wheel for chroming. It was very nasty and large strips of chrome floated free.  It ate into the aluminum so much that the wheel was not salvageable.

Did you contact Ride-On?

Marty