Hey....all your dually owners

[GENESIS]

I gotta question that's bound to sound stooped.

I get that the tires/rims on a dually are all the same so rotating tires is possible. And due to that "commonality" (for lack of a better word) that places the year set of tires' valve stems facing opposite of each other (hope that makes sense). But gall-darn-it - and maybe it's me - checking air pressure and adding air to the rear set of tires is a royal pain in my arse. First of all, it's easier to find a Unicorn than an air chuck that's worth a dam when it comes to adequate sealing around the valve stem. Couple that with the valve stem on the inner tire/rim of my RAM3500 being rubber and it makes for a cussing like a sailor situation every time I do the air pressure checking routine. You snake the tire gauge thru the outer rim, mash it on the inner rim valve stem, and promptly hear "Hisssssss...." which means instead of getting a good reading, you've let air out of the tire and now have to go back and put air back in. ARRRGGGGHHHHHH...... And that rear outer rim valve stem that faces inward??? That's for the birds. Yeah, yeah, yeah.....I know, they make air chucks with that angled head thingy. Tried it - same sealing issue.

I can't tell you how many modifications I've tried to make the air pressure chore easier and more precise. I've looked at those valve stem extensions and other "solutions" and have even tried a couple to no avail. My Engineer brain says that some of those valve stem systems are adding mass to the tire and potentially throwing the balance off. I finally gave in and took the money I got from selling a kidney on eBay and bought an awesome gauge & tire chuck from Longacre racing (they make air pressure gauges that can read in 1/4 pound increments - you gotta love that). Anyhow, my Rube Goldberg setup has lessened the chore, but I feel there's more that can be done. So......

Anyone here wanna share what they do to make the chore easier? Any mod's that you're proud of? Have you resorted to metal valve stems for the rear inner rim/tire or have said screw it and turned the outer rim/tire valve stem from facing inward to facing outward?

Tom

[jim1521]

Are you looking for something to measure tire pressure or something to inflate tires?

This is the Tire gauge that I use. It threads on so I get a good reading every time.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Might want to consider a TPMS as well. I use this on my trailer but you can also get extra sensors. It's extremely accurate.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Gronk1]

The rims on the rear of my '15 Ford are not the same. The inside rims are steel & the outer wheels are aluminum. The front rims are completely different. So all you can do to rotate them is from side to side. I do this with the fronts, but the rears are not worth it.
I have straight one inch extensions on my valves & a Slime brand gauge with the angled head thingy. My stems are steel not rubber. Don't seem to have too much problem.
I'd change to solid stems if you have tried everything else with no satisfaction.

[FT4NOW]

I also have a Ford with steel stems.
The rear wheel stems are lined up together, I don't rotate the rears, only the fronts at every oil change. I use "check valve" type valve stem caps so they can be filled without removing the cap and I've included a picture of the air chuck I use, no headaches.



Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Second Chance]

The rims on the rear of my '15 Ford are not the same. The inside rims are steel & the outer wheels are aluminum. The front rims are completely different. So all you can do to rotate them is from side to side. I do this with the fronts, but the rears are not worth it.
I have straight one inch extensions on my valves & a Slime brand gauge with the angled head thingy. My stems are steel not rubber. Don't seem to have too much problem.
I'd change to solid stems if you have tried everything else with no satisfaction.

X2 ^^. I use a "trucker's" tire gauge and have a long inflator attachment on my compressor. I also run a TPMS on all the truck and trailer tires which gives me all of the inflation pressures without having to put a gauge on the valve stems. The only time I have to touch the tires is with seasonal pressure changes.

Rob

[GENESIS]

Are you looking for something to measure tire pressure or something to inflate tires?

This is the Tire gauge that I use. It threads on so I get a good reading every time.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Might want to consider a TPMS as well. I use this on my trailer but you can also get extra sensors. It's extremely accurate.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the suggestions. Putting TPMS on my 5er is on my short list.

I think I've got the air chuck and proper sealing issue licked. I think what I'm really wanting to know is what setup you other dually owners have on your rear set of tires. Do you have metal stems on the inner rim/tire and/or extensions? If you use extensions, did it alter the tire balance? Do you have the outer rim/tire valve stem facing inward or outward? Does anyone use one of those kits that fills and equalizes the air pressure in both inner and outer tire? The bottom line is that there surely must be a way to check and/or fill the rear dually tires without it turning into a science project.

Tom

[GENESIS]

Awesome info FT4NOW!! Just ordered those valve stem caps. On my RAM, the outer rear rims and the front rims are Alcoa aluminum rims and therefore I can rotate those. However, the rear inner rims are steel. I plan on replacing my current tires for something better (Nitto Terra Grappler 2. Had those on another truck and they wore, balanced, and rode like a charm. Even though the tread is a bit aggressive, those tires never "sang" in 70+ miles) and will definitely have metal valve stems installed on the inner rims.

Tom

[roady1]

Genesis,
Not sure what year your Ram is but on my 17 like yours is a steel wheel with a rubber valve stem. I went to 2 separate tire dealers trying to get it switched over to steel and no luck at all. There is a TPMS sensor inside the steel wheel so the first shop wouldnt do nothing with it and the second shop said I would have to buy a special new TPMS sensor that a metal valve stem would work with. He said it would be an expensive ordeal to switch so I just stuck with the pain in the arse rubber stems. I have not found any economical way of doing it.

[GENESIS]

Genesis,
Not sure what year your Ram is but on my 17 like yours is a steel wheel with a rubber valve stem. I went to 2 separate tire dealers trying to get it switched over to steel and no luck at all. There is a TPMS sensor inside the steel wheel so the first shop wouldnt do nothing with it and the second shop said I would have to buy a special new TPMS sensor that a metal valve stem would work with. He said it would be an expensive ordeal to switch so I just stuck with the pain in the arse rubber stems. I have not found any economical way of doing it.

Thanks! And yes - we got the same setup. My RAM is a 2016. Some years back I had a Nissan Titan and changed out rims and tires at Discount Tires and, IIRC, they had the ability to recalibrate and rebuild TPMS sensors. Not sure about the issue of using a metal valve stem with the sensor. The sensor in the outer aluminum rim is the same as the one for the inner. And the outer rim has a metal valve stem. I would think that if worse comes to worse, you could get a stock metal stem from a RAM dealer.

Tom

[roady1]

Ok I was told that the sensors are different between the steel and aluminum wheels. I am trying to remember but maybe it had something to do with the valve stem hole size in the wheels. Time to do some more research...