Tire flat/wheel cracked I think

[DeepSilentComplete]

Came out the other day to find my driver's side rear tire flat. Turns out the tire is fine, apparently (according to the mechanic) the wheel is cracked. I have the standard 18" ISUZU Chrome wheels that came with the vehicle.

The wheels are not covered under my warranty ^!@#*#$&%!!!! Anyone had a problem with these? I have thought about replacing them with a gloss or matte black wheel, but interseted to know if anyone has had this same problem and/or an idea?

Thanks.

[etlsport]

ive never heard of one cracking! heard about the chrome peeling breaking the seal of the tire and causing air to be let out though

[MrCrowley]

Here's what I did to discover a cracked wheel on an old 1991 autocross Celica ...

I took the whole wheel/tire, aired it up, and dunked it in my swimming pool which was closed for the winter, I then tracked down where the little bubbles were coming from. Guess what? It wasn't the tire, it was in the center if the wheel opposite of the tread. They were fairly low profile tires, so I assumed that a rock or something got driven over enough to push the tread up enough to crack the aluminum wheel. Porsche had big problems like this with their magnesium wheels, low profile and wide tires.

If you don't have a large body of water, just use a bucket or large cup. Put a liberal amount of dishwashing soap in it, fill it up with water, and pour liberally all over the wheel and tire after airing it up fully. You will be able to see where the bubbles and foam magically appear!

[AlaskaVX]

I have never heard of this with our wheels but I have personally seen it happen on a Nissan before. Cracked all the way right through the center of the wheel, we were offroading. They were a 15-16" wheel with descent rubber, never seen/heard of it happening until then.

But as Mr Crowley mentioned use some soapy water and make sure it the rim before buying another. With the above situation it was VERY obvious that it was cracked, so I am leaning towards the shop just not finding the hole.

[circmand]

I currently have 2 tires with slow leaks as a result of chrome peeling. I carry a portable compressor with me and fill up when it is low.

[tom4bren]

This isn't the best of options but it worked for me on a rim that couldn't set a reliable bead. Get a bottle of the green slime from Walmart & put in at least one bottle (maybe 2). This isn't a highly recommended option but it did work for me.