add tubes to tubeless tires?

[ironslavery]

I have a few great tires with sidewall cracks on them. would it be Ok to put inner tubes in them?
one of them is a flat tread and the others are ballon.

the other question would be that they are 21x12x9 tires. i can't find any tires tube with these specs so can I get one bigger?

[fabiodriven]

Yes you can use tubes and yes you can use a bigger size.

Tubes are good for a situation like yours where the tire has good tread but is otherwise cracked or no good. The downfall of tubes is if you develop a leak. You can no longer fix a leaking tire with a tire plug if the tube is in there. Also, if you run the tires low on air you run the risk of "spinning" the tube in the wheel thereby ripping the valve stem off of the tube and then you're up sh!t creek.

[90guy]

Yes you can use tubes and yes you can use a bigger size.

Tubes are good for a situation like yours where the tire has good tread but is otherwise cracked or no good. The downfall of tubes is if you develop a leak. You can no longer fix a leaking tire with a tire plug if the tube is in there. Also, if you run the tires low on air you run the risk of "spinning" the tube in the wheel thereby ripping the valve stem off of the tube and then you're up sh!t creek.


I second this information we get lots of people wondering the same thing at the tire shop i worked at.

[Dirtcrasher]

^ I 3rd that information.

Maybe it's just me but I have torn the valve stem off of every tube I have used.

I don't mess around; I just order 2 new thick rims and new tires and be done with it.........

[hoosierlogger]

I bought a 200s one time that had a car tube in it. It was all folded over and wedged in there.

They make tubes with metal stems that have nuts on the inside and outside of the rim. Those are a little less prone to slipping in the rim.

[remsandpets]

Both my rear tires leaked when i bought it and i thought about tubes as well. I went with slime till I decide to replace the tires. They had decent tread on them then. Not so much anymore. Looking for tires for mild shale rock, hard dirt, mud and grass.

[Scootertrash]

I have a few great tires with sidewall cracks on them.

Kind of a contradictory statement ain't it?

[110klt]

Kind of a contradictory statement ain't it?

Not really, age cracks do not mean a tire doesn't have great tread on them. Just that the rubber is breaking down and getting old. Yes there not new, but still great for me.

[Keepah Rolln]

When i picked up my 1983 200k the rear tires were bran new like 15 years ago new..lmao. they still had the nubs on them and no tread wear but the sidewalls were all dry cracked..

[Scootertrash]

Just that the rubber is breaking down and getting old.

Exactly my point.

Great tread does not equal a great tire. Or as Fabio said "good tread but is otherwise cracked or no good"

If you need a tube because your tire won't hold air, aside from a small puncture or similar, it's time for a new tire.

[JustEnough]

I any of the tires say Trail Pro on the side, it is time for a new tire.

[kb0nly]

I put tubes in all the time, generally due to a stupid bead leak, i have had some that i tried to fix over and over and over and the tire was great and the wheel looked good but they just leaked. Get a T6 valve tube, it is the metal one with nuts to bolt it into the valve stem hole. Clean out the tire, cut off any plugs and put a patch over them so there is nothing to snag the new tube, reseat and then let out the excess pressure down to where you want it and your good to go.

The back tires on my 84 200es are losing a little air each week, each tire has one plug in them, great tread, a few small surface cracks from UV exposure, but nothing leaking. I sprayed them down with soapy water and brought them up to about 10lbs to look for leaks, this is perfectly safe as the manufacturer says you can dump in 20lbs for seating the bead, soaped down the tire and the only leaks i could see is a bubble now and then around the bead on both. Wheels don't look rusty and no bends or dings around the edge. So i will just toss in a tube and clean them up.

As for being in trouble with a future puncture... If its a slow leak as mine is the tube will stop that slow loss, but if you got something like a nail in it you could still do a trailside plug in the tire, yes the tube still has a hole, but plug the hole in the tire and air it up, the air will stay between the tube and tire and get you back to camp or home whatever the situation. Either way, tube or no tube, if you get a puncture and don't have a compressor to top it back off after repair your screwed anyway!

Sometimes i can get by just popping the outside bead, some baby powder in the tire and on the tube to get the tube worked down in and around the wheel then air it back up, sometimes it requires removing the outer bead off the wheel though depends on size. I have done a lot of garden tractor tires without removing them, these atv tires are even more flexible and with patience you only need to separate the bead, but thats usually the hardest part depending on how long its been on there!

[DSHOT59]

The green slime stuff works well on these tires for slow leaks as they don`t take very high air pressure and you can still plug the tire if need be. Love that stuff and tubes are a pain to deal with. IMO

[kb0nly]

The green slime stuff works well on these tires for slow leaks as they don`t take very high air pressure and you can still plug the tire if need be. Love that stuff and tubes are a pain to deal with. IMO

That green slime stuff works good for a little while, but traps moisture and then your wheel rots out, i have seen that over and over on lawn tractors where someone put that crap in there, then a couple years later they notice goo on the wheel and its because it rotted out the steel wheel from all the moisture. Its totally not worth it in my opinion.

Tubes are easy, not sure why you think they are a pain. I can put one in fast, i just did all four tires on a lawn tractor in about an hour, it would have been quicker but the fronts wouldn't come off their axles until i pursuaded them with a BFG and some penetrating oil. Once you put them in you don't have to deal with anything but riding!

[remsandpets]

I never thought of the trapped moisture aspect of the use of slime. As soon as I get new rears that stuff will be coming out!

[GotaCrawB4UWalk]

i just want to say tire slime is the devil.. i work at a tire shop and we do any tire you can think of from a 4inch to a 38inch tractor tire so ive seen alot of tubes in my days.. first of all never run slime in a tube, for some reason people think this is a good idea bujt its not.. it makes the tube non patchable again. second of all when judging a tire by its age its not always the outside of the tire that matters. its the inside of the tire that you gotta worry about, the outside is gonna have uv damage and what have ya but if the in side is still good then you can tube it and go on for many years. the metal t6 valve stem tube someone mentioined is a good idea because it is made and intended for atv use. also when choosing a tube for your tires its ok to flucuate on the size but you dont wanna get carried away. example if i needed a tude for a 20-10-9 or a 20-10-10 i could use a 18-8.50-8 tube they strech alot and it will fit alot of similar sizes. also the tube your gonna need will probably be a combo tube like a 20/21/22-9/9.50/10/11-10 remember kids moral of the story is, never use slime, just save your money lol

[DSHOT59]

Agreed I would never slime a tire with a tube in it. I had to laugh when I saw they even make it just for tubed tires like bicycles And wonder who would think that`s a good idea. But for low pressure tubless tires it works ok. And cleans up with water when you have to take the tire off for replacement or what have you.

[kb0nly]

It cleans up with water until it gets some age on it, then its a nasty gooey mess that takes a brush, power washer, cussing, sweating, possibly kicking it across the yard... Ok so you probably get the point that i have been through this.

Another problem? Up here in the great Midwest when its -20 outside and you have to deal with a tire that was slimed in the summer. That stuff doesn't always totally freeze, it depends on how much moisture is in the air put into the tire and any moisture that was in the tire to begin with, but it will either freeze and throw off the tires balance or it will turn into this thick molasses like green goop that you literally have to scrape off and then scrub off. Its not fun.. I to have dealt with it. The farmers around here will put it in anything, i mean anything. If its a tire and has a leak it gets slimed cause its cheaper than taking it to the local tire shop. But ask the local tire shops what they think of when they finally get that slimed tire after its been used for a year or two.. Ugh..