I had some new tires put on my Minilite wheels yesterday and the tire store manager could not locate the right valve stems. Apparently the casting where the valve fits is quite thick, and the standard rubber or steel valves will not fit properly. So at the moment, the only thing holding the valve stems in place is air pressure. I plan on contacting the Minilite dealer in the US or the manufacturer in England today, but has anyone had this experience or have any ideas on where to locate the proper valve stem? Thanks, Victor.

Hi Tanny,

didn't see a Z in Durango when I had been there twice. When I will be there one day again - it's one of my favorite places in the West, esp. the bar at slater's hotel and the train to Silverton - I will send you a mail. Hope you will find a solution for your Minilites soon. Did you check their quality? Magnesium may become problematic and as I know some roads around Durango are challenging.

Rolf

Hi Tanny,

I don't know if you have their new details or not - but the company moved away from the London area fairly recently. Here's their new address;

TECH-DEL LTD.

( original manufacturer of the MINILITE wheel )

Unit 4a ROUGHMORE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE

WILLITON, TAUNTON, SOMERSET, UK.

tel: +44 1984 631 033

They sell bolt-in valves that should cope with the thickness of your castings with no problem. I too have some wheels with particularly thick Magnesium castings, and they needed the bolt-in valves just like yours.

As Rolf says, beware of old Magnesium castings. They can look OK on the outside, but have bad structural problems. If in any doubt whatsoever, have them crack-tested or X-rayed to make sure they are safe. You might of course actually have the Aluminium versions.

If any problems getting in touch with TECH-DEL - let me know. I'll try to help.

All the best,

Alan T.

I have bought bolt-on valve stems from Pegasus Auto Racing in the past that should work OK. They have a lock nut on the top side(outside) of the rim and are chrome plated... Length is approx. 1" to 1.2" depending on how thick the rim flange is, this would be how high it sits above the rim.

www.pegasusautoracing.com

Part number is #3334.. and they are $3.79 each

Thanks for the info. One of these options should solve my problem.

Rolf,

Definitely get in touch if you plan on coming out this way. My email is:

tanny@frontier.net

Tanny,

You can also try a tire shop that specializes in commercial truck tires. That is where I got some here in VA.