Rust prevention inside rims

[ZGjethro]

I have been removing the rims on my truck one at a time and stripping the paint off them. On every rim, the worst rust and pitting is between the locking and the rim, inside the tire. It is the only area with any significant rust. I was wondering if there was any lube/grease which could be applied there which would last for years and be safe to use? I have not come across anything, and the only lube I have found are for the tire during installation.

[ZGjethro]

How about something like this, https://www.superior-industries.com/zin ... t_199.html, instead of the etching primer I have been using?

[Jess]

I did all my rims a couple of years ago, in prep for new tires. After an inspection, they were sand blasted, and then epoxy primed. Before having the new tires mounted, I had the whole rim and lock ring painted with a urethane paint. I thing the zinc enriched paints available would work well over a decent primer. I tossed a couple of my lock rings because of corrosion. The tire guys said they were ok, but I didn't feel that I wanted to chance it given that the tires are probably the last ones the truck will get... New flap and tubes are a good bet as well if you have them apart anyway.

[DJ]

Frey Lube

[ZGjethro]

Thanks for the link to Frey Lube DJ. That seems to be the product I was wondering about.

Jess, I think you did a better job than me. I'm getting the rims clean down to metal and priming them with an etching primer from Eastwood paints, followed by their rim paint. The paints are from spray cans, so the finishes are not real thick. hopefully they hold up. The rims were pretty much rust free on the outside, but the inner surfaces must hold moisture since they were pretty pitted.

[DJ]

When or if you have to dismount the tire,you'll be glad you used it. We used it on our semi tractor and trailers, made tire changing much easier. It works quite well.

[Kaegi]

that frey lube looks like the good stuff! I have used a silicone based lubricant before but it was real expensive. Frey lube is what I will use next time. thanks for posting it

[w30bob]

Hi Guys,

The Frey Lube looks like great stuff for commercial trucks............but is it wise to use a lubricant on something that sees off-road driving? I would think having lube between the tire bead and the rim would make it easier for the rim to spin on the bead. The early M37s used those bead lock clips to prevent this. Those were found to not be necessary, but the tires were installed dry or used a lube that evaporated. If you never drive off-road or air-down your tires for increased traction I guess it wouldn't matter.......but if the tire does spin on the rim the tube might not last very long. Just a thought.

regards,
bob

[ZGjethro]

Good points Bob. I was going to put in an order tonight for some Freylube, but you got me wondering about that. On the other hand, I am on my third rim breaking them down for paint stripping, and every single one has required me to put a jack on top of the bead and under my 4runner to push the bead off. I don't have a duckbill sledge to pop the bead, and that method looks abusive to the rims anyways. Easier bead popping would be a plus. My tires have been on the truck under 10 years I think, which is not a short time, but not as long old NDT tire removal

I am almost more interested in the anti rust properties where the lube would be between the rim and lockring. My rims have a lot of rust pitting there, and virtually no pitting or rust anywhere else. If I used the lube inside the rim, on the metal contact points, and not on the tire, it would help. My guess is that the stuff works fine everywhere. I don't 4wheel hard to the point of airing down anyways

John

[Kaegi]

good point bob. maybe just a little bit would still allow the rim to grab well at low psi.??

[LegionPiper]

Hey there guys,
I had two rims Blasted and Painted lately.
I removed original NDTs by Reciprocating saw, which was the only way to get them off.
( it was hard to see where the wheel ended and tire began )

There was a great deal of rust between the flaps and wheel surface.
This is what I'd like to avoid with the Lube, which I think is a great idea.

I thought though that it might not be a good idea to get it near the locking ring or bead itself.
That does worry me, given these are supposed to use friction to stay in place.


Has anyone actually put it on a Budd Rim ?
What was the outcome ?

Thanks so much.

[DJ]

Frey lube supra is recommended for off road, logging equipment ,and agricuture. I' m thinking a logging truck puts more stress on the wheels than your M 37 will ever see. I used it for over 25 years and never had a tire spin on the rim, but that was on road. I put it on the tire bead ,rim and lock ring, sure made tire changing easier.

[ZGjethro]

So far I have stripped and painted three of five rims. not sure I'm going to get to the Frey lube before I finish this project. I emailed Frey lube, and they said the Prema lube was recommended for our trucks. Thats fine by me. It is way cheaper than the Supra. Ultimately, if you had access to a provider, it seems like galvanizing the rims would be the best rust prevention. Has anyone done that?