How to unvent vented tires

[rockhopper2]

I got some used super swamper tsl sx and some beadlocks i got dirt cheap. Upon inspection of the tire i see its leather punched or vented. I tried using all kinds of stuffs to seal it up but still didint work. Is there any way to seal the vented tire up?

[Amatuerhour]

A patch on the inside would work.

But are you sure that you want to unvent them? Tires work much better when they are vented and the foam is allowed to work. I would not recommend sealing them.

[rockhopper2]

Id rather unvent them. I used an x acto knife to cut a small hole into a set of bfg krawlers and after a few runs theres a 2 inch slash on 2 tires. But i will leave the rims vented.

[Stuck]

Originally Posted by rockhopper2

I used an x acto knife to cut a small hole into a set of bfg krawlers

That's most likely why they ripped open. Use a leather punch or similar to eliminate excess cutting of tire. I have never ripped open a tire from a proper vent hole.

[QuesoDelDiablo]

A piece of bicycle tire tube secured with CA glue on the inside of the tire should do the trick.


Personally, I vent all my tires and seal the rims. Every rig. I use a small punch and I've never had a tear.

[Amatuerhour]

Here is some discussion about vented tires vs wheels:
Holes in tires or rims


The clean and circular hole that a leather punch makes is not likely to tear like a knife slice would.

[Stewdog]

I agree with the others. I have always vented the tires and sealed the wheels of all my basher and crawler rigs. Venting the rim only lets water and dirt in and not out. You really need the holes in the tires to let the debris out. I have 1/8 scale rigs with 50mph+ and vented tires, I have never had a tire rip from the vent hole and I have a ton of hours on them... for testing purposes.
I have seen them rip, but usually from the setups trying to go for speed only.

I have only burned or belt/leather punched the vent holes in the past. I would imagine cutting the vent holes with a knife of any kind would result in messed up tires most of the time.

[mewalsh100]

X4 on the leather punch!

[83trekker83]

Do you guys seal up the tires when running in water and mud? My trx4 says to seal them up when running in wet conditions.

[Stewdog]

Originally Posted by 83trekker83

Do you guys seal up the tires when running in water and mud? My trx4 says to seal them up when running in wet conditions.

If I'm running open cell/stock foam inside the tire then seal the tire. If you are running aftermarket closed cell foams then no need to seal the tire.

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Originally Posted by 83trekker83

Do you guys seal up the tires when running in water and mud? My trx4 says to seal them up when running in wet conditions.

Just use wheel speed to fling most of the water out after a wet run and be prepared for the fact that sooner or later those foams will die. Sometimes squeezing the tires will help push some water out as well.

When those foams do die, use that as an opportunity to upgrade to closed cell foams and never looks back..

[the Jeffro]

I run mine vented as said above for performance and never had a tear. I steer clear of using my rigs as boats because they are not but I will cross a tiny creek here and there.

If my foams do get really wet, i will just pop them out and place them in the dryer on LOW heat or air dry for about 10-15 mins and put them back in the next day after tires/ wheels are good and dry. If in a hurry just air dry tires/wheels with air hose and reassemble.

[HumboldtEF]

To answer the question I have used gorilla tape on the inside of the tire and E6000 to patch holes and thats held up and been air tight for 8 months or so. In your case since its a cut and now a larger rip I would first use CA (super glue) to glue the tire back together one small section at a time to make it easier and maybe use the gorilla tape on the inside. Tape might even be overkill as its not uncommon for people to cut whole sections of a tire and CA it back together to make smaller sized tires than whats available.

depends on how the hole was made, I'm now confused after re-reading your post, is it a punched hole or torn/cut?

[mewalsh100]

If you're set on in-venting them, you can use a glob of shoe-goo on the inside of the tire. Should be good to go.