Posted by Charlie on July 31, 1999 at 16:21:26:
In Reply to: Re: split rims MODIFICATION TO USE TUBELESS TIRES posted by WOJ on July 31, 1999 at 14:24:56:
Michelin Tire inform me that a thing called a "sprat" can be used inside a split rim. It's a rubber piece that covers all the gaps, and it makes the split rim leakless. Then a tubeless tire can be used. It's a partial tube. The absence of a tube in the tread area, where punctures occur, causes punctures (at least in good tires like Michelin truck tires) to leak very slowly. One time I drove 300 miles with a 1/4" railway spike in the tread of my 9.00R16 XL with no loss of air pressure; I discovered it by the "tink-tink" noise it made on pavement. If I'd had a tube, it would have been instant flat. Maybe someone who knows firsthand about sprats can illuminate us.
Charlie