Valve stem extender issue on Freightliner/Accuride wheels, again!

[Stuart W]

My 2023 DS on a FL chassis came without extensions and Newmar said they are not installing them do to safety concerns I know some 23’s had them until the stop was issued.

 

[Richpatty]

My 2023 DS on a FL chassis came without extensions and Newmar said they are not installing them do to safety concerns I know some 23’s had them until the stop was issued.

Interesting… so do you have the integrated TPMS? And can you reach the inner valve?

 

[Richpatty]

Good to know. I will be at Gaffney next month. Mine work fine, so I will take them all off and store them before I check in.

Good thought…. But I bet you would need to take the tire off to remove the extensions… no?

 

[Joe Hogan]

These are the aftermarket extensions we used for years prior to going to solid brass valve stems

 

[Richpatty]

Thanks Joe. And I used something similar on my old 2007 gasser back in the day, but I am not sure what to use on these aluminum rims…and even less so on how I would install them. I am not really equipped to pull off the outer dually.

 

[Boat Bum]

Is it ok to reuse valve extenders if they appear and work fine? It's not the cost I'm concerned about but the proper fit, my current setup works well with my flow through sensors fitting and I like to stick with them rather than ending up with ill fitting extenders that can't accommodate my sensors.



Thanks!

 

[jbh]

DL1FC Chrome Duallyvalve Kit

DL1FC Chrome Duallyvalve Kit

yourtireshopsupply.com

 

[Stuart W]

Interesting… so do you have the integrated TPMS? And can you reach the inner valve?

Yes internal sensors, require a special tool to remove valve caps and a long, straight inflator

 

[Joe Hogan]

Alcoa makes nice grommets for aluminum wheels to stabilize rear inside wheel valve stem https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZX9S1C5/?tag=rvf01-20

 

[Richpatty]

Alcoa makes nice grommets for aluminum wheels to stabilize rear inside wheel valve stem https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZX9S1C5/?tag=rvf01-20

Good to have….now I just need to have someone install the extensions.

 

[Richpatty]

Yes internal sensors, require a special tool to remove valve caps and a long, straight inflator

Thanks Stuart. What kind of tool? I have been thinking of developing some type of tool that could be used to attach to the TPMS cap and be able to unscrew it…

 

[Stuart W]

Thanks Stuart. What kind of tool? I have been thinking of developing some type of tool that could be used to attach to the TPMS cap and be able to unscrew it…

 

[Rich W.]

Alcoa makes nice grommets for aluminum wheels to stabilize rear inside wheel valve stem https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZX9S1C5/?tag=rvf01-20

I don’t know what FL is using now, but for a long time they used Accuride Accu-shield wheels with sort of “D” shaped slots and they use these rubber isolators:

This is what happens to the valve stem extenders when the rubber isolators work loose from their position in the wheel slot:


The first two pics are a valve stem extender I cleaned up for photos - you can see in the second pic that this stem was very close to failure. I watch them much more closely now.

 

[Richpatty]

Thanks Stuart. I need to figure out how to modify that tool to hold the sensors…. But I am thinking it will be tight in there to maneuver…

 

[Rich W.]

I’ll keep using the extenders and rubber isolators and I carry a couple spares of each, but as mentioned earlier, I installed the isolators with VHB tape and they haven’t moved since. This is far preferable to dealing with a short valve stem on inner wheel.

 

[osuallen]

Good thought…. But I bet you would need to take the tire off to remove the extensions… no?

I have not tried in my DS, but I could on my Canyon Star. Wasn't very easy, but I was able to do it.

 

[FLSteve]

Please elaborate...are they not putting extensions on inner tires now?

Every Newmar coach I have bought already had them installed as original equipment ... except for the 2025 I just got. So I ordered this set which also has the rubber stabilizers just to get me going until I can get longer valves stems installed like @redbaron suggested.

FLSteve

Amazon.com

 

[DennisT]

As long as the stabilizers are correct for your rims….

Ours are not circular like the ones you linked to so they would not work for our coach.

We had the dealer install them and the key is getting the stabilizers held in place properly. Ours have not moved in the 2 1/2 years we’ve been running them. I do check at each stop since those coming loose are a cause of the extension failing.

 

[AbdRahim]

Is it ok to reuse valve extenders if they appear and work fine? It's not the cost I'm concerned about but the proper fit, my current setup works well with my flow through sensors fitting and I like to stick with them rather than ending up with ill fitting extenders that can't accommodate my sensors.



Thanks!

They do wear out eventually. Mine have been onfor five years. I just got new tires and the re-installed the old extenders. The no longer worked the the pass thru tpms sensors. He replaced them with new ones which work fine.

 

[thepopstep]

I Thought this problem was solved, but it’s not. The guys at the tire shop said the valve stems on the inners were bent causing the issue and they re-bent them so it “wouldn’t happen again”. But of course it did. So I got another set of extenders and installed them, but I need the new, improved rubber isolators for these wheels (anybody have a line on them?) and in the mean time I secured the existing rubber isolators with VHB tape and its held for the last 1500 miles or so. But given how close this one was to wearing through I thought I’d post about it again. I hit this one with a wire wheel to clean it up for the picture and you can see how close it was to wearing through. So check those isolators for the valve stem extenders, just in case. View attachment 14737View attachment 14738View attachment 14739

And yeah, you’re absolutely right to post again. Those isolators? They’re doing way more work than anyone gives them credit for.... especially on the duals. Without them, that gentle wheel rotation turns into a slow-motion chew-fest for your valve stems. Yours was so close to blowing through, it gave me that weird pit-of-the-stomach feeling just looking at it.

The VHB tape solution is clever, by the way MacGyver would approve. 1,500 miles and still holding? That’s not nothing. Still, you’re smart to keep it as a temp fix. Those isolators degrade fast with road heat and vibration, and if one pops loose on the highway? Well, you’ve probably already imagined the soundtrack for that.

As for the “improved” rubber isolators, they exist, but finding them is like trying to locate your favorite 10mm socket: you know it’s out there, but where? I’ve heard some folks have had luck with:

• Crossfire dual tire equalizers – Some kits include upgraded isolators or better brackets that help with that sidewall rub issue.
• Duallyvalve.com – They've got a decent rep, and their kits sometimes ship with heavy-duty isolators that hold better.
• And weirdly—Amazon or Sprinter RV forums. Occasionally someone finds a perfect-fit part and posts a link before it disappears forever.