tires and wheels WANTED: Photo of a Metal Valve Stem for a Steel Wheel

[Conserv]

I know from other threads that some of you have 40-year-old XAS's, still mounted on their original steel wheels. Could someone please send me, or post, a good photo of an original metal valve stem on a 2002 steelie?

I have more old wheels than my wife dare know about, but I do not have a single metal valve stem still mounted on a steelie. I don't know whether BMW originally used the same metal valve stems for steel and alloy wheels. An alloy wheel stem (PN 36 12 1 1193 32) remains available and might work on a steelie, but I'd like to see an original stem from a steelie.

Thanks,

Steve

[napa02]

Ok, I'll bite... Why all the fuss over O.E. steel valve stems? What's your master plan here?

[Conserv]

Ok, I'll bite... Why all the fuss over O.E. steel valve stems? What's your master plan here?

No fuss, really.

Master plan? Sort of. I bought my '76 new and kept it "original," at least as I personally defined that term over 36 years: 165 XAS's, Solex, even my pollution controls are still operational. I'm slowly working through the car to "restore" it, and realizing how loose I was in defining original!

For instance, In the early '80s, Michelin stopped producing tubeless XAS's, leaving XAS fans with tube-type tires only. So...I chucked out those original metal valve stems. Who knew I'd own this car in perpetuity? Now I'm trying to find these missing pieces. My quandary with the metal valve stems, however, will be what tires to use with them. I run XAS's on OEM alloys, but I can't run tube-type XAS's with metal valve stems so I'm looking at possibly running Vredesteins on my original steelies, with metal valve stems. Or does someone still make a 165-13 tube with a metal valve stem.....

Steve

[Cyclone101]

Google is yer friend...

Found this, http://www.mandhtires.com/900-15-NR-Racing-Tube-With-metal-valve-stem#.T7X0ey-6ORY

And this is an interesting option: http://www.mandhtires.com/900-15-NR-Racing-Tube-With-metal-valve-stem#.T7X0ey-6ORY

Regards

Jacques

[Conserv]

Google is yer friend...

Found this, http://www.mandhtires.com/900-15-NR-Racing-Tube-With-metal-valve-stem#.T7X0ey-6ORY

And this is an interesting option: http://www.mandhtires.com/900-15-NR-Racing-Tube-With-metal-valve-stem#.T7X0ey-6ORY

Regards

Jacques

Thank you, Jacques. But these are for 14" and 15" wheels. I've not yet seen a tube with metal valve stem that will fit a 165-13!

Thanks and regards,

Steve

[MikeD]

Steve....I have the original valve stems still mounted on the original steel wheels on my 76. I will take a picture of them this evening when I get home and send it to you.

[Conserv]

Steve....I have the original valve stems still mounted on the original steel wheels on my 76. I will take a picture of them this evening when I get home and send it to you.

Thank you, Mike. I would greatly appreciate that!

Steve

[Bill_Riblett]

I know from other threads that some of you have 40-year-old XAS's, still mounted on their original steel wheels. Could someone please send me, or post, a good photo of an original metal valve stem on a 2002 steelie?

I have more old wheels than my wife dare know about, but I do not have a single metal valve stem still mounted on a steelie. I don't know whether BMW originally used the same metal valve stems for steel and alloy wheels. An alloy wheel stem (PN 36 12 1 1193 32) remains available and might work on a steelie, but I'd like to see an original stem from a steelie.

Thanks,

Steve

Back in the 70s, the XASs that I saw installed on new 2002s came with tubes not valve stems.

[Conserv]

Back in the 70s, the XASs that I saw installed on new 2002s came with tubes not valve stems.

Thanks, Bill. And you may be correct for many, possibly most, 2002s. We've seen with many features that BMW wasn't as systematic as we might have hoped or believed!

But the car I know best, my '76, came with tubeless XAS's and metal valve stems. A previous '69 I purchased in '73, with 16,000 miles on it, had original XAS's. I cannot recall if its XAS's were tube or tubeless -- I totaled it before I had to replace the tires -- but it had metal valve stems, either independent stems or as components of the tubes. Either way, there must be few examples out there!

Thanks and regards,

Steven

[MikeD]

I emailed you the pictures. This is the original valve stem on the original wheel with the original XAS tubeless tire. This came from the trunk of my car and was never used. I am the original owner so I know it is correct. For some reason I couldn't get them to post here.

Mike

[MikeD]

Ok. I figured it out. Here are the pictures. Both my 74 and 76 are identical. As you can see they came with rubber stems with metal caps.

[Conserv]

Thank you, Mike. Do they still have, or do you know, the original tires? Tube-type or tubeless Michelin XAS's?

Thanks and regards,

Steve

[MikeD]

Steve....the original tires are XAS tubeless. I never had a tube type tire. Both cars came with the XAS tubeless. I know you said you thought they were metal valve stems but maybe you were remembering the metal cap that came with them instead they being all metal. I guess it is possible some of the 2002's those years came with all metal valve stems on the stock steel wheels but mine are as pictured.

Regards,

Mike

[Conserv]

Steve....the original tires are XAS tubeless. I never had a tube type tire. Both cars came with the XAS tubeless. I know you said you thought they were metal valve stems but maybe you were remembering the metal cap that came with them instead they being all metal. I guess it is possible some of the 2002's those years came with all metal valve stems on the stock steel wheels but mine are as pictured.

Regards,

Mike

Thank you, Mike. That's exactly the type of input I was looking for!

My '76 did come with XAS tubeless tires and metal valve stems with metal caps. My original metal caps, however, were even different from yours: they had "prongs" on top that one could use to remove the Schrader valve from the valve stem. Again, this tells me that consistency wasn't always the factory's greatest strength (my car is also one of those oddball '76s that came without a metal VIN plate)!

I greatly appreciate your help.

Regards,

Steve