As we all know, the only part of the vehicle in contact with the ground is the tire. Tires are actually made up of multiple components that are necessary for the tire to function optimally and allow the vehicle to reach its potential. Tires are critical to a vehicle's performance, feel, handling, and most importantly, safety. It is not only rubber tires that ensure safety during driving, but the tire valve is also a key part in the tire.
What Is Tire Valve?
A tire valve is a self-contained valve body device that, when opened, allows air to enter the space of a tubeless tire or tube, and then automatically closes and seals to create air pressure to prevent air from escaping the tire or tube. Except for solid tires, all other tires or inner tubes that must be inflated need to be inflated with this device.
How Many Styles Of Tire Valve?
The classification of tire valves depends on which aspects are classified. It can be classified from the model used, or it can be classified from the material of the valve. Under different standards, the classification is also different. The following can be classified according to the way of assembly and can be divided into rubber snap-in and high-pressure metal clamp-in.
Tubeless Rubber Snap-In Valves
The tubeless rubber snap-in valve has a maximum cold tire inflation pressure of 65psi and is primarily designed for use on cars, light trucks and light trailers. Rubber snap-in valves can be used to mount 0.453" or 0.625" diameter holes in the rim, and are available in lengths ranging from 7/8" to 2-1/2". Basically, the valve comes with a plastic cap as standard, but it can also be customized with a chrome cap or a copper cap to suit the look of the wheel.
High-Pressure Metal Clamp-In Valves
The high-pressure metal pinch valve can fit almost any car model, and we recommend metal valves for performance cars and vehicles that may be driven aggressively at speeds in excess of 130 mph. The metal pinch valve seals the wheel with a rubber gasket while tightening the retaining nut. While the design and styling of metal clip-on valves may result in the retaining nut being hidden inside the wheel or visible on the outside, those with the retaining nut on the outside offer the practical benefit of allowing the retaining nut to be inspected and adjusted without removing the tire tightness from the wheel. Metal pinch valves allow a maximum working pressure of 200 psi and can be used to mount 0.453" or 0.625" rim holes, as well as special applications such as 6mm (.236") or 8mm (.315") holes.
How To Tell The Quality Of Tire Valve?
For the rubber valve, the corresponding quality of different materials is also different. The valve is mainly composed of rubber, valve stem and valve core. Among the common rubbers are natural rubber and EPDM rubber. The valve stem material is available in brass and aluminum options. The valve core is commonly made of brass core, but some regional markets choose to use zinc core because the price of zinc core is relatively cheap. Generally, for high-quality valves, we recommend the use of brass stem and brass cores.
Is There Any Difference Between Natural Rubber And EPMD Rubber?
First of all, natural rubber is obtained from plants such as rubber trees, while EPDM rubber is artificially synthesized; EPDM rubber products become hard and brittle after aging, while natural rubber products become soft and sticky after aging.
The heat aging performance of EPDM rubber is better than that of natural rubber; the insulation performance and anti-corrosion performance of EPDM rubber are also better than those of natural rubber; the waterproof, superheated water and water vapor performance of EPDM rubber It is much better than natural rubber, the most outstanding performance is high pressure steam resistance, even better than fluorine rubber; another advantage is that EPDM rubber has the largest filling amount, which can be filled with various carbon blacks and fillers. It does not affect many properties of the product and so on.
Therefore, combined with the above analysis, the material combination we recommend for the highest quality valve is EPDM rubber + Brass stem + Brass core.
Post time: Apr-29-2022