[Scott Hersha]

I know there is an old thread dealing with this problem, but not sure if anything has been resolved. I assembled my wheel and tire assemblies today and had trouble making the valve stem line up straight when inflated. It seems as though the 90 degree bend is too far away from the tube and when inflated, the expanded tube forces the valve stem base toward the and this in turn forces the tip of the stem to angle away in order for it to pass through the wheel. I'll try to post pictures to show what I mean. The plans call for throwing away the two nuts and washer mounted on the stem, but I've found if I mount the washer at the stem base, secured by the thin nut, it lessens the stress on the valve stem by not allowing the base of the valve stem to be so closes to the center and it stands a little straighter coming back out of the wheel. Without this, I don't think I can inflate or check tire pressure because the stem tip is actually pressed firmly against the wheel rim. I don't know if there's anything wrong with using the hardware, but without is seems to be unacceptable. I called Van's about it and they didn't seem to know of any previous problems. I'm going to email Gus some pics too to see what he thinks. If you could get a tube with the previously mentioned '?' shaped valve stem, that would probably solve the problem.

 

[scard]

Yep, I know exactly what you're talking about. I had the same problem. Different tubes (air-stops) were my solution. They have a slightly different stem.

 

[mannanj]

Tubes.

If you don't have them already; Michelin Air Stop Tubes are the way to go. You don't have to add air to them nearly as often as with the regular ones. They are well worth the money if getting to the stems to add air is difficult on your airplane.

 

[tinman]

I'm a newbie to aircraft ownership...
Do you guys and gals replace your tubes each time that you replace your tires?