Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Front wheel valve type?

I'm ordering some chrome front wheels from MWS with Blockley tires fitted and they asked me: "The tubes quoted have a metallic valve, we can offer rubber valves instead if you wish."

Is rubber better than metal somehow?

I suggest rubber on one side and metal on the other. Swap wheels every 500 miles

Metal valves are fine on the fronts.

For info, rubber valves must be used on the rear.

[quote For info, rubber valves must be used on the rear.[/quote]

?? Please explain.

The rear wheel has a tubeless tyre and a normal rubber valve stem but make sure it is a short type, the long valve stem will get very close to the drive belt and could get damaged by it. This is also the reason why bulky pressure transmitting valve caps are not a good idea, as some found out.

The problem with non-stainless steel valves is that the valve cap can corrode and fuse to the valve body with the action of road salt. With my last tin-top I had the have all four valves cut off and replaced, at no small cost!

If you use a metal valve stem on the rear and (in the admittedly unlikely event) it catches on the belt it would rip the valve out and deflate the rear tyre. A rubber valve stem flexes and is less likely to cause a blowout.

Metal valve caps are fine and I'd recommend using ones with a gasket as they provide additional protection against the valve core leaking. For example something along the lines of:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15372265...yWDn_SkjgnbXR7M7Pj7pG_14suRoC50cQAvD_BwE

A good tip (thanks MarkH) is to paint the rear tyre cap white - it makes it much easier to spot from under the car when you're trying to check the pressure

And a final tip is to use a tyre paint pencil to mark arrows on the rear tyre sidewall pointing to the valve so you know whether ot roll the car backwards or forwards to get to the valve

Wise words. This happened to a friend's car that had just had a new tyre fitted with a long valve stem. It was hitting the belt on rotation and the valve insert DID come loose and the tyre DID suddenly deflate when the car was travelling at speed. The car spun in the road and it's a miracle that it didn't flip. Fortunately no one died but there could have been a very different outcome. When the new (shorter) valve stem was fitted it was also fitted with a metal, o-ringed cap as Chris recommends.

reminds me of people replacing a straight stem with one with a 90o angle. seems the centrifugal force was not a good thing