Tire valve nipple too short?

[jackronner]

Finding my front tire was nearly flat, I smugly pulled out an aerosol can of Fix A Flat.  It was about 3 months old and never used.  But it would not feed the sealant or gas into the tire.  Dealt with the flat tire, but the tire shop worker had some difficulty getting a connection to the air compressor hose head.  I then vaguely recalled having had similar trouble when personally topping up the pressure at a service station.  I attributed it to those particular pump nozzles.  But the tire guy had said that the nipple was a little short.  Then I thought it might mean I couldn't screw the aerosol down far enough to hit the actuator stud in the can's connector, and that perhaps those service station pumps similarly required a longer tire nipple.  Anybody experienced this?  I'm wondering if you can loosen the nut at the base of the tire's nipple, and then back it out a bit farther?  Or does BMW or someone else make a longer after-market nipple?  Poorly designed IMHO.

[ds99]

this may help, i am not sure...


you can get right-angle tyre valve adapters, which you use when the valve is hard to get to.


you can get ones which you use, then remove, and ones which you attach permanently to the tyre


https://www.amazon.com/AutoEC-Extension ... ref=sr_1_1


https://www.jpcycles.com/product/zz2173 ... valve-stem

[jackronner]

Thanks.  I'll look into that.

[Qball-16]

Not sure if yours is the same, but on my '06 the valve stem on the front wheel is threaded in from the outside, at the base of one of the cast aluminum wheel spokes.  I suspect it's a specialty stem specific to BMW, but could be wrong.  If yours is the same, I don't think a 90 degree adapter would be all that helpful, and a 90 degree replacement stem would not really work at all.


I installed a 90 degree stem on my rear wheel, since the stock rubber valve stem was in the middle of the wheel and pointed straight up - very hard to get to with a standard angled air chuck or gauge.

[David.]

Halfords Metal Valve Tyre Extenders, https://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools ... -extenders

[Sullivj]

Make sure you test them out before you get stranded.


Like some petrol station compressors, some of these extenders will screw on enough to let the air out, but not far enough to form a seal which allows air to go into the tyre.

[CliveJ]

Pop down to your local tyre fitting station & see what they have in valve extensions that will fit & use when needed.        you can then fit it when needed to inflate the tyre’s then remove it to store on the bike.

[jackronner]

Thanks again to all your help, guys.