An important element of your safety

Any wheel element on its own is useless. A tire separate from the rim, or both of these elements without air pressure, cannot provide vehicle handling. Of course, a wheel assembly is useless without air pressure. This is where the valve plays a crucial role. But the most indifference has been shown to the valve cap! As practice shows, in vain.

The valve cap does not hold pressure, and at first glance, its role may seem decorative. Many think so, replacing the standard plastic valve cap with shiny analogs, usually made of unknown alloys. Such "tuning" often leads to serious problems, and here's how it happens.

The valve body is made of steel or brass. When in contact with other metals or alloys, they do not react, but it's worth remembering that on the road, there is a constant mixture of many chemical components. If we don't take into account dirt and sand, then on the road, there is enough windshield fluid, oils, and in the winter, a mass of reagents. Any of these components can get on the valve, gluing the cap almost permanently.

Now, let's imagine a situation. You're in a hurry and come out to your car, and suddenly, you completely accidentally notice that one of the wheels is flat. All car owners know that this doesn't necessarily require driving over some foreign object or pothole; the wheel can lose pressure from a self-tapping screw, of which there are enough on our roads. You can't drive, of course. You take out the compressor from the trunk to pump up the wheel, but the cap won't budge. No effort or lubricant, which you don't have at hand anyway, will help. No filing or twisting will help, unfortunately. The only way out is to remove the wheel and take it to a tire shop. There, you'll have to pay for tire mounting and a new valve installation.

In total, the stylish cap from "AliExpress" cost:
- taxi costs
- costs of disassembling the wheel and installing a new valve
- lost time

How to protect yourself from this? Use only plastic valve caps. Even if you have steel valves with steel caps from the car dealership, it's better to replace them. Plastic valve caps come in different colors, including gray. Plastic will never "stick" and won't let you down.