Can Inner Tubes Be Installed in Tubeless Tires?
3 Answers
Tubeless tires can accommodate inner tubes. As long as there are no damaged or abrasive areas inside the original tubeless tire that could wear the inner tube, you can directly install the inner tube without adding a liner. Adding a liner may cause tire distortion and vehicle wobbling during driving. It's also important to note that installing an inner tube will, to some extent, wear the valve area of the original tubeless tire, potentially causing issues when switching back to tubeless tires in the future. Below are precautions for using tubeless tires: 1. Maintain the specified tire pressure. Tubeless tires are made of high-quality rubber with excellent elasticity and flexibility, adapting well to a wide range of pressures. Even at high pressure, they don't feel as hard as conventional tires, so always use a pressure gauge to check. Unlike conventional tires, tubeless tires generally don't lose air unless punctured. Therefore, always use a pressure gauge to check and maintain the specified pressure—never rely on manual feel to decide whether to add air. 2. Not suitable for overloading. Tubeless tires are wear-resistant but not pressure-resistant. Some heavy-duty trucks use tubeless tires for the steering wheels while keeping conventional steel-belted tires for the drive wheels to ensure load capacity and improve driving comfort. 3. Avoid punctures from sharp objects and contact with acids, alkalis, or oil, as these can accelerate rubber degradation. Keep the tires clean to prevent rubber aging and extend their lifespan. 4. Tubeless tires perform well on asphalt and concrete roads, maintaining strong traction even on wet surfaces and offering good stability. However, they have poor traction and stability on dirt roads, especially muddy ones. Motorcycles with tubeless tires are best suited for urban use and not recommended for off-road or rural dirt roads.
As a veteran mechanic with over a decade of experience, I strongly advise against doing this. Tubeless tires are designed to seal air through the tight fit between the tire bead and the rim. Adding an inner tube can actually create hazards. Just last month, a motorcycle forced an inner tube into a tubeless tire, resulting in unstable tire pressure that led to a blowout and even deformed the rim. The truth is, tubeless tires have a sealing compound layer inside—installing an inner tube scrapes this off completely, making it nearly impossible to restore the original setup later. If you absolutely must do it in an emergency, there are specially designed heavy-duty inner tubes available, but regular inner tubes should never be used. Otherwise, hitting a pothole could send both rider and bike flying.
When I was into mountain bike modifications, I tried putting inner tubes in tubeless tires, and it was a total nightmare. The inner tubes would get worn out by the tread patterns inside the tire, going flat after just half an hour of riding at full pressure. The rim edges of tubeless tires have special grooves to lock the tire beads, but regular inner tubes prevent the beads from seating properly, causing the tire to slide on the rim during turns—super dangerous! Once, I almost crashed into a ditch downhill because of this. Later, I found out that the tubeless tire's airtight layer peels off when rubbing against the inner tube, which can even cause the rim to rust. Now, I just buy dedicated TPU ultra-light inner tubes designed for tubeless tires. They're pricey but hassle-free.
