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Mounting your own tires?



 
 
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  #11  
Old May 22nd 04, 07:48 PM
John Kunkel
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"Doc" > wrote in message
om...
> I just discovered Harbor Freight stores recently and noticed they had
> a tire mounting tool as well as a tire balancing tool.
>
> If they work, it would sure represent quite a savings over time if I
> mounted my own tires. Anyone ever used one of these and have a feel
> for how well they work? I have an '89 Toyota Cressida with what appear
> to be aluminum wheels. Should this tire mounting tool work with these
> kind of rims?




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  #12  
Old May 22nd 04, 07:57 PM
Daniel Dravot
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"Doc" > wrote in message
om...
> I just discovered Harbor Freight stores recently and noticed they had
> a tire mounting tool as well as a tire balancing tool.
>
> If they work, it would sure represent quite a savings over time if I
> mounted my own tires. Anyone ever used one of these and have a feel
> for how well they work? I have an '89 Toyota Cressida with what appear
> to be aluminum wheels. Should this tire mounting tool work with these
> kind of rims?


Hell, around here in south Georgia, any local redneck can mount a tire using
nothing but his bare feet, a big screwdriver and some tobacco juice spit;-)

Dan'l.


  #13  
Old May 22nd 04, 08:51 PM
Bob Paulin
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wrote in article
<SyIrc.95810$iF6.8420467@attbi_s02>...
>
>
> On 22-May-2004,
(Doc) wrote:
>
> > Yes, it's a bubble balancer. No time like the present to learn. I just
> > got done putting in another engine/transmission, and heft plenty 'o
> > iron at the gym, I imagine I can handle mounting tires, if in fact the
> > machine works halfway decent. And hey, I have a large supply of
> > expletives to draw upon. The thing would pay for itself on the first
> > set of tires.

>
> -- Years ago (like in the fifties) bubble balancers were the only thing
> available. And lots of places still use them, especially places that deal
> only in used tires. A sharp guy who does this for a living can do a fair

job
> with one of these. But it's easy to have too much weight on one side or

the
> other of the wheel. A spin balancer takes the guesswork out, and you get

the
> right amount of weight on each side every time. If you just jig around

town,
> a bubble balancer is fine. If you drive the freeways, pay for the spin
> balance.



On page 75 of the March 2002 Street Rod Builder Magazine, it states,
"Goodyear uses a good old-fashioned bubble-balancer to balance large
diameter, fat-tread street rod tires....a good bubble balance is perfectly
accurate....Finally, spin balancers are not designed for use on
large-diameter tires."

I use a Micro M-60 bubble balancer for ten-inch, oval-track race car tires
and my personal street vehicles - all of which run 55 and 60-series BFG
Radial T/A. Not a shake in the bunch at speeds from 70 mph on up.

The key is to do it correctly - with four weights evenly split front/rear -
not just pile on weight opposite the heavy spot.


Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E.
Race Car Chassis Analysis & Setup Services

  #15  
Old May 23rd 04, 12:49 PM
Doc
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> wrote in message >...

>
> For those of us who grew up in rural areas, mounting and dismounting tires
> is not exactly rocket science. You can break the bead with the car's own
> jack, dismount and mount the tire with simple tire irons, seat the bead with
> air pressure, and balance it with a bubble balancer. No big deal, really.


Can you outline how you break the bead with the jack?
  #16  
Old May 23rd 04, 02:39 PM
Don Bruder
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In article >,
(Doc) wrote:

> > wrote in message >...
>
> >
> > For those of us who grew up in rural areas, mounting and dismounting tires
> > is not exactly rocket science. You can break the bead with the car's own
> > jack, dismount and mount the tire with simple tire irons, seat the bead with
> > air pressure, and balance it with a bubble balancer. No big deal, really.

>
> Can you outline how you break the bead with the jack?


Pull the valve core out, and set the tire/wheel assembly on a hard
surface under the car or other *VERY* heavy item. Car is usually
handiest and heaviest. Set the jack base on tire (not on wheel!) near
bead, under something solid on car. Operate jack until bead breaks. If
needed, rotate tire/wheel, reposition jack, and repeat until bead is
broken around entire rim. Even a "tough" tire usually only takes 2-3
times of pumping up the jack to get one side ccompletely broken loose.
Often, once gets things started well enough to easily finish by hand or
with a tire iron or large screwdriver.

Variation (but only if you've got good solid steel frame doors that can
take this sort of thing):
Tire against one side of building doorway, jack placed horizontally
(don't try this with a hydraulic jack that isn't designed for horizontal
use) against tire and other side of doorway. Proceed as above.

Basically, you've just turned your car/jack or doorway/jack into a crude
press, rated at about the lower of either the jack's rated capacity (if
you use the doorframe method, the frame's "crushability" will come into
play, too, but...) or half the weight of your car or whatever object you
used to pin the jack down.

Didn't realize you bought a shop tool at the same time you bought the
car, didja?

--
Don Bruder -
- New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
I respond to Email as quick as humanly possible. If you Email me and get no
response, see <http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd/main/contact.html> Short
form: I'm trashing EVERYTHING that doesn't contain a password in the subject.
  #17  
Old May 23rd 04, 02:41 PM
Al Bosch
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If I remember right, put the jack base on the bead and jack up the
car/truck. The weight breaks the bead. At least that's the Arkansas
way......
"Doc" > wrote in message
om...
> > wrote in message >...
>
> >
> > For those of us who grew up in rural areas, mounting and dismounting

tires
> > is not exactly rocket science. You can break the bead with the car's

own
> > jack, dismount and mount the tire with simple tire irons, seat the bead

with
> > air pressure, and balance it with a bubble balancer. No big deal,

really.
>
> Can you outline how you break the bead with the jack?



  #18  
Old May 23rd 04, 07:29 PM
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"Don Bruder" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> (Doc) wrote:
>
> > > wrote in message >...
> >
> > >
> > > For those of us who grew up in rural areas, mounting and dismounting

tires
> > > is not exactly rocket science. You can break the bead with the car's

own
> > > jack, dismount and mount the tire with simple tire irons, seat the

bead with
> > > air pressure, and balance it with a bubble balancer. No big deal,

really.
> >
> > Can you outline how you break the bead with the jack?

>
> Pull the valve core out, and set the tire/wheel assembly on a hard
> surface under the car or other *VERY* heavy item. Car is usually
> handiest and heaviest. Set the jack base on tire (not on wheel!) near
> bead, under something solid on car. Operate jack until bead breaks. If
> needed, rotate tire/wheel, reposition jack, and repeat until bead is
> broken around entire rim. Even a "tough" tire usually only takes 2-3
> times of pumping up the jack to get one side ccompletely broken loose.
> Often, once gets things started well enough to easily finish by hand or
> with a tire iron or large screwdriver.


What he said, except nix the big screwdriver. The sharp corners of the
screwdriver can cause leaks later on due to scratches on the rim or tears in
the tire rubber.

Real tire irons are a must have and not that expensive. They are just about
extinct at normal auto parts stores, but are easily found at farm and
motorcycle parts outlets. The longer the better. When using the tire iron,
make sure that the opposite side of the bead is pushed into the valley of
the rim and that the bead is well lubricated. You shouldn't have to use
excessive force at any time.

George


  #19  
Old May 24th 04, 06:27 AM
Bubba Kahuna (only 1 'J' in my address)
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<<<snip>>>
>
> I was impressed. It takes the guys at the tire shop (complete with four
> flavors of tire machine to choose from) longer to get a tire off of or
> onto one of my 13 inch "normal car" wheels than it took this guy to
> remove AND replace that big ol' 30-ish inch truck tire that probably
> weighed as much as he did!
>
> Never underestimate the speed/power/capability of non-machine methods of
> doing things...
>


LOL, good story. Sounds like me in the 70's.
I worked in a garage and changed more tires than I could ever remember
with a 'machine' that looked almost exactly like the HF things do - and
I might have weighed all of 130 pounds. They aren't really that hard to
use once you get the hang of it. Of course, I had a pro teach me how to
use it on day-one. I've seen others ruin brand new tires and/or rims by
trying to force it because they were strong and just 'wanted to get it
done' without proper training or were in a bigass hurry. Like any skill,
practice makes perfect and patience is a virtue. Tire beads aren't very
tough compared to a steel rim spoon and a grease monkey in a hurry.

Here's my advice: Buy the HF tire changer, bolt it securely to your
garage floor with concrete anchors and practice taking off AND
re-installing your OLD tires about 5 or 6 times before you tear up the
bead on brand new tires. Take your time, be patient and don't get ****ed
off when it doesn't work right and force things - you'll be glad you
did. Be especially careful with aluminum rims, they don't take much to
score the metal with a steel rim spoon and there's almost no fixing them
once they're scored - they might always leak no matter how much snot you
pour into the tire.

Use a LOT of very soapy water to lube the bead going on AND off the rim.
Clean the rim to look like new once the tires are de-mounted. Be
especially picky about this! Nothing is more annoying than a leaker
caused by a poorly cleaned rim.

Good luck,
- Jeff G

  #20  
Old May 24th 04, 04:39 PM
Rex B
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On Sat, 22 May 2004 14:51:23 -0500, "Bob Paulin" > wrote:

||
||
wrote in article
||<SyIrc.95810$iF6.8420467@attbi_s02>...
||>
||>
||> On 22-May-2004, (Doc) wrote:
||>
||> > Yes, it's a bubble balancer. No time like the present to learn. I just
||> > got done putting in another engine/transmission, and heft plenty 'o
||> > iron at the gym, I imagine I can handle mounting tires, if in fact the
||> > machine works halfway decent. And hey, I have a large supply of
||> > expletives to draw upon. The thing would pay for itself on the first
||> > set of tires.
||>
||> -- Years ago (like in the fifties) bubble balancers were the only thing
||> available. And lots of places still use them, especially places that deal
||> only in used tires. A sharp guy who does this for a living can do a fair
||job
||> with one of these. But it's easy to have too much weight on one side or
||the
||> other of the wheel. A spin balancer takes the guesswork out, and you get
||the
||> right amount of weight on each side every time. If you just jig around
||town,
||> a bubble balancer is fine. If you drive the freeways, pay for the spin
||> balance.
||
||
||On page 75 of the March 2002 Street Rod Builder Magazine, it states,
||"Goodyear uses a good old-fashioned bubble-balancer to balance large
||diameter, fat-tread street rod tires....a good bubble balance is perfectly
||accurate....Finally, spin balancers are not designed for use on
||large-diameter tires."
||
||I use a Micro M-60 bubble balancer for ten-inch, oval-track race car tires
||and my personal street vehicles - all of which run 55 and 60-series BFG
||Radial T/A. Not a shake in the bunch at speeds from 70 mph on up.
||
||The key is to do it correctly - with four weights evenly split front/rear -
||not just pile on weight opposite the heavy spot.

I agree. Up until very recently, Goodyear's travelling racer support guys used
only bubble balancers to balance tires at the SCCA Runoffs. If that was good
enough for a 180 mph Formula Atlantic, it's good enough for my wheels. I have
used a bubble balancer for years on my own race cars, no problem at 120 mph.
Several of my friends have the HF bubble balancer for use on their race cars,
and they work fine. I recently ran across a deal on a used spin balancer, which
is a little easier to use.

As for the HF mounting tool, you do need to bolt it down, but they are usable.
I had one bolted to my trailer tongue, where it doubled as a mountain bike rack.
I rarely used it, but it worked OK. Breaking the bead is the hard part. Get
some bead lubricant - AGS or Joe's. For $40 it's cheap enough to try it out.
And if you are in the DFW area, I have one I'll make you a deal on, used very
little.

Last time I needed 4 race tires mounted and balanced, Discount Tire quoted me
$77. that's with me bring in the wheels and giving them seveal days to get it
done. I made up my mind to get mey own equipment. I now have a Coats rim-clamp
tire changer and a Hunter electronic wheel balancer, with $800 in the pair.
Texas Parts Guy
 




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