|
Mounting tires yourself is not a difficult task if you have the basic tools at hand. Any person can do it if one has the right info.
To assemble your own tire and rim becomes a necessity if you need your own tire fixed on unholy hours where a local tire shop is not available. This is also possible if you want to avoid a long waiting time and you happen to need the tire done right away.
Your first job in mounting tires is to break the tire bead to separate the tire and rim. Hitting the tire with a big sledgehammer or using various ways like jacking the tire against a solid surface or even using another vehicle to run over it can do this. Once the bead is broken, it’s just a matter of sliding out the old tire from the rim by prying it out. Once separated, inspect the rim bead surface for any sharp dents that can damage the tire bead-sealing surface. You can feel this if you run your fingers on it. You can then sand the rim bead surface smooth and coat the tire bead surface with a 3m weather-strip (yellow) adhesive.
Sliding the tire thru the rims will require using a long pry bar called “spoon” which you can buy from your local parts store or JC Whitney. With one spoon inserted on one corner, you can insert and pry the second spoon to slide the tire into the rim. When both tires and rim are in place, the tires air valve can be pressurized with the correct air pressure. Care must be taken to seat the tire bead to the rim since the tire can “pop out” and explode which can cause injury. If everything is OK, you can then soak the tire in a tank of water to check for leaks.
Notes:
You can buy a cheap used tire balancer so you can balance the tire.
Cheap mounting tires tool can be bought from Harbour Freight which sells it for $35. It also includes a tire wrap rig that will help in seating the tire bead to the rim.
Here is the picture of a practical tire mounting tool:
Important discount tire related articles:
Check out your discount tire basics!
What you need to know to buy discount tires
Do you know your tire history?
Want better road handling? Get high performance tires!
Tire Inflation factor
Why do you need the correct TIRE PRESSURE?
Tire replacement secrets of tire dealers
Mounting tires...Can you do it yourself?
What causes tire blowouts? Check it here!
Tire rotation patterns
Buying used tires? Beware and get the info here!
Can you read your tire sidewall?
Changing tire size affects axle ratio!
Do you need tire maintenance?
Two causes of uneven tire wear
A tire pressure monitoring system can prevent costly tire blowouts.
Are tire sealant safe to use? Watch out when
you use them...
What's the big deal about winter tires?
How to find CHEAP and discounted tires in the internet
|
