Tire Changing

[ddaniels]

I decided to try my hand at removing my rear tire from the rim myself last night. That old thing was so stiff that I could not get the bead up over the edge of the rim. Scratched up a place on the rim pretty good too. Dang it! So, I took my jig saw and sawed through the side wall all the way around seperating the beads from the rest of the tire on each side. Then it was easy to get off. I sure hope it's not that hard to put the new tires on, or else I'll have to have somebody else do it for me.

 

[Nessism]

What type of rim protectors are you using? The Motion Pro version works pretty well.

 

[850 Combat]

I have an old Stop & Go tire kit. It came with betal inserts to use at pry spots to protect the rim. Its still a bit of a hassle though. I break the bead first with a large "C" clamp if need be.

 

[DanTheMan]

I use the big wooden woodworking clamps. Then tire irons. It is much easier to install the new ones. Use lots of lube, don't skimp on it.

 

[Larry D]

I wish I had a picture of bwringers tire bead breaking setup. Basically a couple 2x4's on a pivot, one is attached to his work bench and the other pivots to the ground, a little pressure down and pop. Rim protection is a must, he uses some pieces of plastic, from milk jugs, I think. Also, get some good tire spoons. Two sets of hands help a great deal.

 

[ddaniels]

Yeah, duh, I didn't use any type of rim protection. I'll have to look into that before installation.

 

[Guest]

Old cutup oil jugs for rim protectors.
Two or three LONG tire irons.(never used the spoons)
Baby powder as a lube.
All hands and knees and plenty of grunt.

If you run tubes be careful not to pinch em.

 

[bwringer]

RuGlyde tire mounting lube from Napa. Worth every penny ($15 or so buys a gallon jug -- pretty much a lifetime supply). Use lots.

I use a small spray bottle of tire lube, plus a little cotton mop to spread it onto the beads.

 

[ddaniels]

Thanks for the tips! I read somewhere to use soapy water, but that doesn't sound that great to me. Got the front tire off the rim tonight. It was just about as difficult. Those old tires were hard.

 

[Eli69]

some time try to do it with minimal tools, just what you'd carry on a road trip. good practice for if you have to repair a tire on the road.

 

[Steve]

Dave, give me a call, I can bring my tools to help you.

.

 

[almarconi]

It helps to set the tires in the sun for a while to soften them up. Use plenty of tire lube, murphys oil soap mixed with water works well. If you are installing tubes, some baby powder on the tube helps to prevent pinching . I usually keep a couple of extra inner tubes around cause its pretty easy to pinch one if your not careful.

 

[twr1776]

Don't forget to replace the valve stems if you are unsure of the age. OEM's are about $ 10 each. I also use the cut up pieces of laundry/oil jugs to protect the rims.

 

[ddaniels]

I ordered new valve stems with the tires. The old ones had tubes though. But, I'm gonna try both front and rear without tubes. If they leak, then I'll get some. I'm guessing they won't though.

Steve, pm me your phone number. I don't have it anymore. Thanks!

 

[hilly]

I wish I had a picture of bwringers tire bead breaking setup. Basically a couple 2x4's on a pivot, one is attached to his work bench and the other pivots to the ground, a little pressure down and pop. Rim protection is a must, he uses some pieces of plastic, from milk jugs, I think. Also, get some good tire spoons. Two sets of hands help a great deal.

You mean this post?

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=140816&highlight=tire+bead

 

[Larry D]

You mean this post?

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=140816&highlight=tire+bead

Yeah, same principle, but, his is rigged so he can attach and detach it from his workbench and provides much more stability than what those pictures appear to give.

Thanks for digging that up !!!

 

[bwringer]

You mean this post?

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=140816&highlight=tire+bead

Yeek!

For the record, none of those are mine, and the bead breaking setups using a car are just asking for a bashed-up door.

I have one leg of my workbench bolted to an anchor in the floor, and a simple lever arrangement made of 2X4 boards attached to that. The pieces of the lever are held together with 1/2" bolts with washers and wing nuts so I can quickly assemble and disassemble the lever as needed so it's out of the way.

I have a sort of shallow wooden box that I put the wheel on to break the bead so that the rotors don't get bent. One foot on the other side of the tire to keep it from flipping up, and a simple shove with the lever gets the job done...

Also, it's a lot easier, even with ancient tires, if you apply some tire lube into the beads before you try to break the bead. A little bit of lube will work its way in and make the bead slide off like buttuh. Attacking the tire or the bead with cutting tools is a great way to badly damage your rims.

 

[1_v8_merc]

I cut my tires off with a saw-zaw....since they were from 2002.


You NEED rim protectors!
(i cut up some old ABS fluid containers...worked great.....I was very rough on them, they held up......DON'T waste your money on buying rim protectors.....most of them are crap......just make your own! DONT use milk jugs, they aren't strong enough.)

You need spoons too.......the small ones are great for getting started.
But you want something REALLY big, for when you start getting near the end of the tire!(that's where it gets hard.)

I actually set the front tire of my ATV(4wheeler) on a spot of the tire, it helped keep everything stable.

USE SOAP AND WATER!
You will have trouble getting the bead to seal if you don't!
(yeah, don't ask me how I know this......)

 

[GS ace]

My setup is made of a 2x4 framework, all-thread, washers/nuts, a block of 4x4 with a hole bored through it, a gate hinge for the bead breaking lever, and wooden blocks to place on the tire. I mount it to a workmate when needed. The framework keeps rotors from making contact with any surface. So far, it's worked OK. Best of all, it was cheap to make. Working part time at the local Ace Hardware helps.

 

[hilly]

Yeek!

For the record, none of those are mine, and the bead breaking setups using a car are just asking for a bashed-up door.

I think he mentions to position it on the undercarriage frame of the vehicle to not bash up the door or rocker panel. Looks like a SUV would work better since you see the frame, whereas a regular passenger car has potential for body damage.