Changing Tires Without Scratching Wheels

[Raymond Fast]

I've got a manual tire changing rig I picked up several years ago at Harbor Freight. It works great. Between my and my wife's cars and other family members, it's paid for itself several times over; and I've got my technique down to where I can change a set of tires (including balancing) in less time than it would take to run the car up to the tire shop, wait for them to do it, and drive home. But there is one challenging aspect to it ...

My wife's car has painted alloy wheels and the tools to break the bead and dismount the tire can really scratch them up. I can throw an old leather glove over the bead-breaker to keep that from scratching the rim; that's an easy fix. As far as the bar for dismounting the tire from the wheel goes, I've been wrapping it with gorilla tape where it contacts the rim. This serves well to protect the wheel, but the sticky residue creates an awful mess on the tool as the layers of tape wear out.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has come up with another creative, less messy fix for this. Or if anyone has any ideas.

 

[tdott]

Those machines are meant for steel wheels, will be very difficult to change a low pro tire with one of those without scratching the rim.

My only suggestion would be to try coating the tool in some sort of melted rubber then let it dry.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I cut up soda bottles or plastic milk jugs.

 

[Balor]

Check out rim savers.rngr1

 

[timbitca]

I love my local tire shop for this. I go there when I need to buy tires and/or buy used tires elsewhere and need them mounted. Once in a while I go for an oil change when I can't be arsed (usually in and out within 20 minutes and cheaper than Mr Lube or Valvoline). But once I have the tires on the rims I don't go back for rotations or change overs, and yet I get the greatest service ever from them.

 

[Raymond Fast]

I cut up soda bottles or plastic milk jugs.

How does that work? Do you wrap them around the bar?

Check out rim savers.rngr1

What is that?

 

[pepi]

I've got a manual tire changing rig I picked up several years ago at Harbor Freight. It works great.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has come up with another creative, less messy fix for this. Or if anyone has any ideas.

I do take em to a tire shop...


FWIW:
I have had custom rims for many years. Todays tire machines have been designed to accommodate special rims, you are wasting your time and will fuk the rims up using a manual changer.

 

[Raymond Fast]

... you are wasting your time and will fuk the rims up using a manual changer.

Actually, it saves a lot of time - and even more money - over taking the car to a tire shop. (I just bought a set of Kumho's for my wife's Mailbu for less than $200 shipped and it'll take me about an hour and a half to install them.)

I've used the tool several times to change the tires on custom alloy rims without any damage. I'm just looking for a way to protect them without getting sticky tape residue on my hands and tools.

 

[tdott]

How do you balance the wheels?

 

[Raymond Fast]

How do you balance the wheels?

I have a bubble balancer.

 

[woody 73]

Raymond try this trick if it works please tell me and I can do a write-up story.

Buy a can of the following product spray put down a film of very lite mineral oil use only a q-tip to cover the area with oil use as little oil as possible. Then spray the area with whatever color you buy, let it dry and spray again. When it dries do your tire change and then peel the product off.

I am thinking the oil should make the product peel much easier leaving you without any mess. I would also think the thicker the product the more protection you will get.

https://www.maperformance.com/produ...m_term=1101100782169&utm_content=All Products

 

[Raymond Fast]

Raymond try this trick if it works please tell me and I can do a write-up story.

Buy a can of the following product spray put down a film of very lite mineral oil use only a q-tip to cover the area with oil use as little oil as possible. Then spray the area with whatever color you buy, let it dry and spray again. When it dries do your tire change and then peel the product off.

I am thinking the oil should make the product peel much easier leaving you without any mess. I would also think the thicker the product the more protection you will get.

https://www.maperformance.com/produ...m_term=1101100782169&utm_content=All Products

Hmm ... I actually have a can of the liquid (as opposed to spray) stuff in my shop that i use occasionally. It's good stuff, but I hesitate to try it for two reasons. First, it seems that the material would create friction. It's smooth but not slick and I'm not sure the tool would slide across it without pulling it loose from the wheel. Secondly, since what your asking me is essentially to conduct an experiment, I'd rather not do that with my wife's very nice, fairly new, quite expensive wheels.

I will keep it in mind though, and maybe try it when I replace the tires on my car (my wheels are already pretty scratched up). If I do, I'll certainly report my results to you.

 

[dadsEH]

Try using a bin liner coated in soapy water to protect the wheel.
It's slicker than greased snot !!!!!!!

 

[one9gt]

There's a company that makes rim protectors for motorcycle wheels when changing them by hand... Look up kowa rim protectors


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Git]

Motorcyclists that buy the Harbor Freight tire changer usually ending up buying a better dismount bar like the one from No Mar or the MojoLever to avoid scratching

for example - this is what the NoMar looks like

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

How does that work? Do you wrap them around the bar?




What is that?

Just like you've been doing except the plastic from the bottle or jug replaces the center portion of tape (tape at both ends). The plastic will wear less quickly and slid better. You can also use pieces when getting the other tools started.

 

[mmelton005]

http://www.nomartirechanger.com/category_s/39.htm

have some pretty nice products

 

[theoldwizard1]

Motorcyclists that buy the Harbor Freight tire changer usually ending up buying a better dismount bar like the one from No Mar or the MojoLever to avoid scratching

for example - this is what the NoMar looks like

I second the NoMar Mount/Demount bar !

 

[moron88]

what about plastidip?

 

[Raymond Fast]

Thanks everyone. I sent my wife the links to the NoMar mount/demount bar and their Yellow Thing tool. I let her know they were for changing her tires. I've got a birthday coming up. We'll see what happens.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I saw a video of the thing in action, if you had rims you cared about I would steer (no pun intended) far far away. Even with all the suggestions of mineral oil and the like, you're running the risk of huge scratches or paint gashes.

 

[Raymond Fast]

I saw a video of the thing in action, if you had rims you cared about I would steer (no pun intended) far far away. Even with all the suggestions of mineral oil and the like, you're running the risk of huge scratches or paint gashes.

Do you have a link for that video, or can you tell me where you saw it? I'd like to check it out. Watching the demonstration videos on the Nomar website, it's hard to imagine scratching the rims if using the tool correctly.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Do you have a link for that video, or can you tell me where you saw it? I'd like to check it out. Watching the demonstration videos on the Nomar website, it's hard to imagine scratching the rims if using the tool correctly.

There are tons of videos of it being used on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=harbor+freight+tire+changer

 

[wasabiboys]

locally I have yet to have anyone properly balance tires without having to go back or having an issue. Sometimes its so much easier depending on car and rim to do yourself. Have thought the same as you ray

 

[wasabiboys]

fyi if you are a costco member my local stores do mount and balance even tires that costco did not sell. Mixed results here

 

[ron in sc]

rotary MW200. see link.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=277714&highlight=rotary

 

[magicrat]

I have seen some custom wheels that even a thin wall impact will scratch.......keep a few cheap chrome craftsman or hf around for this reason..... on some Wheels they're the only thing that will fit clean...... I guess it would have been too much to ask the manufacturer to make the hole a couple millimeters bigger

 

[83VillageRepair]

I have also used a harbor freight manual machine for years although now I have a Coats 20-20 center post machine. I had really good luck using the clear vinyl "surgical" tubing that you can buy by the foot at most hardware stores. Use a pair of scissors and turn it into U channel instead of a tube and push it on the wheel all the way around. Put the gap so that the you don't hit it until the tire is mounted. I also use the water based goo tire mounting lube that I buy at Car Quest, I is much slicker that dish soap and will not cause corrosion.

Wade

 

[Elginz]

I also used a harbor freight manual machine for years. I have cut a piece of plastic from someplace that has some bends in it and it has a hump/step that keeps the bar behind it as it goes around. The hump/step keeps the plastic in place between the bar and wheel. But then again I don't to much care if there is a little scratch, so. I also balance with a HF bubble.

 

[az45]

You need to put a hard plastic or delron cover on the rotating bar, or if that's not available you can use the plastic rim protectors that now comes as shipping protection on custom wheels. The iron needs to slide easily on the wheel, tape, plasty dip and other products will grab the wheel.

Use plenty of soapy water, Murphys is the best readily available consumer product. Also, make sure the opposing side of the tire from where you are starting to pull the bead off the upper rim in is in the drop center of the wheel. If you don't push the tire into the drop center, the iron will pull the tire into the drop center and put about 10 times the pressure on the wheel.

 

[Dunaweezel]

I've got a manual tire changing rig I picked up several years ago at Harbor Freight. It works great. Between my and my wife's cars and other family members, it's paid for itself several times over; and I've got my technique down to where I can change a set of tires (including balancing) in less time than it would take to run the car up to the tire shop, wait for them to do it, and drive home. But there is one challenging aspect to it ...

My wife's car has painted alloy wheels and the tools to break the bead and dismount the tire can really scratch them up. I can throw an old leather glove over the bead-breaker to keep that from scratching the rim; that's an easy fix. As far as the bar for dismounting the tire from the wheel goes, I've been wrapping it with gorilla tape where it contacts the rim. This serves well to protect the wheel, but the sticky residue creates an awful mess on the tool as the layers of tape wear out.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has come up with another creative, less messy fix for this. Or if anyone has any ideas.

PVC

 

[Dunaweezel]

Small length of PVC pipe slipped over the bar.

 

[Mr_fixit]

what about plastidip?

that wouldn't work well, it's not slippery enough. you'd want maybe nylon, or some slippery plastic.

 

[Mr_fixit]

for the coats 10-10, 20-20, 30-30, 40-40, etc you want to use these. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MR8O005/?tag=atomicindus08-20