Problem seating tire bead..

[OldCarGuy]

I purchased four new Michelin P235 60R17 tires to replace the four original equipment Bridgstones on my Chevrolet Equinox. While dismounting and mounting took only a few minutes on my Ranger tire changer. I spent an hour to get the first one seated. It was getting late and gave up on the second one after 90 minutes.

Never had this much trouble in the past. My Ranger tire changer has a bead blast jets and I always fill the tire without the valve in the stem. I've tried putting a band around the circumference of the tire to force the sidewalls out. To no avail.

I rather not go out an purchase an expensive Cheetah Bead seating. Using a shot of starter fluid and igniting it with a Benzomatic torch sounds to dangerous. There must be a trick I don't know about?

 

[gerktj]

just A LITTLE starting fluid does the trick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ebfabman]

On the stubborn ones I like to Vaseline the bead and rim lip then use a big a$$ ratchet strap around the tread. As you've already done
remove the valve core and use plenty of air pressure. Also some heat on the tire to soften it up helps. After mounting thousands of NASCAR tires and years of being a gas station jockey, never met a tire I couldn't seat.

 

[Joe69]

Try using the coupler on the air hose as a tire chuck. It's a little hard on the coupler, but it'll put air in faster than a regular chuck.
I made a "cheetah" out of an old truck air tank, a 1 1/2 ball valve, and some pipe. It works great, and I don't have much money in it. I did put a 150psi pop-off valve in it too.

Joe

 

[tatra]

ocg, if you have a large bung plug on your air tank you can remove it and set up large diameter high pressure hose and ball valve to give it a blast of air...............another option is something we used to call soft soap, which was basically congealed liquid soap............or a box of donuts for the guys at the local tire shop may be in order too...........take them down there with your "parts runner"..........remember the old "beater" you used to fetch parts for the motor home?...........

 

[tatra]

also ocg, i have used petroleum products myself on tires in the past but this is a much better product, imho......excellent corrosion resistance on steel wheels and alloys too.............buy the margerine tub size and will probably outlast your grandchildren...........a little goes a long way..............as for an applicator, i just use an old paintbrush cut down to about 1 inch bristle wise and cut a hole in the lid and leave it in..........when applying to bead , tire or rim, dab on every few inches and then swish around a coupla times.........this stuff has saved my *** so many times..........any body who does tires is nuts not to invest in this product.............did quite a few years busting rubber from wheel barrow to earth mover and used this for all tires i encountered..........

http://www.freylube.com/prema.htm

you can use this too as a filler around the beadbut tends to blow out rather easy.........

another trick is to use and inner tube, lube liberally to seat one bead, deflate and remove tube and reinflate............

 

[keflaman]

I might be way out in left field with this, but how old is your Ranger unit? The reason I ask is we had an older machine that was built before the proliferation of larger rims. The air jets weren't positioned far enough outboard to inject air into the bead. IIRC, 17" rims were difficult and 18" were impossible.

 

[OldCarGuy]

I might be way out in left field with this, but how old is your Ranger unit? The reason I ask is we had an older machine that was built before the proliferation of larger rims. The air jets weren't positioned far enough outboard to inject air into the bead. IIRC, 17" rims were difficult and 18" were impossible.

My changer is Ranger RX-950AT that I purchased new less than two years ago. I'll check to see if the air jets are positioned in the right place...

My matching Ranger DST 1000 wheel balancer

 

[D.J.]

I don't know if I can explain it here but I'll try. lube the side of the tire next to the valve stem, as previously mentioned by someone else. Pull the tire up onto the top bead and then set the rim and tire unit onto approx 6" X 6" block of wood about eight inches tall. Let gravity assist with the bottom bead and try this method. It just might work.

________
Depakote settlement update

 

[nissan_crawler]

John Deere has some wax type stuff that is excellent for filling the gap and seating tires.

Me, I just use ether. It can be done safely, IMHO.

1. NO straps around the tire, they will break and go flying.

2. Remove valve core, this helps relieve pressure, and helps keep the tire from sucking off the rim as the air cools.

3. You can always try again with more. You can't try again with less.

4. Spray a trail of ether down the tire and the floor, don't put your face over it while lighting it (I know, duh, but people do it).

5. As soon as it seats, get an air hose on it and start filling it with air. After a bit, pull the chuck off, put the valve stem in, then continue filling.

6. Set the rim on something, not the tire. If the tire is on the ground, it can bounce when it seats.

You can also make your own Cheetah. I made one from a portable air tank. I need to make another one for myself.

 

[OldCarGuy]

I decided to try the starter fluid trick. I left the tire clamped in my tire changer so that it wouldn't leap across the room. When the tire is fully inflated the tire's sidewall would clear the changer's turn table. I suited up with leather head wrap, goggles, long sleeve leather welding jacket and gloves. And with a five gallon bucket of water and had two 10 pound fire extinguishers handy. I sprayed two small blasts of starter fluid inside the tire. Stood back and ignited it with a long stem grill starter.

In a split second, a quiet whoomph, and the tire was seated! I filled the tire to about 20 PSI of air, then let the air out. Installed the valve in the stem. Then brought the tire to recommended pressure. Balanced the tire and mounted it on the car.

I had to use the same method to set the bead on the next tire. But for some unknown reason, the changer seated the bead on the last tire without any fanfare... Figure that?

 

[D.J.]

I'm guessing that the tires were stacked like pancakes and the last one installed was orginaly on ther top of the pile, which made it easier to seal! Just a guess or you scared it with all your safety equipment and it just went on to spite you! O buy the way nice setup on the changer and the balancer. I've seen "professional" tire shops that your homeowner equipment puts theirs to shame! Great job, and keep up the good work.
________
WELLBUTRIN SETTLEMENT NEWS

 

[z28snksknr]

Maybe I was just young and stupid, but when we had this problem at a shop I worked at, and it was time for the starting fluid trick, we all gathered around nice and close to the tire and made sure we didn't have pesky safety glasses obstructing our vision of the event.

Did you expect an explosion? Not knocking your safety precautions, but it sounds like you were really expecting a catastrophic event.

 

[OldCarGuy]

Maybe I was just young and stupid, but when we had this problem at a shop I worked at, and it was time for the starting fluid trick, we all gathered around nice and close to the tire and made sure we didn't have pesky safety glasses obstructing our vision of the event.

Did you expect an explosion? Not knocking your safety precautions, but it sounds like you were really expecting a catastrophic event.

I've seen the aftermath when an employer where I worked made a rather brutal mistake. He was leaning over the engine under the hood after spraying starter fluid into the carburetor. Another fella cranked the car that caused a huge fireball. He had to be life flighted to the hospital from the concussion. His face was totally burnt and lost his hair. I wasn't about to take a chance!

 

[Rigmaster]

Just curious, but did you use any bead lube at all??

Sometimes all it takes is a little dab around the bead and it works like a champ.


Glad you got it seated with ether- I'm gonna try that someday when I ain't skeered.......

 

[z28snksknr]

I've seen the aftermath when an employer where I worked made a rather brutal mistake. He was leaning over the engine under the hood after spraying starter fluid into the carburetor. Another fella cranked the car that caused a huge fireball. He had to be life flighted to the hospital from the concussion. His face was totally burnt and lost his hair. I wasn't about to take a chance!

Certainly understandable with that event in your mind. Again, not knocking your precautions, just wondering what prompted it all. For what it's worth, I wouldn't do it again without securing the tire completely and with a fire extinguisher next to me. I'm not invincible as I used to be now that I have a wife and a mortgage.

 

[mrpowderkeg]

Ahh yes the old starter fluid trick. Don't feel bad, the first time I experienced anyone doing this, I though they were crazy as well. After that, a buddy of mine and I bought a manual tire changer, that thing was pretty much worthless. But because of blood sweat and some cussing (and not the changer) we were mounting our own tires and using the starter fluid method. A dab will do you! Now I have a tire machine.

 

[Torque1st]

I just use a 10' rope and a stick to wind it up. Hit the valve stem with air. Once the bead seats release the stick and the rope falls off.

I have used the ether method also, but things can catch fire.

 

[tcianci]

Seems to be a couple of takes on the original problem. A lot of guys suggested lube of sorts, that won't do a thing if you can't get the bead in contact with the wheel. I have one of those old cinch type inflatable tire stranglers. It works sometimes. I have the best success with getting the bead stuck on one side of the rim (usually the back). The "stuckness" is usually marginal at best so you need to work gingerly here... lean the tire/wheel against a wall at about 45 degrees to the floor and walk away for about 10 minutes. The warmer the garage, the better. What happens is that the sidewall will tend to sag a little after a few minutes and you will see the wheel touching the bead on the outside, then hit it with air but be careful not to unstick the back bead as you attach the chuck. As we all know, once you can introduce air faster than it can get out, the tire will seat on the bead. If you have lube on the back bead, you're hosed. It sounds a little complicated but it does not involve cheeta tanks, ropes, or pyrotechnics. All that being said, newer low aspect ratio tires are not as forgiving as my old G-78 15's, hence all the nifty hardware that the pros have to mount them. But, since my having to mount a tire at home is a rare occasion ( I even gave away my old Coates manual machine) I just take it slow.. I have never had to bring a home project to the tire shop yet.

 

[ezover]

i wonder if the problem is with the time of the year and the rubber being to stiff. I've had to let a couple tires warm up before they would seat.

 

[madjack]

Try these guys. http://www.alltiresupply.com/c-MFG_Murphy.html
I use the Murphy's tire soap, works great!

 

[RickMan]

Get a Tire Cheetah or something close to that. You will be amazed how fast and effortless using a tire cheetah is. Believe me, its worth it

 

[lilredex]

Seems to be a couple of takes on the original problem. A lot of guys suggested lube of sorts, that won't do a thing if you can't get the bead in contact with the wheel. I have one of those old cinch type inflatable tire stranglers. It works sometimes. I have the best success with getting the bead stuck on one side of the rim (usually the back). The "stuckness" is usually marginal at best so you need to work gingerly here... lean the tire/wheel against a wall at about 45 degrees to the floor and walk away for about 10 minutes. The warmer the garage, the better. What happens is that the sidewall will tend to sag a little after a few minutes and you will see the wheel touching the bead on the outside, then hit it with air but be careful not to unstick the back bead as you attach the chuck. As we all know, once you can introduce air faster than it can get out, the tire will seat on the bead. If you have lube on the back bead, you're hosed. It sounds a little complicated but it does not involve cheeta tanks, ropes, or pyrotechnics. All that being said, newer low aspect ratio tires are not as forgiving as my old G-78 15's, hence all the nifty hardware that the pros have to mount them. But, since my having to mount a tire at home is a rare occasion ( I even gave away my old Coates manual machine) I just take it slow.. I have never had to bring a home project to the tire shop yet.

Essentially my method/reasoning also, have no fancy tire machines, just beat them on and off with hammers and spoons. Break the beads by running up on a 2 X 6. Can't beat soapy water for a lube, once you get it started. Do all my own tires except when buying new.

 

[Shadowdog500]

When I worked in a garage We used to use a pneumatic belt that we would wrap around the tire and fill with air to squuese the tire to help the bead set. Since I don't have one of them at home I use a racheting tie down. Wrap it around the tread of the tire like a belt and ratchet it down. This squeezing at the tread causes the bead to spread and really helps when seating a stubborn bead.

Chris

 

[Zeke]

Realizing that this is an old thread, I read it with interest. Now, I'm a CA guy born and raised. Sometimes we are la little sheltered on the ways and means of mid American ingenuity. The first time I saw a tire seated with a flammable liquid, I was stunned. So simple, so unsophisticated. I was the one blown away.

You get around some truckers or farmers and you as a city boy will learn a few things.

BTW, if you use a band, you have to be able to release the band quickly as the tire seats and inflates. Yes, I did work at a tire shop for awhile. No, no one ever popped a bead on a rim with lighter fluid there. So, you know, I thought I had seen it all. Even the dreaded split rims.

Not.

 

[bechap]

Getting a new tire to inflate on a rim is neither complicated nor expensive for Do It Yourselfers.
Try this:
Get a 16” bicycle tube. They’re cheap. Put only 3-4 pounds of air in it just so it holds a shape and
Is spongy. Take the mounted tire and stand it up as it would be on the car, with the valve up. Stuff the bicycle tube on the back side opposite the tire valve between the tire and the rim. This plugs the big gap while holding the front of the tire against the valve side. Remove the valve core and with no air chuck on the hose, inject 120 lbs of air straight into the valve. The sides will spread and the bicycle tube will begin to bulge. At this point you can release the air input and remove the bicycle tube. Then continue putting air in until the tire pops twice, once on the back side and once on the front. Insert the valve core and inflate to the recommended lbs. For your tire. Wha-la! Quick n easy and no special equipment needed. This tube will work for 14” 15” and 16” tires. For larger ones, try a 20” tube.

 

[jhelrey]

Just use WD40 and 65 PSI. Works often!

 

[bechap]

WD40 (or any lubricant) will not help with a new radial tire that has 2" between the bead and the inner rim surface. The newer wide auto tires are much more of a problem than the older bias ply. Bicycle tubes solve the big gap problem.