Seating Tire Bead hell!

[rock7174]

Can’t get new tire bead to seat on new wheels. Mounted with tire machine in my shop. Go to air it up, bottom bead completely seats, but top bead seats all the way around except across from valve stem. It’s about a half inch gap. Maybe about a 1/5th of the way around the bead. It will hold air, but def isn’t seated all the way. Broke bead back down, tried using a cheetah 10 millions times. Same result. I broke down and rotated the wheel. It’s worked before, but not this time. Used the strap method. Didn’t work. Had pressure up to 60psi. Nothing. Lubed with tire lube, soapy water. Had valve stem out. Hooked up to a 10ft hose direct to my 80 gallon air compressor for most volume to inflate quick as possible. So after all this, I try swapping to a different tire. This was the first wheel/tire in the new set. Tried the rest of the set. Same thing every time. Went through it all again. Same result. Tried heating, spreading with wood blocks. Nothing. I know others run this package. Only thing left to try that I can think of is starter fluid. I’m out, so in the meantime, can you all think of anything else to try? Tire/wheel combo is below.


Yokohama Geolander X-AT 295/65 r 20.
Fuel Rebel Wheels 20x10.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Old Man Roger]

If you can get it to hold air then you just need more air pressure. And lube, lots of lube.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Did you whack the tire with a big deadblow hammer where it's not seating? And more pressure.

 

[Old Man Roger]

Kays right, sometimes a big hammer gets that last pop..lol

 

[rock7174]

I tried a mini sledge and a dead blow hammer. I bounced the **** out it as well. Man I’ve tried a lot of things!

Back to more air and lube…….the tire and everything I can find online says a not to go past 40 pounds to seat bead. I went to 60. You’re saying keep going?

 

[Old Man Roger]

I tried a mini sledge and a dead blow hammer. I bounced the **** out it as well. Man I’ve tried a lot of things!

Back to more air and lube…….the tire and everything I can find online says a not to go past 40 pounds to seat bead. I went to 60. You’re saying keep going?

What are you using for lube?

 

[nadogail]

Another vote for a BFH.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I just reread your first post, and saw that you’re using soapy water. If you don’t have anything better, straight dish soap works pretty good, no water, just dish soap.

Actual tire lube is always the best thing to use, but I’ve used dish soap on a lot of tires. With enough good lube, 40 psi might actually be enough pressure.

 

[rock7174]

I just reread your first post, and saw that you’re using soapy water. If you don’t have anything better, straight dish soap works pretty good, no water, just dish soap.

I’ve tried tire lube as well. Can’t remember the brand, but it is specifically made for mounting/sealing tires.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I’ve tried tire lube as well. Can’t remember the brand, but it is specifically made for mounting/sealing tires.

It’s probably in the 30s up there where you are, a nice warm tire always beads easier too.

 

[Cue]

On hard to seat beads I have run a long air hose to the tire and pumped it from a distance till it popped on, and I also hid behind a block wall just in case
I have had quite a few of them not pop on till 90psi, never had one explode yet.

 

[rock7174]

Curious to know how high of psi can I pump into the tire safely? Obviously the internet says 40psi, tires says 40psi on the side wall. I know some of you experienced guys have went higher. I went to 60psi. How much higher without having a catastrophe? Or should I just go with ether?

 

[rock7174]

It’s probably in the 30s up there where you are, a nice warm tire always beads easier too.

I’ve let them sit in the sun, used an inferred lamp for drying auto paint, heat gun.

 

[Old Man Roger]

On hard to seat beads I have run a long air hose to the tire and pumped it from a distance till it popped on, and I also hid behind a block wall just in case
I have had quite a few of them not pop on till 90psi, never had one explode yet.

Ya, I’ve gone that high too, but you’re not supposed to..lol Disclaimer, I’m not saying to go higher just cause I did and got away with it.

 

[Old Man Roger]

Using starter fluid is usually done to get the bead started, then you would use air to fully seat it. You already have the bead started.

 

[Old Man Roger]

Get that thing slippery and sloppy and try again. Too much lube should be just about enough.

 

[gregs]

I recently needed a tire for my daughters car after she had one come apart. I ended up at a Mavis about 4:00 in the afternoon. They didn’t have much in the way of selection for tires and basically only there store brand tires. Stock aluminum wheel. They mounted one and couldn’t get it to mount fully. Tried everything and it just wouldn’t seat fully on one side. They got another of the same tire and had the exact same problem. I finally suggested a different brand tire and it popped right on without a issue.

 

[theoldwizard1]

How to bead up a stubborn tire

The stuff is also a great tire lube. Cut it with a lot of water and spray it on.

 

[isb cornbinder]

About 50 yers ago, I had a job at an imported tires store. One of the tire wheel combinations that always gave trouble was putting the Super Sport tires onto Jaguar steel wheels. The wheel safety-bead was a little larger and tires would hang-up. The tire store had an Inflation Station. I would install the tires and inflate to the manufacturer's recommended PSI. I would let the tire sit in a safe place until the tire snapped over the bead. Sometimes this took up to 30 minutes.
One Saturday, an impatient Jag owner went to the owner of the store to complain about my wasting his time. This Jag-guy was a friend of the owner/boss.
The boss came steaming out of the office, he was yelling at me. He went to the Inflation Station and pulled on the cord attached to the filler valve. I quickly stepped into the next room to protect myself. A few seconds later there was an explosion as the tire seated. The tire came apart and the rim lost part of the flange. The flange flew across the shop and imbedded in a wall. The Inflation Station was destroyed, and the owner went to the hospital to have his injuries checked.
I was terminated. I have to say this, the separation/termination package was more than fare.

 

[Copymutt]

What if? Mount the wheel & tire on the vehicle, air up as B4. Lower the jack w/ the unseated area at ground level till weight is on it. Just thinkin outside the box.

 

[kbeefy]

What if? Mount the wheel & tire on the vehicle, air up as B4. Lower the jack w/ the unseated area at ground level till weight is on it. Just thinkin outside the box.

This may or may not work just because of tire sidewall flex.

Pressure inside the tire is a constant, as read on the guage.

I would suspect a bit of extra tire lube would prevent anything this fixes.

 

[mike93lx]

What if? Mount the wheel & tire on the vehicle, air up as B4. Lower the jack w/ the unseated area at ground level till weight is on it. Just thinkin outside the box.

How about 40psi and put it on the front end. Drive it back and forth in the bay and turn the wheel left and right. Might be enough twisting and pressure to pop it on

 

[58Yeoman]

I've used a different brand of tire soap than Murphy's, but never the way the video showed it. I just take some and rub it on the tire bead, then air it up; not as messy as what he did.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I've used a different brand of tire soap than Murphy's, but never the way the video showed it. I just take some and rub it on the tire bead, then air it up; not as messy as what he did.

Agreed, imagine how much of that stayed inside the tire. That and the OP isn’t having an issue getting the bead started, he just needs that last little bit of tire to pop over the lip.

 

[vavet]

You've tried all the obvious and even some of the not-so-obvious techniques.
I remember bouncing tires on the floor to try to get them to seat too. Bouncing on the tread, not the sidewall. It's easy for them to get away from you, especially with a wheel/tire combo as big as the one you're talking about.

Are the tires symmetrical tread pattern? Are they unidirectional? If not, then you could try turning/flipping them around. Even if they are, you could try that to see which side still doesn't seat. Maybe you'll loosen something up in the process so it will seat when you put it back on the right way.

I also like the suggestion of putting it back on the vehicle and driving at low speed with lots of turning.

 

[rock7174]

so I was a chicken sh!t with the pressure. Had it just below 60psi before. Popped at 65psi. Back in the day we never had those warnings of 40psi on the old style machine. Just air it up until it pops. Thanks for the help all!

 

[mike93lx]

so I was a chicken sh!t with the pressure. Had it just below 60psi before. Popped at 65psi. Back in the day we never had those warnings of 40psi on the old style machine. Just air it up until it pops. Thanks for the help all!

Being careful with stuff filled with pressurized air is prudent. Glad you got it sorted out.

 

[rock7174]

I put the tire outside and ran an air hose to it from inside. Used a gun type air chuck where I could remotely fill it. Filled slowly until it popped. I had a 8 inch wall and 80 gallon compressor between me and the wheel. I watched a buddy shatter his arm from a side wall blowout a couple years back. I’m not messing with it unless it is safe.

 

[SmackinHondas]

Are you guys saying I shouldn’t fill up my cheetah blaster to 150psi to seat tires? Or do y’all mean final pressure?

 

[rock7174]

Are you guys saying I shouldn’t fill up my cheetah blaster to 150psi to seat tires? Or do y’all mean final pressure?

No one is saying that. The psi I’m referring to is the tire manufacturers recommendation not to exceed 40psi if the bead has not seated. Most places on the interweb say the same. I hit it with the cheetah @ 140psi and I think I heard the tire laugh at me. Plus it’s a 10 ply, prolly need the extra psi.

 

[mike93lx]

Are you guys saying I shouldn’t fill up my cheetah blaster to 150psi to seat tires? Or do y’all mean final pressure?

Pressure inside the tire is the issue. Your cheetah is not pressurizing the tire, it moving a lot of air to blow the bead onto the wheel

 

[fsae0607]

Are you guys saying I shouldn’t fill up my cheetah blaster to 150psi to seat tires? Or do y’all mean final pressure?

You don't need more than about 60 psi in a cheetah to get the beads to expand out to seal.

I'm late to the game here, but in my costco tire shop days, we mounted some 20" low pro's once and those beads didn't seat until we had at least 120 psi in them!

We had those mofos in our tire cage with a remote hose. The beads popping sounded like gunshots. Management phones us from inside the warehouse because of the concerns!

 

[Old Man Roger]

Glad you got it.

 

[stevied916]

When we had trouble getting beads to seat at the tire shop I worked at years ago (if they were holding air, the bead just wouldn't pop) is remove the valve core and put the air to it. Sometimes it would take 80-100 psi and it would pop violently. You remove the valve core so the high pressure can release as soon as the bead pops when you remove the air line. Reinsert the valve core and fill to appropriate pressure.

 

[4x4Pete]

A 10 ply tire? Isn't the normal running pressure like 60 or 80 psi? I have 10plys on my truck. Rears are 80 psi fronts are 70 cold. I wonder why you shouldn't seat the beads over 40 psi when the tire is rated for double that? Weird. Glad to hear you got it done!

 

[mike93lx]

A 10 ply tire? Isn't the normal running pressure like 60 or 80 psi? I have 10plys on my truck. Rears are 80 psi fronts are 70 cold. I wonder why you shouldn't seat the beads over 40 psi when the tire is rated for double that? Weird. Glad to hear you got it done!

Good point. The max load rating is at 80psi, per yokohama

 

[Milton Shaw]

I have used an old tube to stretch the tire out, put it out in the sun to soften up and leave it a while. Now a days it's getting harder to find an old tube so that might not work. Some of them can be a ***** to do. I was working before the Cheetah inflater was invented. We did have the coats with the air ring and air tank that did most of them by putting the air in the back side as you were pulling it up on the front bead.

 

[csp]

i had a load range G trailer tire that wouldn't seat recently. I took it outside and a few days later the sun worked its magic and it was fully seated. I've also slowly driven on those that won't quite seat fully to get the job done.

 

[rock7174]

Good point. The max load rating is at 80psi, per yokohama

Yes it is. Yokohama put a warning not to exceed 40psi if bead isn’t seated right on the side wall. Never heard such a thing before this.

 

[mike93lx]

Yes it is, but Yokohama also prints the 40 psi threshold max right on the tire if the tire bead isn’t seated. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t have thought twice about going past it. It’s not like I dreamed the 40psi in my head to get to this point. The inflation max isn’t what is being discussed.

Interesting. Never seen a rating for an unseated bead. Not busting your chops, just learning