DIY tire changing

[Boxer Briefs]

Thanks in large part to info I've gathered here, I decided to pull the trigger and invest in some tire changing tools (Harbor Frieght Tire change stand, Mojolever- both of which worked great). This was my first ever DIY tire change and as expected, it was pretty easy once you get the proper technique figured out. The difficulty for me came during what I expected to be the easiest task, seating the bead. I only have a small "nail gun" type compressor which was inadequate for the job. Using my neighbors much larger compressor I was able to seat the front tire but not the rear. I ended up taking it to my local dealer who really disappointed me. I've had great service from their parts crew but the service dept was another story. After reluctantly agreeing to take care of it they told me it would cost $45!! "The shop minimum is $45." No thank you, and I cruised up the road to a Honda dealer who kindly did it for free, and reluctantly accepted a $5 tip.

So, the question is- for those of you who routinely change your own tires, what size compressor do I need to avoid this in the future?

Thanks in advance,

Grant

[DSKYZD]

I actually seat my tires with a simple air tank (maybe 7 gallon). I have a small compressor I use to fill that tank. A useful tip for seating the bead is to add some lube. You'd think this would cause the tire to spin on the rim, but I use Ru-Glyde tire lube and don't have a problem. The air tank filled up to about 90 or 100 psi rushes in enough air to seat those beads. Last time I did this I checked the pressure AFTER the bead seated and it was 45 or 46 psi in the rear. Don't know how much of a drop in pressure you get from the beads seating. Also, a cheap tire inflator chuck nozzle thingy on your compressor works against you.

Congratulations on changing your own tires. It can be rough, but it is very satisfying.

DSKYZD

[duckdave]

Yeah, I had success with just a pancake "nail gun" compressor that runs up to something like 90-100 lbs. The only scary thing was running the pressure up waiting for the POP. I think DSKYZD has it right—some tire lube is the ticket.

[taosports]

Remember...you want to hear 2 pops or the tire is not fully seated. Yes, it can be quite scary waiting for those pops.

[Airman]

Thanks in large part to info I've gathered here, I decided to pull the trigger and invest in some tire changing tools (Harbor Frieght Tire change stand, Mojolever- both of which worked great). This was my first ever DIY tire change and as expected, it was pretty easy once you get the proper technique figured out. The difficulty for me came during what I expected to be the easiest task, seating the bead. I only have a small "nail gun" type compressor which was inadequate for the job. Using my neighbors much larger compressor I was able to seat the front tire but not the rear. I ended up taking it to my local dealer who really disappointed me. I've had great service from their parts crew but the service dept was another story. After reluctantly agreeing to take care of it they told me it would cost $45!! "The shop minimum is $45." No thank you, and I cruised up the road to a Honda dealer who kindly did it for free, and reluctantly accepted a $5 tip.

So, the question is- for those of you who routinely change your own tires, what size compressor do I need to avoid this in the future?

Thanks in advance,

Grant

A trick I found while doing truck tires years ago was to remove the valve stem when seating the tire. I can't tell you how many people I've seen struggle with a tough instlall just because there's not enough air getting in the tire to seat it. Sometimes the restriction is just enough to make you fail repeatedly. I think when I did mine, I started the little compressor, then bounced and rotated the tire, squeezing it out until it caught the rim. A high flow compressor would help a lot. Tire machines, as you may know, have a valve that releases the tank in one shot to inflate the tire in spite of the leakage. You can also buy that air filled "snake" you inflate around the tire to expand it. If you think these are bad, you should listen to the guys who have to mount those 250 -300's favored by the custom Harley crowd. My Harley source at work says you sometimes spend the whole day at it even with all the tire mounting tools money can buy.

[R4R&R]

Like the others said, lube the tire and wheel where the bead needs to get over. It makes it much easier. The last time I changed tires I checked the air pressure after the beads were seated and it was around 50psi for me. If they're still being stubborn, then try pumping it up to about 50 psi then bounce the wheel on the ground with the unseated part down. Sometimes that gives it a little encouragement.

[stilldking]

I haven't tried this with a bike tire, but when seating my truck tires I use a heavy-duty Tie-down strap around the tire. It helps flattens it enough to grab the edges of the rim and help seating it. I also have a smallish 20 gallon compressor and the above technique works well.

JC

[digga]

When i was changing off road tyres on a KTM.. i used to keep the tyre in the house against a radiator for 24hrs to make it nice and pliable. Those carcasses ain't half stiff when new

[Biff's R]

When i was changing off road tyres on a KTM.. i used to keep the tyre in the house against a radiator for 24hrs to make it nice and pliable. Those carcasses ain't half stiff when new

+1
Warm tires go on easier. Lube(dish soap & water) before seating helps. 45-50 psi is usually enough.

[Cohiba54]

ditto to what John C. said... I got in a hurry on one of my rear tire changes waiting for my son to finish dinner. Took a looked around the garage and grabbed one of the motorcycle tie-down straps (ratchet type) a few minuets later I was at the work bench balancing it.

[boxermania]

All great comments.....just a couple more

1) Lubricant, lubricant......that's the key for a smooth installation, if you don't have anything accessible use liquid soap and use it sparingly.
2) When seating the tire beads do not, do not, let your fingers come close to the rim and the tire or you will be smarting for a good while.

[RGuy]

This process always works for me. The secret is to put a large volume air into the tire all at once to make it pop.
1. Lube the beads all the way around.
2. Tighten a tie down strap around the tire as tightly as you can.
3. Remove the valve core.
4. Screw blowgun onto valve stem (remove rubber tip from blow gun) http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... umber=3962
5. Snap air hose onto blowgun (I use quick release couplers on all my air hoses).
6. Air up the tire until both beads pop - takes just a few seconds!
7. Remove blowgun, replace valve core, inflate to proper pressure.

Notes:
I prefer not to use soap of any kind. It works well but can cause corrosion on your rims over time.
If you don't have a tie down strap you can tie a rope around the tire and twist a pipe or stick of wood in the rope to squeeze the tire.
Working with warm tires is soooooooo much better than cold tires.
Neal

[SLEDGE]

I use 2 small tire irons,a piece of carpet,7"C-clamp and a $25.00 air compressor from Sears.
remove vavle stem
use c-clamp to brake beed
irons to remove tire from rim
place wheel on carpet,lever on new tire,use knees to hold tire in grove while levering.
hook up to compessor to seat bead.
lubbing tire beed helps whith on and off,technique is MORE inportant than force!
Takes about 10min
The new tires I have put on did not require balancing!
GOOD LUCK

[Boxer Briefs]

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

So it seems the consensus here is "use lube and size doesn't matter." (Sorry, couldn't resist ) I was using dish soap for lube and I also used a ratcheting tie down without success. No matter what I tried there was enough of a gap between the tire and the wheel that the air escaped through that gap. I've come to the conclusion however, that rapid volume of air has more to do with it than psi, which is where removing the valve core per RGuy's technique probably would have helped (I didn't have the appropriate hose attachment, the core had to be in for it to work which has been remedied) and I can see how a warm tire would be more pliable. I guess I'll wait and see what happens with my next attempt before I spend more money on a bigger compressor.

Thanks again.

Grant

[ASQTec]

How ironic.

As I walked out of the BMW dealer yesterday carrying my wheels which were just fitted with ME880's, I contemplated the fact that I was now $503 poorer. The $503 included the three quarts of 15-50 BMW synth motor oil that I took home the day before when I dropped off the wheels, but didn't have with me to return when I was told that it would cost me nearly 12 bucks a quart. I immediately drove to my parent's house 20 miles in the opposite direction to look for my old "tarns" in their basement (and get a free home cooked meal). I think I'll be changing the tires on my other two bikes myself. Thank you all for the tips.

I realized yesterday that for me, there is one striking similarity between Harley and BMW dealers; my butt cheeks clench when I walk into either one of them.

[Ves]

Put the tire on the rim... take a can of lemony fresh Pledge... put them in your car trunk... take them to the gas station... lube up the beads and rim with the Pledge... inflate... Most gas station pumps have enough pressure/volume to set the bead without even removing the valve stem.