How to Mount Tires
Part of any automobile’s maintenance is mounting the tires. If not done correctly, this might result in accidents on the road. Many car owners leave this job to the professionals, but if you want to work on this on your own, you just need a few special tools and the right instructions.
Using A Tire Mounting Machine
This handy tool is often found at professional automobile repair shops. If you can get your hands on one, you’ll have an easier time mounting your tires.
What You’ll Need:
Tire
Wheel or rim
Bead breaker
Spin balance machine
Mounting machine or tire iron
Procedure:
Take the air out of the tire you want to change. You can use a tire stem removal tool for this task.
tire mounting
Use a bead breaker to break the old tire’s bead. Make sure you just press beyond, so there will be maximum bead breaking leverage.
Get the right-sized tire for the rim, otherwise this won’t work at all. You should also get a new valve stem.
Put the tire on the rim using tire irons or a mounting machine, making sure the rim and tire are not damaged during the process. You can check the directions given on the mounting machine.
Put your tire in the spin balance machine, following the manufacturer’s directions, and putting the wheel weight where required.
Inflate the tires. Find out what’s the proper PSI inflation for your vehicle. (Learn how to inflate tires properly)
Manually Mounting The Tires
Not everyone has a tire mounting machine, so you might have to do this task by hand. Just remember to be very careful, otherwise you’ll end up doing it incorrectly or hurting yourself.
What You’ll Need:
Tire
Wheel or rim
Tire iron
Lubricant (oil, water or soap)
Procedure:
Find a flat and stable flooring to work on. Put the wheel there then lean the tire on it, the tire touching the ground, just on the side in front of you.
If possible, lubricate the tire’s bead, the part that comes in contact with the wheel. Use oil, water or soap; any of these makes the bead pop on the wheel easier.
Squat down, placing your knee near the tire’s bottom, straddling the wheel. Afterwards, put your hands on the tire’s top, opposite your knees. Apply pressure, then begin pushing down with a rocking motion. If you use enough force, the tire will pop down on the wheel, so half of it is mounted on it.
Stand on the tire, then see if you can force the bead down on the wheel. If this doesn’t work, get a tire iron, then pry the tire on the wheel. Since the tire is sitting over the wheel’s edge, use the tire iron to place the end that doesn’t have a socket over the wheel’s edge, making sure it’s down at least half an inch.
The tire iron is slightly in the wheel, so carefully pry it out, going in your direction. This forces the tire’s bead over the wheel’s edge.
Work around the tire, your hand pushing down on it, so it fully gets in the rim. If it won’t seat properly, put your foot down on the tire where the iron holds it down, then use it to work your way around the tire prying it down on the whee, but careful enough not to let the previously seated tire part pop out.
Pump the tire when it’s seated, using compressed air. This can be dangerous, because the force can propel the tire and wheel in the air, then hit you. If possible, strap the wheel and tire before pumping.
As the tire starts to inflate the bottom bead seats first, and there will be a pop. The sidewall then will begin to budge. Once after 3/4 of the bead sits, stop inflating for a while, stepping back. If the tire still doesn’t seat properly, add more air, stepping back again. You may need to repeat this a few times before the tire is inflated completely.
You can mount a tire yourself, but it takes hard work and patience. If you’re unsure about this, though, it may be better if you ask a professional to deal with this job for you. If you enjoy reading this article, you’ll surely be interested in learning how to make your car tires last longer.