I'm about to mount the tires on my magnesium halibrands. I absolutely REFUSE to take them to one of these tire shops because the guys in that back don't give two craps about gently handling other people's possessions. I'm wondering what to use to protect the rim from marring when using the tire irons? I've done numerous steel wheels in the past but, with those you don't have to worry about marring the surface of the wheels. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!
I have an old Coates tire mounting machine that holds the wheel to the machine with air applied 'grippers' on the inside of the rim. They have a serrated surface where they contact the wheel. I have used pieces of an old inner tube to wrap the serrations to prevent marring. The top side is made so the the arm and tire guide do not touch the wheel lip as the wheel is rotated forcing the tire onto the wheel. I understand you are asking about 'tire irons', not powered mounting machines, but using flat 'irons' with no sharp edges, perhaps wrapped with electrical tape, could accomplish the job. However, you might find some one in a smaller, not so 'hustle bustle' shop that has a machine capable of 'no mar' mounting. So many vehicles are routinely equipped with alloy wheels, I think most/all modern equipment is manufactured to eliminate/minimize marring when properly used. A custom wheel shop or restoration shop, may be your best bet. Best wishes..... Ray
I have seen some shops that mount custom wheels that have a plastic , like thing that covers the edge of the wheel to protect it. That should work great for you! Edit: I went to ebay and found rim protectors for about $8 . Ought to work! Bones
They advertise the plastic head, I think it is called a duck head, for removing and installing tires on epay. They sell for about 20.00, and would prevent damage to alloy wheels. I have done plenty of steel wheels the hard way, and plan to use my balancing machine to mount the rim, and the duck head for removing and installing the tires. I use the deck on my F700 and a jackall to break the bead. Works like a charm. I have also found that the bead breaks much easier if you leave a couple pounds air pressure in the tire. That way the bead breaker doesn't slip away from the edge of the rim. I just did 4 today, off and on, almost a quickly as a person can do it on a machine. Bob
I wonder if you could make spoons from a piece of ABS pipe. If you don't want to wait around for shipping.
Tape won't cut it... Instead, go down to your local electrical supplier and buy a chunk of commercial-grade shrink tube (you can usually buy it in one foot increments), probably in a 250-400 MCM range but this will depend on the size of your irons. This will shrink down into a hard, smooth surface and is tough enough not to tear or wear through quickly. Do use plenty of lube though... DO NOT use the crap the auto/marine guys sell, it's not tough enough.
Don't know what your budget is, but the No-Mar bar is pretty nice. I have an older HF tire changer, the bar it comes with is fine for steel wheels, I would not use it on anything else though. Been meaning to pick up a N0-Mar bar so I can do some of my nicer wheels.
Thank you for all the input guys! I've read that cutting pieces of milk jugs, soda bottles, etc does the trick however, I prefer to see what y'all think and use before I go testing my luck with it. I do see that they sell motorcycle wheel protectors. I'm unsure if they'll work for car wheels though. I tried taping up the bars that I used to mount some tires on aluminum wheels. Let's just say it didn't look so pretty when I was done. Taking them to a shop is out of the question. Don't trust those guys as far as I can throw them!
When you get the job done, report back on what method you used and how well it worked. I have a set of magnesium rims I need to remove and mount tires onto sometime in the near future.
I have a No Mar manual tire mounting machine a Hoffmann Monte air/electric, and an assortment of tire irons I’ve mount many types of tire and wheel combinations both automobile and motorcycle wheels. I can usually get the first half of the tire on the wheel without any tools regardless of which method I’m employing.. The trick is use some diluted dish soap in a spray bottle and spray the wheel where the tire will need to slide on and the tire beads.. Then work the second bead on as far as you can by hand. This should leave approximately a little more then half of the tire to work over the lip of the wheel.. If you have a No Mar bar or something similar that should get you over the lip with the least amount of fight.. Dish soap..!
I WILL say I have some experience on this subject. I took a pair of new 15x8" Halibrand aluminum Sprints to the local (big name) tire shop to have the tires dismounted when I changed to 15x12" Hals, the wheels were already sold. The dork managed to gouge the face of both of them and seemed unfazed by it. I WAS LIVID!!! Now I know why the manager went racing out of there as I drove in to pick them up. I ended up going home and getting files, sandpaper, buffing rouge, polish, etc and spent nearly two hours polishing them on the wheel balancer. As I looked around I spotted the plastic rim protectors on the bench.
You're in Socal? What area? Maybe someone here can recommend a reputable shop that caters to specialty and exotic car wheel/tire mounting and uses one of the new style machines such as a Hunter that never touches the rim. There has to be several near you that can mount/balance them in 30 minutes and save you dickin around with irons sweating you don't scratch your wheels.
My buddy owns a shop, does any tire change you can imagine and he never scrapes anything up. I'd say that most of what he works on has alloy wheels that scratch easily. You have to find the right shop, ask around.
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