Fitting car tyres again. Anything I need to know? Machine mart have some, but the 34″ one is quite a lot more expensive than the 18″ one. Could I use a motorbike one? Do I need something to protect the rim?

Longer the better, depends on the rim, but rubber blocks don’t go amiss to keep things shiny. If they are nice wheels, personally wouldn’t fit myself using levers, let the machine take the strain.

Steel rims or ally? I would’nt be going near an ally rim with a lever.

Have you got a bead breaker as well?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/qLugJ9]Stenor[/url] by jimmyg352, on Flickr

Steel. Did the same for the Prius last winter, managed to get them on without a lever. Couldn’t get these on though.

Tried one with a crowbar, slightly deformed the outer lip of the wheel (where the weights go) but it’s holding air alright. Wheels are new so don’t need to remove old tyres.

I’d not bother myself but no-one wants to fit tyres they haven’t supplied.

Lots of washing up liquid & a hammer used to work for me (on building site dumpers) Otherwise, go careful with the levers.

How are you proposing to balance them?

Practically every tyre fitting place will fit tyres and balance weights.

Cougar and somafunk – all the tyre places I tried (and I phoned quite a few) would not fit tyres they had not supplied. Although they are happy to balance wheels for a very small fee.

So I fit them myself and drive to Kwik Fit or similar to get them balanced.

Really? – that’s just weird!…..I could take tyres to any of the local fitters here in Galloway and they’d be happy to fit the tyres, they generally charge £12 – £15 a wheel balanced. I’ve ordered umpteen winter tyres for folk i know and they’ve all been fitted at various places, some of them garages, some of them independent tyre fitters.

Do you not have a local/trusted garage you use for other mechanical issues?.

Weird and bloody annoying. OTOH Kwikfit recognised me as a regular customer (a long time in the past mind) and balanced for free 🙂

Do you not have a local/trusted garage you use for other mechanical issues?

Lol.. don’t ask.. definitely don’t ask…

I’ve done quite a few Landrover wheels.
The hardest bit was breaking the bead.

The longer the tyre lever the better.
Lots of tutorials on YouTube.

How much have you saved buying the tyres – enough for the tools and a new rim? 😉

Try this search link for independent tyre fitters who will fit supplied tyres, you may get lucky

How much have you saved buying the tyres

It’s not a money saving thing, in that sense. These are winter tyres I bought years ago, but at the time they weren’t doing cheap tyre+wheel deals so I had a great mobile tyre guy come round and change both cars over for a reasonable sum. However he disappeared, and after a few disastrous efforts with cowboys I ended up here. However now I’ve ponied up for the wheels this should be the last time.

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Product.do?method=view&n=1657&p=37314&c=215&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Base&utm_campaign=Workshop%20Equipment&gclid=CIrD8IXMlMMCFaIIwwodtnUA1A

I have a cheaper version of that.

Makes the job a synch. – lay it down use the bead breaker , turn it over , do other side, spray some tire soap about the bead , put it on the spike , bolt it down ,hook the bead and pull the lever round the spike,

To fit…..tire soap new bead , force first one over into the well of the rim , should go with minimal levering.

Hook the top bead under the rim , use mole grips on the weight lip to stop it popping off , hook the other end of the tire lever between bead of tire and rim , pull it round the spike. Tire is on.

**** messing around with levers on the floor.

As for breaking the bead….

The way i did it before machine was- tire down , valve core out., sturdy bit of wood on the tire , drive the van onto the wood. Bead popped !

A friend would do them in Newport for you, mail me if you want the details.

Nah it’s ok – I can do it, just wondered if it was worth buying a lever for 3 more tyres. Probably not.

I’ve got something very like the bar in that sealey kit Trail_Rat posted, a Nomar- it’s frankly genius, makes things really easy but doesn’t seem to be available in the UK any more. It’s designed for use with a full machine but as long as you can put something through the middle to lever against it’s grand. Not cheap mind but really worth it

Yep the bar is genius , i bought a cheap kit off ebay for 40 quid, as i need to dismount, needle gun , paint and remount 8 lr tires and 12 van tires. Ill be **** if i was paying the man 15 quid a corner to pull em and 15 quid a corner to mount,…. Twas what they quoted :/