How To Avoid Common Tire Mounting Mistakes
Posted on: 11 January 2018
If you mount and balance your tires on your own, you need to take special precautions to make sure that you don't make any mounting errors. You want your tires to be properly mounted in order to stay safe on the road.
Use Lubricant
Do not skip out on lubricant when you are mounting tires. You should use lubrication when you are both mounting and removing tires. You should put lubricant on the balcony of the wheel drop, on the bead seat, and on the inner toe area of the tire bead. Not using enough lubricant can cause damage to the wheel and to the tire.
Make sure you don't go overboard with the lubricant though; using too much lubricant can cause vibration problems as well as slippage between your wheel to tire.
Use Mechanical or Pneumatic Assists
When it comes to holding the tire in the drop center when you are mounting it, do not use hand-held bars. Hand-held bars may work most of the time, but if you drop the hand-held bar or it breaks, you could damage the wheel that you are working on. You could also get damaged as well.
The safest way to hold the bead in the drop center when mounting a tire is with either mechanical or pneumatic assists. Mechanical or pneumatic assists are stronger and more reliable than hand-held bars. They will remain steady and you will be able to effectively place the upper bead on the center of the wheel without damaging either the rim or the tire.
Pay Attention to Special Systems
If you are changing tires on a newer vehicle, make sure that you are aware of all special systems that are in place. For example, a common system on newer vehicles is a tire pressure monitoring system or TPMS. With TPMS systems, you want to check the sensor at the valve before you start mounting the tires to make sure that it is working. Be very careful around the sensor as you mount the tire and check the sensor after you mount the tire to ensure that it is working.
Another system you need to watch out for are reverse mounts. Many vehicles no have reverse mount wheels. If a vehicle has a reverse mounted wheel, you will need to use a special equipment to ensure that you don't damage the wheel during the mounting process.
When mounting tires, use lube to assist the process, use mechanical or pneumatic assists and pay attention to all special systems that are present.
Contact a shop like Huntington Beach Transmissions for help.
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