DuckNut
TJ Enthusiast
And you have Walmarts with tire centers.Nearest one here is 45-60 minutes away.
The WM's around here will only mount factory sized/specs tires. Anything different, they will not mount.
Changing my own tires
- Thread starter lBasket
- Start date
The WM's around here will only mount factory sized/specs tires. Anything different, they will not mount.
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This doesn't sound horrible, is it difficult to not damage the wheel?
I do like the idea of being able to do it myself, it seems like a useful skill, i think if I get into some kind of autox in my mr2 it would be useful there too
If I did damage a wheel, it was minor and has been lost in the rock rash.
When I was young, my dad would change his tires every fall and spring..eg winter tires. I had to help. He would put the tire under the bumper and use the jack to break the bead. Was quite the chore. I remember jumping on the tire edge to try to help break it loose. I dont know why he just didnt have 2 sets of wheels, but he didnt. I hated when that job came around. By the time we were done, no one was in a good mood. That was 60 years ago but I'll never forget it and never attempt to do it myself either...lol
I worked as a trailer and tractor mechanic when I was younger. I used to be able to dismount and remount 8 tires by hand in under 90 minutes. (that would be an all day attempt now 
) All you need is the right tools to make the job "easy".
Just get a 12lb tire maul for bustin' beads.
And a good Golden tire tool for dismount and remount.
Don't forget a Cheetah, which can be used for other things too.
Now go drive that two hours and save yourself some expensive backbreaking labor.
) All you need is the right tools to make the job "easy".Just get a 12lb tire maul for bustin' beads.
And a good Golden tire tool for dismount and remount.
Don't forget a Cheetah, which can be used for other things too.
Now go drive that two hours and save yourself some expensive backbreaking labor.
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gasiorv
I'm a new world samurai, and a redneck nonetheless
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Break the beads using a jack (bottle jack or scissor jack under the frame or bumper or a hi lift/bumper jack under the bumper) and then use a set of spoons to remove the old tires and install the new tires. You will find that removing the 2nd bead from the old tire is harder than installing the new tire. Now you will have to balance them, a cheap ass bubble balancer from amazon or harbor freight works well up to 35" tires, but after that they suck and don't even bother. I found balancing to be the issue, not the actual mounting of the tires. Heck, I have taken my current 37" STT Pros that I run for street tires to local tire shops and they can't balance them.
A set of tire irons/spoons from harbor freight will work once maybe twice, but will bend during the process, I have changed a lot of tires over my short life and found that the ken tool tire iron with the ken tool spoon works the best. Amazon probably has the ken tool, if not, I know that Zoro has them.
A set of tire irons/spoons from harbor freight will work once maybe twice, but will bend during the process, I have changed a lot of tires over my short life and found that the ken tool tire iron with the ken tool spoon works the best. Amazon probably has the ken tool, if not, I know that Zoro has them.
I second this Trevor. Figure out the bead breaking part, get some 3’ foot tire spoons and have at it. Its not that hard. I’ve got some pics of the steps and spoons in my build thread.
Edit: be careful with high pressure bead seaters. If you blow a tire off a rim, you can get seriously hurt. With 12.5” tires on 7” rims, I bet they will easily seat with windex and a regular compressor.
You still in Florissent? In Denver theres a ton of independent little recycled tire places that'll do pretty much anything for dirt cheap. They installed 4 tires I got off CL for like $20 on my girls rig. I would guess Colorado Springs has a bunch too?
LostintheForest
Member
The Ken Tool bars were what we used to tow truck tires at one shop I worked at. I hated doing tow truck tires.
I can't really find anyone within an hour of my house to change my tires so I am thinking about figuring out a way to just do it myself.
I think I saw somewhere on the forum that someone had a scissor jack with some metal welded to it to push the bead down or something? And it mounted into a trailer hitch if I remember right? Anyone have pics of that?
I've seen stuff like the harbor freight changer and what @NashvilleTJ uses (yes I read your entire build thread
I followed @NashvilleTJ method today to break the bead on a couple of wheels/tires.
I’ve been on the merry-go-round trying to get my recent tires balanced. I’m tired of messing with tire guys. Just going to get a bubble balancer and do it myself. Thanks for the nudge that put me over the edge. If there’s one thing that ruins an otherwise great open-air driving experience it’s a poorly balanced wheel/tire combo.
That restriction applies to mounting them on the car. Shops with that rule will usually mount anything if you bring just the tires and rims.
I just bought an old Coates 40-40 Tire machine for a few hundred dollars on Craigslist years ago to deal with it. Now I'm everyone's friend. But don't ask me to balance them.
I just looked on Facebook Market place and found at least a half dozen tire machines for sale less than $500.00 Some were only $250.00 albeit they were a bit tattered looking.
DuckNut
TJ Enthusiast
I made my comment based on personal experience less than a week ago.
F-150 specs 235/70/17. Took in 4 tires 230/70/17 and they would not mount the tire on the rim.
My response was based on personal experience one week ago today.
F150 specs 235/70/17. Carried in a set of 230/70/17 and they would not mount them.
Obviously your experience may vary.
Man am I glad my son is a mechanic and has access to tire equipment. No labor cost and all the tires swaps I want for the price of a dinner and few beers!