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Manual Tyre Changer

u33db

Active Member
Some weeks ago I bought one of these £40 walk around manual tyre changing tools off ebay;

i129.photobucket.com_albums_p206_u33db_corsa_sri_30_10_2015_2008_39_30_zpsv1aeqzx2.webp

Manual Wheel Tyre Changer Remover & Bar for Car Van Garage Workshop: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike

Anyway last weekend I got round to trying it on some old steelies I had lying about...works pretty well!

First things first it needs fixed to something...some people on youtube bolt them to an old pallet but I've bolted the base of mine to the garage floor with some M10 x 95mm concrete anchor bolts drilled in with a 16mm drill bit and just remove the top half when I'm not using it to get the car in;

i129.photobucket.com_albums_p206_u33db_corsa_sri_20151023_154633_zpsxyo0l8tv.webp

I'll not give details on technique to use it as there are plenty of videos on youtube which show that...specifically I thought this one was quite good;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUas5LIY_ok

The critical thing is remove the valve core before doing anything which you can do buy buying a tool or just cutting the head of a small screwdriver into a prong shape. You'll also need some lubricant for the rubber...fairy liquid worked for me but proper tyre soap is about a tenner.

Anyway on my first attempt I got a 205/55 of a rusty ancient steel rim in about 10 minutes...putting it back out took a bit longer...about 2 hours...until I got the knack. After that I could remove and refit one tyre in about 10 minutes which thought was pretty good.

Obviously this tool uses a steel bar to lever the tyre off which is ok for steelies but will scratch alloys. I've now bought the following bar for alloys to avoid the scratching;

i129.photobucket.com_albums_p206_u33db_corsa_sri_30_10_2015_2008_41_06_zpsengjxc9l.webp

manual tyre machine changer bar alloy wheels car / bike | eBay

Obviously the tyres still need balanced but i'm going to buy one of those 50 quid "bubble balancers" to try that shortly and see how that goes...

Summary of costs;

Tyre changing tool - £40
Alloy wheel specific bar - £78
Bubble balancer - £50
Tyre soap - £10
Box of weights - £10
Box of valves - £5

So around £190 will give you all the tools/parts to change and balance a LOT of tyres for a lot of years! This might seem like a lot but earlier this year I got charged £20 to remove 4 tyres (to allow me to powdercoat the wheels) then another £60 to fit and balance tyres on the same wheels a week later. I think using this stuff just twice/3 times will break even.
 
I recently stopped doing it by hand, I just brute force it, breaking the bead was the worst bit.

I looked at one of these for ages but carried on with levers and my wooden bead breaker.

The other week I finally caved and bought a tyre machine. Money well spent but then again I own a garage!

When fitting a tyre you can just slap it on and that just leaves the top to be levered on. Once you get the knack its seconds.
 
I always found the easiest way to break the bead was to squeeze the tyre in a vice. It would normally be motorbike tyres tho.
 
TBH if its good tyres and the wheels are straight they rarely need balancing.

I have the uniroyals on all the cars just now and not a single wheel weight on any.

Bubble balancers do the job but a static balance is only a small part of the picture. As the tyre wears the balance also changes one could argue correctly.
 
Yes you were right enough about levering the tyre on - tried that with plenty of soap and it was easier than using the tyre bar included with the machine; took under 2 minutes to get a 205/55 on, even for a weakling like me.

I think the tyre changer is still worth it for the bead breaker bit and as a device to hold the wheel still and get the tyre off...dunno if i'd have luck doing that by hand TBH!

I've also just been and bubble balanced 4 wheels...still to be fitted so it remains to be seen if that was worth it...
 
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