Mount your tire changer on a heavy wooden pallet so you don't have to hold it down with your foot. Wasn't sure this item would work with an 18" rim. Thanks for proving it would!
I was worried at first the changer would have to be mounted and anchored. You wont put that much force on it to require anchoring when using the tire irons. I've done a full set of vette wheels and several other car and trailer tires easily without anchoring. Of course anyone and I would recommend following the OEM manuals and instructions. You need the anchoring when you use the big red bar. I tried the big red bar, its basically a rim edge destroyer.
@@bigwrenchgarage1360 yep, big red is for steel rims. I’ve gotten to the point where I can mount to steel without disturbing the rust on the lip. Mines bolted to the floor with anchors below the surface that way it can be unbolted and stored under the stairs when not in use. Wish I had a worthless alum to try I wonder just how bad it’d be.
Trick for seating beads. Remove the valve and use a air blow gun to inflate to seat. Harbor Freight 68258 fits perfectly into the valve stem with valve removed and moves a lot of air into the tire fast.
Pretty impressive. I tried very hard to duplicate this with a 245/40/18 tire and I could not do it. The one side was easy to get on but I couldn’t get the tire to stay in the drop center and my tire kept coming out as I went around and adjusted the tire irons. Yours stayed put somehow as you went around. Props.
I used a C clamp to hold it in the drop center. They make plastic mounting tools to hold it as well, but a C clamp works. 2 C clamps spaced 10" apart is even better. Tire must stay in the drop center as the steel wire loop in the bead does not stretch and is perfectly sized to fit around the wheel when in the drop center. Try 2 clamps or even 3 if needed. Helps keep the bead from popping back off.
After failing miserably with that red pole, I found I can mount them easier on the floor with a knee and a foot holding the tire below the bead. The HF changer is great for breaking the bead but that's it.
This looks brutal! bolt that thing to the cement floor and buy a nomar bar from nomar. It looks great for motorcycle tires and i bet it would work great for car tires. Hell, just buy the cycle hill or nomar machine, it comes with the bar.
Good job, I don't l know if my Blue Wolverine would work well with low profiles like this, but I do know that it will be a lot easier if you use bead blaster lubricant on the underside of the second bead to go on the rim. Many people over look the importance of lubricating the underside of the 2nd bead, the part that actually makes contact with the wheel for installation.
It is all about the lube and keeping the opposite side in the drop center. Soaped the wheel and tire in and out before I started, didn’t get on video. But more lube the better that’s for sure. Added more as I worked. Used two cups of water and a generous squirt of dish soap. More soap concentrate would be better for sure since it would not dry out as fast.
I need to remove some bald tires off the same exact C5 wheels. Have you used the HF machine to break the bead on these wheels? Also, bolt that tire changer down and it’ll make things much easier.
Where exactly is the drop center? Bought one of these today and took one 225/60/16 off easily, but felt like I was going to rip the new tire putting it back on due to how friggin' tight it was. Used a clamp to hold it in place, but it would not go over the rim. I thought maybe it was the size of the tire as every video I've seen was no bigger than 15". Your video is an even bigger tire, so apparently the 16's will go on, but maybe I wasn't in the sweet spot/drop center Any ideas? Thanks!
Well done. 👍... Was breaking the beads easy with the changer not being bolted?... About to invest in this... As I've decided to do everything myself... Brakes rotors oil changes and now unmounting and remounting... Cheers
Breaking the bead is not a problem. I just put one hand on the top of the changer and one on the lever. Don't try to force the bead at once, work it around while using lots of soap water. I got the changer and a spin balancer because I was tired of shops messing up my wheels and charging a lot to do sensors and balance.
@@bigwrenchgarage1360 awesome... yea, I saw your comment in another vid and followed your link... same here, mate... quality of people's work has taken a dive, while having the nerve to charge these ridiculous prices... Was missing out on all the fun... Cheers again...
The bubble balancer will not do wheels with as big an offset as the vettes or most wide low profile wheels. The bubble balancer works great on trailer wheels and regular car tires say 205 or less in width. The wide low profile with large offset wheels cause the bubble balancer to be completely ineffective. I tried, but the bubble balance is all over the place. Completely ineffective because the offset acts like a tight rope walker with a big pole. Lowers the CG and negates any weight imbalance on the bubble balancer.
With regards to the tire irons, any thoughts on using "Plasti-Dip' the ends of the tire irons? I have the HF tire machine and about to start doing my own work at home. I love your approach here, and I am thinking of doing this and trying plasti-dip or even duct tape on the tire iron to prevent marring. Thoughts?
Plastidip may make it harder to grab the rim edge with the thin hook end and may not hold up. The best is the yellow clip-on rim guards they sell for $10 on ebay. If you're careful you can mount and dismount the tire without damaging the rim edge when using just the HFT general purpose tire irons as I did in the video. But try the plastidip or duct tape and see if it holds up, I'd be curious to know. Likely the pressure between the iron and rim may just cut right through tape or plastidip, but if it works for a set of tires it's worth it to keep them perfect. My raised lip vette rims came out near perfect so i'm good unless I do the flush faced mercedes wheels. Flush faced rims without a raised lip may be damaged very easily without a rim guard or some form of plastic or rubber protection.
Did the fronts wheel beads on the changer no problem. I'll do a rear wheel and video it. Lay rubber on the base of the bead breaker. Soap up the rim. Let out the air and remove the valve stem. Work the bead with the breaker slowly and in 3" increments. Don't try to break it in one motion. Work it slowly and rotate the tire to get the soap to work into it. It'll come off pretty easy. Use the irons to get it off the top. Lots of soap.
@@Ajrubiofoo Mounting will be slightly harder I think but not much. Get 2 c-clamps or any tire mounting seat guide tools, with valve stem at 12 o'clock, put one clamp at 5 o'clock (maybe 4:30) and one at 7 o'clock (maybe 7:30). Get two of the thinner tipped HFT general purpose tire irons. Dish soap and water it all. Only issue is the bubble balancer won't do wide wheels with offsets. This is because the center of offset wheels sits too far below the bubble balancer's pin point of balance. Makes it impossible to balance them on the bubble balancer unless you make a spacer to set the wheel center on the bubble balancer at the center point of the balancer. I tried the bubble and it won't do wide wheels at all. Anything with a significant offset won't work. Get over 205mm width tires with any offset and it starts to go way off. If you're just changing low profile tires to drift and don't need a balance then the manual changer is perfect.
Mount your tire changer on a heavy wooden pallet so you don't have to hold it down with your foot. Wasn't sure this item would work with an 18" rim. Thanks for proving it would!
I was worried at first the changer would have to be mounted and anchored. You wont put that much force on it to require anchoring when using the tire irons. I've done a full set of vette wheels and several other car and trailer tires easily without anchoring. Of course anyone and I would recommend following the OEM manuals and instructions. You need the anchoring when you use the big red bar. I tried the big red bar, its basically a rim edge destroyer.
@@bigwrenchgarage1360 yep, big red is for steel rims. I’ve gotten to the point where I can mount to steel without disturbing the rust on the lip. Mines bolted to the floor with anchors below the surface that way it can be unbolted and stored under the stairs when not in use. Wish I had a worthless alum to try I wonder just how bad it’d be.
Yes that’s what I done mine works good.
Trick for seating beads. Remove the valve and use a air blow gun to inflate to seat. Harbor Freight 68258 fits perfectly into the valve stem with valve removed and moves a lot of air into the tire fast.
thanks bro
Heads up I got one to 60psi with a blow gun once. Blew my mind that a blow gun with no core would inflate that high with such ease.
Use two c-clamps to keep more of the tire in the groove. Put them about 12" apart. It will go on much easier by doing that.
Pretty impressive. I tried very hard to duplicate this with a 245/40/18 tire and I could not do it. The one side was easy to get on but I couldn’t get the tire to stay in the drop center and my tire kept coming out as I went around and adjusted the tire irons. Yours stayed put somehow as you went around. Props.
I used a C clamp to hold it in the drop center. They make plastic mounting tools to hold it as well, but a C clamp works. 2 C clamps spaced 10" apart is even better. Tire must stay in the drop center as the steel wire loop in the bead does not stretch and is perfectly sized to fit around the wheel when in the drop center. Try 2 clamps or even 3 if needed. Helps keep the bead from popping back off.
Plus the stand wasnt bolted to concrete
After failing miserably with that red pole, I found I can mount them easier on the floor with a knee and a foot holding the tire below the bead. The HF changer is great for breaking the bead but that's it.
This looks brutal! bolt that thing to the cement floor and buy a nomar bar from nomar. It looks great for motorcycle tires and i bet it would work great for car tires. Hell, just buy the cycle hill or nomar machine, it comes with the bar.
Good job, I don't l know if my Blue Wolverine would work well with low profiles like this, but I do know that it will be a lot easier if you use bead blaster lubricant on the underside of the second bead to go on the rim. Many people over look the importance of lubricating the underside of the 2nd bead, the part that actually makes contact with the wheel for installation.
It is all about the lube and keeping the opposite side in the drop center. Soaped the wheel and tire in and out before I started, didn’t get on video. But more lube the better that’s for sure. Added more as I worked. Used two cups of water and a generous squirt of dish soap. More soap concentrate would be better for sure since it would not dry out as fast.
Tire shop screw up your expensive wheels while mounting them?!? Skip the tire shop and change the tires yourself for less money!
I need to remove some bald tires off the same exact C5 wheels. Have you used the HF machine to break the bead on these wheels?
Also, bolt that tire changer down and it’ll make things much easier.
Duckbill mod 👍
I’ve ripped a bead prying tires onto the rim before.
Where exactly is the drop center? Bought one of these today and took one 225/60/16 off easily, but felt like I was going to rip the new tire putting it back on due to how friggin' tight it was. Used a clamp to hold it in place, but it would not go over the rim. I thought maybe it was the size of the tire as every video I've seen was no bigger than 15". Your video is an even bigger tire, so apparently the 16's will go on, but maybe I wasn't in the sweet spot/drop center Any ideas? Thanks!
Would this device work for a Yukon tire, the size of the rims are 20
what do you use to bust the bead off the wheel?
Mount the changer on a piece of 3/4 inch thick plywood 4 feet X 4 Feet use carriage bolts to mount!
Well done. 👍... Was breaking the beads easy with the changer not being bolted?... About to invest in this... As I've decided to do everything myself... Brakes rotors oil changes and now unmounting and remounting...
Cheers
Breaking the bead is not a problem. I just put one hand on the top of the changer and one on the lever. Don't try to force the bead at once, work it around while using lots of soap water. I got the changer and a spin balancer because I was tired of shops messing up my wheels and charging a lot to do sensors and balance.
@@bigwrenchgarage1360 awesome... yea, I saw your comment in another vid and followed your link... same here, mate... quality of people's work has taken a dive, while having the nerve to charge these ridiculous prices...
Was missing out on all the fun...
Cheers again...
Would a little piece of plastic milk jug keep the clear coat more protected from the tire iron?
Do you balance these wheels on that bubble balancer in the background? If so have a video on how you did it?
The bubble balancer will not do wheels with as big an offset as the vettes or most wide low profile wheels. The bubble balancer works great on trailer wheels and regular car tires say 205 or less in width. The wide low profile with large offset wheels cause the bubble balancer to be completely ineffective. I tried, but the bubble balance is all over the place. Completely ineffective because the offset acts like a tight rope walker with a big pole. Lowers the CG and negates any weight imbalance on the bubble balancer.
@@bigwrenchgarage1360 So the only way to balance these is spin balance or are they so wide they don't need balancing?😁
@@bigwrenchgarage1360 What if you flipped the wheels upside down on the bubble balancer?
awesome thanks youtube bro .....
30% off $10 or less items this weekend only. Coupon is on HF's site. Perfect time to get the tire irons and the C-clamps!
With regards to the tire irons, any thoughts on using "Plasti-Dip' the ends of the tire irons? I have the HF tire machine and about to start doing my own work at home. I love your approach here, and I am thinking of doing this and trying plasti-dip or even duct tape on the tire iron to prevent marring. Thoughts?
Plastidip may make it harder to grab the rim edge with the thin hook end and may not hold up. The best is the yellow clip-on rim guards they sell for $10 on ebay. If you're careful you can mount and dismount the tire without damaging the rim edge when using just the HFT general purpose tire irons as I did in the video. But try the plastidip or duct tape and see if it holds up, I'd be curious to know. Likely the pressure between the iron and rim may just cut right through tape or plastidip, but if it works for a set of tires it's worth it to keep them perfect. My raised lip vette rims came out near perfect so i'm good unless I do the flush faced mercedes wheels. Flush faced rims without a raised lip may be damaged very easily without a rim guard or some form of plastic or rubber protection.
Plastidip will come right off with that kind of abuse.
Anyone else do a big stiff tire on their changer? Not as hard as you'd think.
I like using Lemon Pledge instead of soap.
25% off this weekend only on one item only coupon at HF! The tire changer is a great one to use the coupon on! Go to Harborfreight.com to get it!
How do u break the bead to dismount?
Did the fronts wheel beads on the changer no problem. I'll do a rear wheel and video it. Lay rubber on the base of the bead breaker. Soap up the rim. Let out the air and remove the valve stem. Work the bead with the breaker slowly and in 3" increments. Don't try to break it in one motion. Work it slowly and rotate the tire to get the soap to work into it. It'll come off pretty easy. Use the irons to get it off the top. Lots of soap.
@@bigwrenchgarage1360 cool thanks! U think a 35 series would be much harder? I run 265/35/18s on a 9.5 or 10.5 wide wheel
@@Ajrubiofoo Mounting will be slightly harder I think but not much. Get 2 c-clamps or any tire mounting seat guide tools, with valve stem at 12 o'clock, put one clamp at 5 o'clock (maybe 4:30) and one at 7 o'clock (maybe 7:30). Get two of the thinner tipped HFT general purpose tire irons. Dish soap and water it all. Only issue is the bubble balancer won't do wide wheels with offsets. This is because the center of offset wheels sits too far below the bubble balancer's pin point of balance. Makes it impossible to balance them on the bubble balancer unless you make a spacer to set the wheel center on the bubble balancer at the center point of the balancer. I tried the bubble and it won't do wide wheels at all. Anything with a significant offset won't work. Get over 205mm width tires with any offset and it starts to go way off. If you're just changing low profile tires to drift and don't need a balance then the manual changer is perfect.
@@bigwrenchgarage1360 thanks for all the info! Looking forward to your next vid
Pleased that`s not my wheel
Stop being so cheap if you can afford a Corvette you can afford to take it in and get the tires done quit being cheap