# Tire mounting



## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

it depends on tire. if it says "unidirectional" or there's an arrow pointing in a particular direction, then yes, that's the only way to mount it. Aquatrads used to be that way.


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

Nothing particular. Both sides have the same writings except one side seems to have a bar code engraved.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

unless you really have direction specific trad pattern - does not matter. sidewalls are identical thickness either side. some folks do white wall or blue wall out, for cosmetics.


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

Ok thanks. Now the next question.... setting the bead with ether??? Good or bad idea?


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## D-rock (May 23, 2011)

ukrkoz said:


> it depends on tire. if it says "unidirectional" or there's an arrow pointing in a particular direction, then yes, that's the only way to mount it. Aquatrads used to be that way.



This is incorrect. Majority of rotational direction tires can and need to be mounted both ways. Two for the left side of the car and two for the right side of the car so the arrows all roll towards the front of the vehicle. Other tires will say "mount this side out" and this is for vehicle handling purposes. If it says nothing, like you said your tires are, then it dosen't matter however I would mount either all bar codes up or down.


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## Thurman (Feb 9, 2009)

Sounds as if you are trying to mount these tires yourself. "Setting the bead with ether" is NOT a good idea. Experienced tire mounting people will tell you that this is a "hit or miss" type thing: You will either be hit or missed by something airborne if you use this method.


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

I mounted one so far. Took me an hour. Lots of soap, crowbar and a few flat heads. What a PITA. I tried with WD40 and didn't work so I used my compressor. I heard the "pop" so I guess the bead is set. I'm gonna try the ratchet strap trick on the next one.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

D-rock said:


> This is incorrect. Majority of rotational direction tires can and need to be mounted both ways. Two for the left side of the car and two for the right side of the car so the arrows all roll towards the front of the vehicle. Other tires will say "mount this side out" and this is for vehicle handling purposes. If it says nothing, like you said your tires are, then it dosen't matter however I would mount either all bar codes up or down.



well, if you really want to go really technical:

_Car manufacturers will recommend tire rotation frequency and pattern. Depending on the specifics of the vehicle, tire rotation may be recommended every 12,000 km (8,000 mi). The rotation pattern is typically moving the back wheels to the front, and the front to the back, but crossing them when moving to the back. If the tires are unidirectional, the rotation can only be rotated front to back on the same side of the vehicle to preserve the rotational direction of the tires. Most unidirectional tires can be moved from side to side if they are remounted; tires with asymmetric rims are a rare exception. More complex rotation patterns are required if the vehicle has a full-size spare tire that is part of the rotation, or if there are snow tires._
_To clarify; the pattern for asymmetrical tires to be rotated, or positioned, is for the tires on the driving axle of two-wheel drive vehicles to remain on the same side of the vehicle as they are moved to the non-driving axle, and for the tires on the non-driving axle to cross over to the opposite side of the vehicle as they are placed onto the driving axle. For all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles and four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles, it is recommended that the tires from each axle cross over as the fronts move to the rear and rears to the front. For the 4WD configuration, it is dependent upon how much 4WD driving is actually performed, whether it's controlled via mechanical/computerized devices or in vehicle controls, the recommendation will likely be found in the Owner/Operator manual or can be obtained by speaking to the manufacturer or dealership._
_Current thinking stresses the desirability of keeping the best tires on the rear wheels of the vehicle, whether it is front, or rear wheel drive. The reason for this is that if the rear wheels lose grip before the front ones, an oversteer condition will occur, which is harder to control than the corresponding understeer which will happen if a front wheel is lost. This is also the case if a tire blows out, so the intuitive belief that the front steering/driving tires need to be the best quality is not actually the case._


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

If you happen to have a newer Corvette, I think there are 4 different tires because the different sizes from front to rear and directional rotation.

Dick


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

yes, BMWs have some odd tires, Nissan 300 has wider rear and narrower front, Porsches are same. many cars have 2 prs of tires that can not be rotated back to front. His question was - does a tire have a side he should be worried about mounting it? no, if it's a regular tire with uniform symmetrical pattern. now we have all the scientific discussion....


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

I have a Protege 1998. Nothing fancy here. Now I'm debating if I should just get those tires put on rims by a garage. I tried another one earlier and I just can't mount it!!!!


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## polarzak (Dec 1, 2008)

Audiotekm said:


> I mounted one so far. Took me an hour. Lots of soap, crowbar and a few flat heads. What a PITA. I tried with WD40 and didn't work so I used my compressor. I heard the "pop" so I guess the bead is set. I'm gonna try the ratchet strap trick on the next one.


WD-40 and rubber is a bad mix. It makes rubber swell and go soft.


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

Audiotekm said:


> I have a Protege 1998. Nothing fancy here. Now I'm debating if I should just get those tires put on rims by a garage. I tried another one earlier and I just can't mount it!!!!


I've done both - mounted them myself, and had somebody do it.

I will never again go through the hassle of doing it myself. Tires with tubes are easy. Tubeless tires are a whole different story.


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

polarzak said:


> WD-40 and rubber is a bad mix. It makes rubber swell and go soft.


 Yep. WD 40 was never made to be a lubricant.


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

I finally mounted the 4 tires. There's a sweet spot you got to hit with the crowbar then it goes on "easy". Right now I have a spare tire at the back. Would it be OK to put 2 winter tires at the back and 2 summer at the front? One of my winter tire has a flat LOL. That's what happens when you build stuff in your driveway. Both tires had a screw in them!!!!


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## polarzak (Dec 1, 2008)

Audiotekm said:


> Would it be OK to put 2 winter tires at the back and 2 summer at the front?


It is not recommended, but then again, I have done lots of things over the years that was not recommended. Don't know what the harm would be, but as I run all seasons all year, never tried this.


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## Marty1Mc (Mar 19, 2011)

Audiotekm said:


> I have a Protege 1998. Nothing fancy here. Now I'm debating if I should just get those tires put on rims by a garage. I tried another one earlier and I just can't mount it!!!!



Get them mounted at a garage and spin balance them. For the record, you are mounting them on wheels. The rim is the outside edge of the wheel.


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## Marty1Mc (Mar 19, 2011)

ukrkoz said:


> yes, BMWs have some odd tires, Nissan 300 has wider rear and narrower front, Porsches are same. many cars have 2 prs of tires that can not be rotated back to front. His question was - does a tire have a side he should be worried about mounting it? no, if it's a regular tire with uniform symmetrical pattern. now we have all the scientific discussion....


An additional complication on the 300zx, while only the twin turbo has the wider tires in the rear, all of them have specific wheels per side to allow for brake cooling. So, in order to rotate the tires at all on the TT, the tires have to be dismounted, remounted on the correct wheel for that side. Most go to aftermarket wheels, wider tires and eliminate the stagger.


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

What's the best way to fix a flat tire? I tried the water and soap but I can't see any bubbles. The thing is I can't even inflate the tire. I had the compressor running for almost 20 minutes and nothing happened!!!!


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## Marty1Mc (Mar 19, 2011)

It sound like the bead isn't sealing. Have you tried to put a ratchet strap around the center of the tire to bow out the edges?


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

Yes I did the strap trick.


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## Marty1Mc (Mar 19, 2011)

They sell bead sealer which is like a black glue. It's messy, but may help.


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

Would a tire fully inflate even if it's puncture?


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

Marty1Mc said:


> An additional complication on the 300zx, while only the twin turbo has the wider tires in the rear, all of them have specific wheels per side to allow for brake cooling. So, in order to rotate the tires at all on the TT, the tires have to be dismounted, remounted on the correct wheel for that side. Most go to aftermarket wheels, wider tires and eliminate the stagger.



and they had for several yrs issue with rear end tires chewed up very fast, and that was shy of $500 replacement. 

funny thing. Smart car has different size front and rear.:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

Audiotekm said:


> Would a tire fully inflate even if it's puncture?


yes.
also, it depends on your compressor. you need a lot of CFMs to be put into your tire in a heartbeat. most home compressors do not have the air flow. I have 90 gall at work and it won't do it. You need a blower to set it. 

Take it to tire shop, finally? :whistling2:


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## Marty1Mc (Mar 19, 2011)

ukrkoz said:


> yes.
> also, it depends on your compressor. you need a lot of CFMs to be put into your tire in a heartbeat. most home compressors do not have the air flow. I have 90 gall at work and it won't do it. You need a blower to set it.
> 
> Take it to tire shop, finally? :whistling2:


Well, you have to admire the determination. It's a DIY site and he is definitely trying to do that...


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## picflight (Aug 25, 2011)

Marty1Mc said:


> Get them mounted at a garage and spin balance them. For the record, you are mounting them on wheels. The rim is the outside edge of the wheel.


The wheel is also known as rim in the queens country.


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

Here people mostly use the term rims. Wheel would be the hole shabang.


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## Marty1Mc (Mar 19, 2011)

I can't tell where you are located since your location is blank. Are you inside or outside North America?


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

Toronto, Ontario Canada


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## Marty1Mc (Mar 19, 2011)

Makes sense then, my apologies. 

I moderate a couple of car forums and we have a large Canadian contingent. I think most of them have adapted to wheel instead of rim terminology. I have been in Canada many times (Markham) in one of my previous roles. I love the Toronto area.


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

Regarding the ratchet strap trick. How tight do I get the strap on the tire?


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## Marty1Mc (Mar 19, 2011)

I would do it until the tire buckles and pulls away from the bead. You may even need a second strap to put around as well to continue where the 1st one runs out.


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

I just noticed that there's 2 little dents on the rims, I probably made them when I installed the tire. Can that be an issue??


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## fkoz (Oct 10, 2011)

*dents in wheel*

Should not be a problem, as long as the tire is not leaking where the dents are in wheel. Aluminum or steel ?? tire should be balanced after installing to provide a smooth ride at higher speeds.


Audiotekm said:


> I just noticed that there's 2 little dents on the rims, I probably made them when I installed the tire. Can that be an issue??


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## Audiotekm (Dec 31, 2010)

Steel rims. Another interesting thing... One of the tire that had a flat hasn't lost a pound of pressure yet. It's a winter tire and got a flat on it last spring. I tried to find the hole with soapy water but couldn't find it. I finally set the bead with ether and got the tire to 40psi for over a week now and it's still at 40psi!!!!


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