dizwiz24

I had 4 kumho v710 tires dismounted and was blown away by what the tire store charged.

$43 !?!!

I looked up on ebay and found manual tire changers that sell starting at $99 and up. There are also automatic tire changers selling for $1000 - but thats un-necessary.

Do any of you all mount/dismount your own tires?

What equipment do you use? How hard is it? Its my understanding that low-profile or runflat tires (if you had them) arent as easy to do as a typical 60 series passenger tire.

turbopezz

$43 per tire or for all four ? Around here 17'' wheels will run you $20 and up per tire so thats no to bad.

olcrusty

Forty bucks is about average although $30 isn't uncommon. If you try and scuff up a $300 wheel you will quickly appreciate the savings. Bear in mind that the Corvette wheel is not just a rim that takes lightly to loosing it's tire. It is on a sports car and hard cornering tire throwing is not a good experience at high cornering rates. Your family car will squall around corners protesting the abuse but the Vette will gladly smile without a protest. That tire is planted on the wheel and getting it on and off takes a good reliable tire changer which isn't cheap. Pay it, you life is on the line.
Olcrusty said that

dizwiz24

guys, I disagree here.

I do plenty of mechanical work on my car. Ive changed 2 clutches (i wrestled the zf6 twice - and won), a cam change, removed/installed heads.

One thing Ive learned is that I do a better job working on my car than someone who has no attachment to it. Even someone who has experience!

Now, if it costs me a thousand dollars to buy the proper machine to dismount/mount low-profile tires - thats a different story...

kenmack

I've been mounting and dismounting my tires on my trusty old manual tire changer for years.
I got sick of dropping $100.00 for a job a monkey could do.

I've modified the 2 tools: bead breaker and dismount bar to provide protection for those delicate aluminum beads on the rims and yes low profile / stiff sidewalls are more difficult but not impossible.

With some care, soapy water, patience and common sense anyone can do it.

P.S. I have to balance maybe 25% of the time.quality rim and tire really makes a difference
My car is now a 93 Rubybut I've done dozens of wheels on friends Corvettes.

I got my tire changer for free and a friend did the minor welding repair that it required.

Blue 92

You can disagree but around here if I carry in wheels and tires it's closer to $80 without balancing.

I do remember we charged $4.00 per wheel when I co-managed a service station. And that was 1969....

olcrusty

Gentlemen, please do not get me wrong. My intentions were directed in helping the man determine if he should do them himself or for an investment in equipment. My old garage could not handle putting on some Goodyear Eagle F1 G1-D3 315xZR35x17 with their trusty tire equipment. They sent them to a pro-shop for mounting. Granted anyone including myself has probably sweated and done the job. I was stressing the best way with what he was saying. Thank you for your open comments and listening to mine.
Olcrusty

dizwiz24

olcrusty,

Its to be said that mounting/dismounting a low-profile tire for our cars requires special equipment and expertise.

What Im trying to figure out is if a $99 manual tire changer -off of ebay could do the job.

I remember - as recently as 2003, going to a tire shop and getting turned away because I had 17" wheels.

kenmack

Good points !!!
I have on occasion refused to do wheels and tires that were just
toooo
radical and expensive.
My machine is for the average setup,average owner ,average wheels and tires.
Some of my friends are shall we say a tad **** !!

dizwiz24

can you take a picture of your equipment?

ED77KATR

I bought a used heavyduty manual tire changing machine for $100. back in 1991. Its mounted in my basement floor. Paid for itself a thousand times over!!! Best money i ever invested.

ZRWHAT

I used to have a Coats 1010 machine but was limited to what I could wheel wise, I sold it and picked up a used rim clamp and can do anything up to 17", 18" if I'm careful!

I got tired of having my wheels boogered up by someone who did not care and was only making $5.00 an hour.

Also bought a Hunter Computer balancer and now I do not have to rely on anyone else to do my own wheel work.

You can see my rim clamp to the left of the pic of my garage, the balancer is in the upper left hand corner. While I was at it, I picked up a Hunter P-211 alignment set-up and now do my own alignments.

Good deals can be had if you look in the right places, my rim clamp was $500. My balancer was $600, My Hunter alignment was $800 and needed a hard drive-another $200 plus calibration. Alignment stands and turntables, $200.

So for less they 2500, I've got what most shops have and its overkill for what I do but I know its being done right when I do it.

This set up is ideal for the weekend racers and is a real time saver.

c4cruiser

I think it would be a question of whether or not that machine could generate enough force to get low profile sidewalls over the wheel. Back when tire sidewall were 8" high (like 78 series tires), you could mount and dismount tires using nothing more than a couple of tire irons. If that changer is anything like the ones you find at Harbor Freight, then it would probably be a waste of money and a risk of gouging the wheel rim.

Our shop has two machines and both of them struggle with 17" wheels and 40-series tires. We won't even attempt to do 18"' wheels. And if a customer has nice aftermarket 17" or even stock larger wheels we take them to a tire shop that has the proper equipment.

pologreen1

Yes they over charge. Your corvette rims pay at least one employees wages for the full shift.

dizwiz24

Yes they do.

The real problem I had with the cost was that this was to simply get tires DISMOUNTED only.

No mounting, balancing done. No tire disposal fees either - since I took them home with me.

$43 to have 4 tires dismounted.

QCVette

I got tired of being overcharged, waiting, and still getting the rims damaged.

My brother in law and I both decided the same thing. We found a used equipment dealer and made a package deal. So now we both have rim clamp tire machines and balancers.

One of the best buys I have made. They have already saved me the cost of the machines and make it handy to be able to change tires or fix a flat quickly.

1800Wing

What is that sitting on the hood of your C3 Coupe ?

later, tiny

aboatguy

I mount/unmount balance my own...

Was using coates equipment until it was replaced by new hunter equipment.
I don't own the equipment......I use the equipment in the maintenance department at work.

However, I used to mount unmount using manual equipment and it is certainly an option if your not afraid of scratching a rim. The new Hunter equipment ensures that the rim is not touched (if you are using the equipment properly)

So in summary if I did not have access to a good (newish ) tire mounting machine I'd shop around for a good shop and I'd pay the $$$$ to have it done at a quality shop vice a hacker shop that would scratch my rims or tear a bead.


Mike

96GS#007

Trim that goes around the C3 headlights

JD'S WHITE 93

I have dismounted a few tires but nothing low profile or on a nice aluminum rim. Back in the day a bumperjack was great for breaking the bead. Jack up the car with the base of the jack on the bead to break it.
It required alot of ball sweat to do it my way with no Ebay tire changer or anything other than a couple of prybars and lotsa soap and water I happily spend the money with someone with a REALLY NICE tire machine, a decent tire changer just decent is $3000.00 wholesale and that's for a Launch 581 nothing too fancy