How to break down a tire


How To Break A Tire Bead: 5 Steps To Follow

Getting trash and rubbish inside tires happens quite a lot, especially with vehicle owners having many off-road trips. To be more specific, the trash will make its way onto and into the tire. And this is the reason why we need to break a tire bead.  

Tire bead is the innermost diameter of the tire that connects with the wheel rim. Most people think that breaking a tire bead is common knowledge for every driver. However, not that many car owners know how to break a tire bead. As long as the bead stays intact, there is no gap to form between the rim and the outer edge of the tire. Basically, there is no way to fix the tire from the inside, which is another reason to learn how to break a tire bead. In this article, our car experts will tell you what tool you need to break the tire, as well as how to do it.

Bead Breakers

Before getting to know how to break a tire bead, it is essential to acknowledge your best tool. Bead breaker is the car tool with the purpose of separating tires from their rims. Different types of bead breakers have different ways of using. So let’s jump right into answering the question “how to break a bead on a tire“:

Plier Type Mechanism

This bead breaker uses a plier-type tool in order to apply force between the bead and the rim’s lip. The tool has a spike to perform this task. To be more precise, this spike imposes a force on the bead and the sidewall of the tire to separate them. Therefore, it weakens and removes their connection. This plier type mechanism is amazingly effective and can get the job done very fast. However, it has its disadvantages. The spike is like a double-edge knife that might leave scratches on the surface and on the wheels themselves. Not to mention, this plier type mechanism is very heavy and big, which requires your full body weight in order to get the results.

Shoe and Lever Mechanism

Just like the name said, the shoe and lever mechanism has a shoe-shaped tool which can apply pressure on the sidewall of the tire. In order to break the connection between the bead and the rim, car owners must push the sidewall. This is, without a doubt, the most popular bead breaker among all, since it works amazingly well on motorcycle tires, new passenger vehicle tires, as well as trailers’ tires. The benefits of this bead breakers are quite a lot: First of all, it is very low cost, so anyone can purchase one for their vehicle. Second of all, the way to use it is quite simple and easy to follow. Last of all, it is made for passenger cars’ tires. 

You need the right tool to break a tire bead (Photo Source: pixabay)

On the other hand, it does not work very well with old and hard-to-change tires. Since the shoe and lever mechanism is also large and bulky, this breaker can only be used on some particular types of tires. 

Clamp and Ram Mechanism

Last but not least, the quickest and most efficient break beads of all time: Clamp and Ram Mechanism. If the first two mechanisms cannot solve the problem with difficult-to-replace tires, this bead breaker can deal with all of them. In order to make it work, this machine uses a pointed foot tool with the purpose of exploiting the space between the bead and the rim’s lip. Not to mention, this bead breaker also has a padded clamp. The part can go inside the sidewall with little effort. Long story short, not only this machine works with all types of tires with minimal human effort, it also causes no harm to the sidewall or to the tires. However, it is quite costly.

How To Break A Tire Bead

Knowing that you are already familiar with all the tools, let’s answer the question of “How to break a Tire Bead?”. In order to perform this task, car owners need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Prepare the Tool

No warrior goes barehand into the war. Here is the tool list that you need:

  • Hammer
  • Breaker bar
  • 3 tyre levers
  • A handle
  • A valve core tool

Step 2: Remove the Valve Core

In order to start breaking tire bead, car owners need to be taken off the valve core to release air pressure out. This step needs to perform before and during the first stages. 

Removing the core is the essential step in “how to break a tire bead” lesson (Photo Source: brilliantdiy)

When the valve core is removed, car owners need to put the wheel under the brace. By performing this, the air will be pushed out and we can easily take the wheel off the rim. Just remember to wait until all the air pressure is lost in order to remove the wheel. A little tip to check the tire is to press your hands against the tire’s surface. 

Step 3: Place Tire on a Surface

In this step, car owners need to lay the tire on a hard surface. After that, you should position the breaker bar between the rim and tire. Before proceeding to the following step, it is suggested to check if the tapered edge of the breaker bar is aimed toward the tire, not the rim. 

Also, a solid surface is the necessary factor in this step, since it is capable of handling the pressure you are going to apply on.

SEE MORE

  • Inner Tire Wear: Causes And Fixes

  • Must Have Tools For Garage: A Comprehensive List

Step 4: Slide Breaker Bar between the Tire and the Rim

The next step of “How to break a tire bead” is to slide the breaker bar between the rim and the tire. It is essential to check if the pointed edge of the breaker bar points away from the tire’s rim. The reason for this is that the edge is highly sharp and might create scratches inside. For that reason, car owners might want to aim the bar to the tire, not the rim. 

Step 5: Hit Breaker Bar with a Hammer

When the breaker is already steadying in the distance between the rim and the tire, it is time to hit it with a hammer with the purpose of breaking tire bead. Wait, we are not telling you to destroy the tire! The purpose of doing this is to drive the breaker inside. So keep hitting it and pushing the breaker bar toward the ground until the bead is broken and we can tell by a small pop sound. 

Just take time with this, breaking a tire bead is no joke (Photo Source: bendpak)

Step 6: Rotate Around the Tire’s Inside

Last step of how to break a tire bead is to remove the tire of the rim. Car owners are recommended to rotate the breaker around the tire’s inside while continuing hammering from above. Keep doing that until the tire is off the rim, then turn around and do the same with the opposite side of the tire.

Conclusion

Many people might be wondering, why do drivers need to learn how to break a tire bead? One of the reasons is that the process is simple to follow, even with beginning car owners. All drivers need is thirty minutes and this instruction. Another reason that it provides a great help in cleaning up debris and dirt inside the tire. By breaking the bead, vehicle owners can remove the rubbish inside and reduce the future problems. The last reason is to save the cost of paying a car repairman, since you can remove the tire from its rim by yourself. 

 

How To Break A Tire Bead By Hand

Don’t know how to break a tire bead by hand? No problem. We have you covered with all the information you will need in this step-by-step guide. 

We break down the procedure from knowing what the tire bead is to successfully breaking it. Read on to save yourself from a trip to the auto shop! 

What Is the Tire Bead?

The tire bead is a steel cable covered in rubber that holds the edge of the tire to the wheel. It prevents the tire from shifting out of position when it rolls. 

When the wheels are fully inflated, the bead is secured in place within the grooves of the rubber by the air pressure inside. 

Why Remove the Tire Bead?

A couple of reasons you might want to remove the bead yourself are saving money and keeping up the maintenance. Breaking down the bead helps keep the rubber surface clean because it allows you to remove any dirt or debris that would otherwise be locked in the surface. 

A mechanic can do the removal but will charge you for a simple task easily done in your driveway. So, let’s learn how you can do it yourself. 

Step One: Position the Tire

Before you can get started on how to break a tire bead by hand, the first step is to position the tire on the ground. 

You want the wheel to lay down flat on a hard surface. Working on concrete will be easier than on grass or dirt, where the surface may be uneven. You will need to release the air evenly before moving onto the following steps that will require you to have a good grip on the tire.  

Step Two: Release Air from the Tire

Releasing air from the tire will bring down the PSI or pounds per square inch, so the pressure against the wheel’s rim will decrease. This will make it easier to separate the bead from the rest of the rubber. In any other circumstance, you want to make sure your wheels are properly inflated. 

One method is to rotate the cap on the valve stem counterclockwise to expose the metal pin located in the center of the valve. Use a screwdriver, a pair of needle-nose pliers, or a similar small tool to press down on the metal pin. 

Once enough air has been released, lift the tool off the pin, and the wheel will stop deflating. Replace the cap when finished.

If you want to deflate the tire entirely, you can also unscrew the metal pin with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Air will escape much quicker. 

Whichever method you choose, do not lose the cap for the valve stem or the metal pin. Keep them in a safe place until you are done.  

Step Three: Prepping the Area

The next step leading to the action of how to break a tire bead by hand is to prepare the area around the inner circle of the wheel. When the PSI is below the necessary level for keeping the bead secure, the rim will be easier to pull off. If the tire bead is stubborn, you may need to either deflate it some more or apply more pressure by standing on the tire as you pull it apart. 

Since the bead is held firmly against the rim by steel cable and glue, you need to use a lot of force to break the connection. Applying an automotive lubricant along the edge of the rim will make it easier to slide the rubber out from around it. To prevent the metal from being scratched, you can tape it before adding the lubrication.

Step Four: Separating the Bead

You want to push the rubber downward as hard as possible so the bead can pop out. Be careful to follow the seam to avoid damaging the metal rim. If you follow the prepping step above, the metal should be well protected.  

The lining should be easy to grip and loosen until it can be pulled out from around the rim. The rim can also be removed without requiring additional tools or a machine. When the bead pops out, it will tear away from the rim.

Consider checking: How To Break Bead On ATV Tire

The Bottom Line 

When learning how to break a tire bead by hand, realize that there’s a chance you can cause harm to yourself or the metal rim. Remember to stay safe and follow our step-by-step instructions.

If you ever have doubts, feel free to reach out to a certified mechanic.

Did you find this guide helpful? Then feel free to check out:

How To Set The Bead On A Tire

The biggest mistake when changing a wheel, which is made in almost any tire shop - Life hack

  • Life hack
  • Operation

Photo: AvtoVzglyad

tires. The service is widely available, in demand, and doing it yourself is dirty and troublesome. It's easier to take "to the address. " But how to choose this very address so that they help, and not harm? nine0009

Eduard Raskin

With rubber, its installation and repair today there are no difficulties even in the most remote and reserved corners of Russia. Perhaps the masters will “wrinkle” their noses when they see the RunFlat tire, which allows you to continue moving after a puncture, or they will scold you for too large a disk radius. However, "hard currency" will quickly resolve this issue.

Problems in tire fitting, as a rule, begin at the moment of installation of the already assembled wheel in its rightful place. Few people would guess to treat the surface with copper high-temperature grease. Caring for colleagues and the client is not the strongest side of domestic business. Forgetfulness will turn into difficulties during the subsequent uninstallation of the wheel - the disk will “stick”, efforts and some skill will be required. nine0009

But the worst flaw is the tightening of the bolts. First, the fastener must be placed in a strict order, and not as it should. For a four-bolt hub - 1-3-4-2, for a five-bolt hub - 1-4-2-5-3, for six - 1-4-5-2-3-6. And nothing else, because the wheel can stand up crooked, causing unpredictable behavior of the car on the road. By the way, you can count from any hole - it is important to follow the principle here.

Secondly, tire shops, as one, neglect the key safety element of mounting a wheel rim on a car. The force with which nuts and bolts are screwed. For each car, this indicator is set by the manufacturer. For example, the wheel bolt tightening torque for LADA Granta is 80—90 n / m (8.15-9.17 kgf / m), and for the "Niva" - 62.4-77.1 n / m (6.37-7.87 kgf / m) Have you ever seen a dynamometer in the hands of a tire fitter key?

According to the technology, the installation should look like this: on a previously jacked-up car, the wheel is carefully installed and fastened with bolts or nuts by hand. Not with a trowel, not with a key, but with a hand, as far as nature allows. After that, with a special tool with the ability to set the limit force, tighten all the bolts in the same order in which they were “baited”. nine0009

If the rules are neglected, brushed aside or done “as taught”, then you will be surprised at a wheel flying at a neighbor downstream, as well as unpleasant emotions when the connection “does not give in” at the most crucial moment, or, worse, the pin unscrews from the hub along with nut - not worth it. And finally: the master, which gave ground for reflection, turned the nuts with a force of 16 kgf / m. In field conditions, on a dirt road, in a deep rut, out of five, only two were unscrewed. The rest "came out" along with the studs. nine0009

  • Cars
  • Autopom

What happened with the best -selling brand from the PRC

44090

  • Cars

What happened with the best -selling brand from China

44099

Set the Channel "Avtsgazhmazhggazhmhgggggravra :

  • Telegram
  • Yandex. Zen

damage, compensation for damage, traffic safety, wheels, summer tires, tires, winter tires, road, track, life hack, tire fitting

Why tires explode during tire fitting | 74.ru

All news

The State Duma announced that the draft age could be raised as early as spring: NVO news for January 12 Model, designer, polyglot: 22-year-old Russian woman participates in the Miss Universe contest — see her photo Read it

Eight cars collided near Chelyabinsk, the truck driver was taken to the hospital

Crazy: these fragrances are considered the sexiest in the world - they are adored by 85% of men and women conditions in a hospital in the center of Chelyabinsk

Who is a homestayger and how does he make an interior from a picture in an ordinary apartment in inexpensive ways - photos before and after

You can’t solve: 10 Soviet problems in pictures - for attention and ingenuity

Residents of the Chelyabinsk region were warned about impending snowstorms

“He screams: “This house is mine!”” A disabled girl fights for a beautiful cottage: he is taken away by the land king from Siberia

How to get a job in an IT company if you have no experience

Fast food has nothing to do with it: an endocrinologist named the main non-food causes of obesity

A girl who was injured in a mass accident on the M-5 in the Chelyabinsk region died in the hospital

City Hall showed how the new concert hall in Chelyabinsk for 2400 people looks like

A 27-year-old Chelyabinsk resident ended up in intensive care without waiting for help from a polyclinic and an ambulance

An additional 828 million were allocated for the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the deadline for the completion of restoration was announced told about it

Power engineers of Rosseti Ural branch Chelyabenergo improved the quality of power supply in the Sosnovsky district

What is wrong with the story of the city’s Snow Maiden, who at 61 looks 35 and walks barefoot and in a miniskirt in winter

In Magnitogorsk, an evacuated court announced the verdict to the former vice-mayor for a bribe of 1. 5 million

In the Chelyabinsk zoo, the father of six kangaroos fell ill, and he was sent for a CT scan (amazing photo)

In Russia, the first case of a new variant of covid was revealed - "kraken"

Collected pieces of paper with a broken hand. Volunteer who returned from SVO was left without payments on New Year's Eve

In Chelyabinsk, feminists protested against the ban on abortion

In the center of Chelyabinsk, trolleybuses stood up during the morning rush hour

The State Duma announced that the draft age could be raised this spring

Organizers of the MMK trade union were awarded in Moscow at an industry competition

“As if someone had turned on the tap”. The departed businessman complained that the Russians were no longer granted residence permits in Turkey

AVTOVAZ announced the production of Chinese cars. We look at the list of candidates and are surprised at the prices

Convenient calculations or total control? Russia is creating a digital ruble - what is it for

“Why doesn’t anyone deal with it?!”: what is happening with the ghost office tower in the center of Chelyabinsk

Man and the airport: on the anniversary of Igor Kurchatov we guess which facts about him are true and which are lies

Putin scolded Manturov, and The Ministry of Defense changed the leadership of the special operation: the main thing about the NWO for January 110009

Organizing Committee PMEF named the main events of the first day of the forum

,

Fathes in the operation of the registration and examination division of the traffic police in Chelyabinsk

All news

The sidewall of

,0009

Aleksei bought a new one winter tires and took them to a workshop for installation, where one of the wheels suddenly shattered. The Chelyabinsk citizen arrived at the place and saw the following picture: the sidewall of the tire was completely torn off. 74.ru figured out what could be the cause of the problem and what to look for when installing tires. nine0145

The size of tires chosen by Alexey is 195/70 R15. They are designed for commercial vehicles with a wheel load of up to 890 kilograms: they are put on cars with a payload capacity of the Gazelle. The motorist focuses on this, because such rubber must have increased mechanical strength.

“I come to them in a cold sweat,” he recalls. - In the morning you need to go to Zlatoust, they promised snow, and here it is.

Cross section shows strands of wire that form the bead ring: this is usually the strongest part of the tire

Share

The tire fitter explained everything this way: after installing the tire on the rim and inflating it, an explosion occurred at the moment of its shrinkage, which immediately “totally” the tire. Aleksey turned to the rubber seller, who forwarded the claim to the supplier. The supplier's experts decided that no factory defects were found, but there are mechanical damages on the tire. The tire seller agreed to return the money for the three remaining tires, but refused to compensate for the torn one.

The most interesting thing in this situation is not even the rupture of the rubber itself - note that even the wire “harness”, which is scientifically called the bead ring, is cut off: it passes in the place where the tire fits on the wheel and is its most durable part. nine0145

Aleksey himself is inclined to blame the manufacturer.

- I've seen a lot of tires, and even on passenger models, the bead ring is made of steel wires twisted into a thumb-thick rope: it is difficult to cut with an ax or break with a crowbar. I do not think that such a gap is possible with a quality tire.

We showed pictures of the damaged tire to several tire fitters. By the way, everyone said that they see just such a defect for the first time.

— If the tire is pumped over, it can explode, but usually the sidewall is torn, not the metal bead ring, — says Sergey, a tire fitting master on Krasnoarmeyskaya Street. — I think the ring was damaged during its installation.

The cut looks amazingly smooth, as if the tire was cut

Share

Andrey Chicherin, deputy director of the Car Protection Center, shares a similar opinion:

— In my opinion, there is a low qualification of tire fitters. Although special devices are now used for beading, illiterate installation of the tire in the machine can lead to mechanical damage. It is strange that this happened with a relatively “simple” tire in terms of tire fitting. More often this happens with low-profile tires with a very rigid sidewall. nine0145

“When installing a tire on a rim, sometimes very high pressure is used, usually when working with deformed rubber or complex sizes,” says tire fitting specialist Valery Pavlov. - Sometimes they use "shock" methods: in handicraft workshops, gasoline is poured into the tires and set on fire to form an explosion, in more serious ones, so-called boosters are used - devices that sharply apply increased pressure to the tire. I think this gap occurred due to the abuse of such techniques. nine0009

This conclusion does not contradict, for example, the documentation of the scientific and technical center "Kama": the reason for the rupture of the bead ring is called unqualified installation, operation of the tire with an increased load, underestimation of the inner diameter of the tire. But there are among the reasons for the low strength of the ring.

However, it is possible that the defect manifested itself due to the superposition of two factors: insufficient strength of the bead ring and overly rough tire fitting techniques.

Damage to tires when they are installed on a rim occurs: from small cuts on the "pulp" to a break in the sidewall. After tire fitting, be sure to inspect the condition of the tires and drive more carefully in the early days - some defects do not appear immediately. Also make sure that all the wheels are bolted on: unfortunately, incidents with their loss right on the go happen regularly. nine0009

Explosions of wheels on the move often happen with heavy vehicles, where tires operate under excessive load and with high pressure: up to 7–9 atmospheres versus 2–2.5 atmospheres for passenger tires. Breaking a wheel at high speed is fraught with loss of control: by the way, this is another reason not to drive.

We already wrote about whether the “Spikes” sign is needed now and what tires to choose. The tire fitting master spoke about the features of tire re-beading and balancing. Wheel explosions often lead to tragedies. By the way, if the driver knew about a possible defect, he can be held liable. nine0009

If you are an eyewitness to any event, send messages, photos and videos to Mail editorial office , in our groups “ VKontakte ”, Facebook ”and“ ”and“ ” , as well as in WhatsApp or Viber at +7–93–23–0000–74.


Learn more