Having spent the better part of a year installing tires at the Pep Boys in Fredericksburg, Va., I thought I knew a thing or two about how a tire is mounted to a rim. It was my first job after graduating from college, and knowing very little about working on cars, I was an eager pupil. As I soaked up knowledge from my well-meaning teachers, I felt confident that following their directions would give me the power to mount and balance tires perfectly.
But 16 years later, while re-learning how to use the tire mounting and balancing machines at Brooklyn Motor Works– where, in case you were unaware, we're rebuilding a 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser – I discovered that I also had to re-learn the whole tire installation process. But that's nothing new. As Carlos, Brooklyn Motor Works' proprietor has pointed out, we learn many things as hobby mechanics that must be un-learned when there are schedules to keep and customers to satisfy.
Anyway, here's the correct way to mount tires. Now that I know these simple tricks, I'm wondering if any of the 12 tires on the three dilapidated beater cars I drive around on a regular basis are actually mounted correctly. Chances are, they're not (I had 'em mounted at Pep Boys).
1. Remove the valve stem core to deflate the tire. Set the core aside for later use (if you're installing new tires, pull out the stem and install a new one, removing the core).
2. Use the tire machine to remove the tire from the rim
3. With the tire off, run your finger along the inside lip of the rim. Does it feel perfectly smooth? If not, it needs to be. Rust pitting can cause leaks, and will cause the bead of the tire to hang up when it's trying to seat on the rim (the beads are the really thick parts of the tire that come into direct contact with the inner and outer lips of the rim.
4. To remove rough patches, use several different grades of abrasive pads (I used coarse and medium Scotch Brite pads) to smooth out the inner lip of the rim, as well as the part of the rim the bead slides over as it seats on the lip.
If there's too much damage, it may be necessary to get another wheel. You'll never be able to balance a wheel if the tire isn't properly seated upon it.
5. Before installing the new tire (or, if reusing the old one, the same tire, mounted the same way it was before), apply a generous amount of tire bead lubricant to the tire beads and the rim. Don't use soapy water (not enough slip) or grease (you'll never clean it all off and the bead could pop off the rim in hard cornering). Bead lubricant is slippery, but dries, allowing the bead to set.
6. Use the machine to install the tire. Then, remove the wheel from the machine mounts.
7. Spray more bead lubricant between the beads and the rim.
8. With the stem core still removed, inflate the tire to its maximum pressure (you'll see that number printed on the sidewall of the tire). The beads should pop onto the rim pretty quickly if the rim lips are smooth and you've used enough lubricant.
It'll go "POP.. POP!" as the beads seat.
9. Install the stem core and re-inflate the tire to its max pressure.
Assuming you followed all of these steps correctly, your wheel and tire are now ready for balancing. Then you'll adjust the tire pressure to the vehicle manufacturer's specifications when you mount the wheel and tire back on your car.
Now, I realize most people don't have access to a tire mounting machine, but being aware of what it takes to mount a tire will, at the very least, give you the tools to ask your tire installer if they're mounting your tires the right way. If the tire shop you're using is doing things the quick and dirty way (mounting tires dry on pitted rims), find a better shop! No one wants to feel a sickening shudder as the car passes 65 miles per hour on the highway.
You've finally upgraded your vehicle with a brand new set of tires, and you're ready to hit the open road! Only a few miles in, however, and you notice that something doesn't feel right.
Did you install the tires yourself? Get help from a neighbor? If your tires weren't installed by a professional, you might run into some issues. Learn about some of the most common post-tire installation problems and how you can get them fixed.
Many cars come equipped with four different wheel speed sensors -- one at each tire location. These components monitor your wheel speed and relay that information to your ABS, or anti-lock braking system.
If youre ABS light comes on after installing new tires, it's likely that one or more of these sensors were accidentally damaged or bumped during installation. In which case, i tmay be best to have your vehicle inspected to ensure your wheel speed sensors are still intact.
Do you need to recalibrate or reprogram the TPMS after new tires? The answer is — most likely. Your TPMS, or tire pressure monitoring system, notifies you when your tire pressure is low.
While some TPMS sensors are built into the wheel speed sensor and will not need to be recalibrated (if all tires were the same PSI before installation), others will likely need to be reprogrammed by a professional. For safety reasons, it's best to ensure your TPMS is operating properly.
If your car wobbles after you've installed your new set of tires, the tires may not have been appropriately balanced when placed on your vehicle. When tire imbalance occurs, there is an uneven distribution of weight on your vehicle's rotating wheels, which can cause vibrations, lead to premature tire wear, and in extreme cases, cause long-term damage to your car's suspension system.
Loose wheels can also cause your vehicle to shake or wobble after installing new tires. Post-installation, wheels should be torqued to manufacturer-recommended levels. If not, you may run the risk of a wheel-off situation down the road.
If your vehicle is wobbling or shaking after you've replaced your old set of tires, we suggest getting them rebalanced and inspected as soon as possible.
By resolving this issue quickly, you may help to prevent undue damage to yourself, your car, and your new tires.
Improper Tire Pressure
If your car pulls to one side after getting new tires installed, your first course of action should be to check your tire pressure. Under-inflated or over-inflated tires can affect road grip, fuel economy, tire wear, and can cause your vehicle to pull to one side when driving.
Find your vehicle's recommended tire pressure, and ensure proper inflation. If the PSI is incorrect, inflate your new tiers to the appropriate levels. If you'd rather have them checked bya professional technician, visit your nearest Firestone Complete Auto Care for a free tire pressure check.
Wheel Alignment Issues
Although misalignment can be caused by poor driving conditions, hitting a pothole, or various other factors, car pull after installing new tires can also signal misalignment.
Although wheel alignments aren't mandatory when installing new tires, skipping out on the job can have some pretty serious effects.
When your tires are not adequately aligned, your ability to drive efficiently can become compromised. You may even notice uneven tire wear and poor handling. Your best bet after encountering this problem is to have your car realigned by a professional technician as soon as possible.
Are you experiencing issues with your new tire installation? Visit your local Firestone Complete Auto Care for all of your tire needs. We'll perform a free tire check!
Professional tire installation services at Firestone Complete Auto Care are also backed by our triple promise, meaning your tire installation will be done right the first time, or we'll fix it for free. Leave the heavy lifting to us, and schedule your appointment today!
Category: Operation and maintenance
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The article provides information on the correct installation of tires and the features of the direction of the tread.
A tire is a multi-layer shell of complex design that is attached to the wheel rim. The shock-absorbing part is rubber or polymer, with a printed pattern, which, as a rule, indicates the direction of rotation of the wheel. The pattern is applied to the protector. The tread is the working area that creates the grip of the car with the road.
Tires are classified according to the following criteria:
Understand! Universal in reliability while driving are inferior to specialized ones. The directional ones provide better grip on wet roads at high speeds. If you correctly determine the direction behind the rotation of the wheels, the effect of aquaplaning disappears, which guarantees good rubber grip in puddles.
Rubber design features are distinctive features that increase the driving characteristics of the vehicle. It is important to understand them for the correct choice of replacement rubber.
Tubeless, long lasting elasticity in the event of a puncture. The rubber tightens around the stuck object. It does not overheat when driving, due to heat dissipation by the open (metal) part of the rim. Unlike the chamber one, there are increased requirements for rims, the need to apply additional sealant at the junction of the rim and rubber, and the complexity of installation. Tubeless are used more often, properly mounted - high wear resistance.
The difference between bias and radial tires can only be correctly identified by the markings. Radial - r. Diagonal - do not have a letter index. You can understand the marking of the diagonal ones by the presence of the designation TT - operation with a camera. Those who care about speed need to understand the differences.
Winter Drive protection
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2 SUV
Winter Drive Protection Sound Comfort
Rating:
4.5
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2
Winter Drive protection
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+ SUV
Winter Drive protection
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2
Winter Drive Protection Run On Flat Sound Comfort
Tires Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+
Tire tread provides traction.
You can determine by the tread:
Asymmetrical tread pattern is larger on the outside. Do not purchase even with the slightest difference in the pattern - the tires rotate with a minimum lag - uneven grip with the roadway. Especially important for the highway, sharp descents.
Before determining the direction of a tire, it is important to know that Goodyear's tire direction marking for an asymmetric pattern is: LEFT; RIGHT - right; outside - outer side, inside - inner. install tires on the car according to the pattern on the tread or arrow.
If symmetrical - navigate along a symmetrical pattern, its direction must coincide with the direction of movement of the wheel. If you need to install in the direction - the correct designation is ROTATION - rotation.
How to find out the direction if there is no marking - herringbone pattern? Rotate the tire in both directions - the top of the "herringbone" should be the first to touch the road. This is the correct way to install a wheel without a direction marking.
Recently, manufacturers have switched to symmetrical wheels, as it is impossible to know which one will fail. Correct replacement scheme:
It is also worth understanding that it is impossible to use anti-corrosion agents for processing fasteners on the road - imbalance.
You can recognize the accuracy of balancing by the absence of knocking. In the same way, you can find out the correct installation.
Correct setting is not possible without rotation balancing on a special machine. Installing a tire without a tube is impossible without the appropriate equipment. It is important to understand that it is impossible to put rubber from different manufacturers on 1 vehicle - non-uniform depreciation is the result of suspension knock. You should not save on carrying capacity and elasticity, replacing the chassis will cost more.
Article author: The Goodyear team
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How to properly install tires on a car Technical
Car tires are one of the most important and critical elements of a car, on which traffic safety directly depends. Therefore, the installation of tires on the car must be done correctly.
From this article you will learn:
- Tread pattern and direction of rotation
- Inner and outer side of tire
- "Right" and "left" sides of tires
- Tire balancing before installation
Despite the ease of mounting tires, in many workshops, out of ignorance or laziness, tire fitters manage to put tires on the car incorrectly.
Modern tires have several parameters that must be clarified before mounting them on a car:
- type of tread pattern
- direction of rotation
- where is the inside and where is the outside of the tire
- which side of the car can be tire installed - right or left
Most modern tires have a directional tread pattern, the direction of rotation of which is usually indicated by an arrow on the sidewall of the tire.
Therefore, the installation of tires in a directional pattern can only be done in a strictly defined position, which must be clarified before mounting them on a car.
A minority of modern tires have a non-directional tread pattern. These tires can be installed on either side.
You can find out exactly the type of tire tread pattern and its direction of rotation from the seller in the store.
A tire can have an inside and outside installation if the tread pattern is not symmetrical.
The inner side of the tire is indicated by the indication "Inside", this side of the tire must be installed inside the car in the direction of its movement.
The outer side of the tire is indicated by the indication "Outside", this side of the tire must be installed outside the vehicle in the direction of its movement.
These mounting restrictions are due to the way the tire tread works, which only drains water most effectively when the tire is properly installed.
Some car tires are designed for a specific car model, or immediately for a group of identical models.
In this case, tire manufacturers can specify on which side of the car the tire can be installed "Left" - on the left, "Right" - on the right.
These limitations are also related to the most efficient operation of the tire tread installed on the correct side of the vehicle.
After mounting the tire on the rim, each wheel must be carefully balanced on a special machine.
The need for balancing is related to the difference in the weight of different parts of the tire (error), which is allowed by the manufacturer in the production of tires. This error is associated with the technological features of the production of tires.
The difference in weight is not noticeable when the wheel is stationary, but becomes very noticeable when driving at high speed - the wheel begins to "beat".
You can feel this “beat” on the steering wheel very well when the tire is installed in front.
For expensive tires made with state-of-the-art equipment, this difference is only a few grams and only a few balance weights are required for balancing.
For budget tire models, often produced on simple or outdated machines, the difference can be several tens of grams.
This type of tire may require quite a lot of balance weights to balance.
There are also cases when an inexpensive tire cannot be balanced “to zero” at all - in this case, this wheel is installed back.
When balancing a wheel, the pattern of tire manufacturing quality is most often manifested - the cheaper the installed tire, the lower its quality and the more difficult it is to balance.
Due to certain difficulties in balancing inexpensive tires, servicemen often do not complete the wheel balancing procedure, due to which the “beating” of the wheel may remain.
Therefore, it is best for the car owner to be personally present during the wheel balancing procedure right in the tire shop - then the likelihood that the workshop workers will want to cheat will be less.
