Tire Machine

[E Showell]

Anybody do their own tire mounting and balancing? I've got snows to do and am thinking of getting a tire machine and bubble balancer. Pros? Cons? Discuss.

[volvolugnut]

I have tire irons and I know how to use them. Also have a home built tire bead breaker. This is a brute force solution and not good for alloy wheels. However, when used on steel wheels that have not rusted tire to rim, it is not too hard. Actually, rather satisfying when mounting rather new tires.

Full disclosure: I have not mounted low profile tires.

volvolugnut

[E Showell]

Alloy wheels, alas.

[abscate]

With your proximity to Harrys its cinch to get some spare alloys and just do the swaps.

With a Bosch battery impact I’ve got swaps down to 8 minutes,the only time I “ work on “ a car on a jack alone

[MoVolvos]

Anybody do their own tire mounting and balancing? I've got snows to do and am thinking of getting a tire machine and bubble balancer. Pros? Cons? Discuss.

Having busted tires for Pepboys I would not use a DYI system unless you own one of the shop machines. The DYI are only good for tires of yesteryear when they were tall, skinny with soft sidewalls. With low profiles you'll break your extremities or scratch the rims. Tires with harder side walls are harder to balance and can sometimes have slight imbalances even the machines can't take out.

With problematic tires we use to go to place that shaved tires and then balance on the car with a strobe. There were no Road Hazard Warranty back in the day. Problematic tires are replaced now. If you can't balance it what would the tire seller charge you to balance in order to confirm a defect?

[RickHaleParker]

~ $1500 for a Changer and Balancer. At the rates around here it would take ~ 60 tires to break even.

[MoVolvos]

~ $1500 for a Changer and Balancer. At the rates around here it would take ~ 60 tires to break even.

Not including potentially an electrician and electricity cost. Expensive toy! There are only a few times where I wish I had my own tire machine. As in when you've had a set balanced twice and it's still not quite there.

[ljsommar1]

I purchased a HF tire mounter and balancer several years ago. It works well. Proper, very secure mounting is paramount and there was a definite learning curve. I struggled quite a bit at first. I can now demount/mount and balance 15" and 16" 55 and 60 series tires easily. I have yet to attempt my 17" 50 series wheels. Anything lower I think would be impossible.
I found tire stores rarely, if ever did the job the way I think it should be done. I could tell stories.
I now purshase my tires online much cheaper, eliminate the mounting charges and they never leak. Win, win, win.

[abscate]

If there ever was a tool for the Communist model of collective ownership in a local area, this is it.

How about it , Comrades!

Ah.....Motherland!!!!

[vtl]

I will get a 1.5-2k set for my new barn when I build it. As said, tire balancing is $35/piece, waste of at least 1 hour, plus with some tires you have to do it often. That combo set and a cheapish 4 wheel alignment rack, too.