Tyre Fitting Tools.?

Question

I want to fit my own tyres to motorcycle and car wheels. Would I get away with obtaining a set of levers? Do I need other tools. What's the basic kit I need?

Answer 1

As a young man I could fit a new car tyre and tube in under 4 minutes with levers and a rubber hammer, owing to constant practice. To remove the old tyre the head of a sledge hammer was placed on the bead and vigorous jerking with the foot and handle would break the seal. However the depth and tightness of bead engagement on tubeless tyres is such that I have failed to break the seal even by running a heavy car over it. That is why professionals use pneumatic clamps. Motorcycles wheels are all alloy now and easily damaged. Professionals use special pads etc to avoid damage. Then there is balancing. There is a spot of paint on many car tyre walls, which should be aligned with the valve to maximise balance. But even then dynamic balancing is often needed. So no, I am afraid, like many things, it is no longer straight forward. You need the kit! A motor factor will be able to advise you what portable equipment is available. But it will not be cheap. Remember, the safety implications are as high as they come.

Answer 2

You can do it fairly easily with a set of levers. Really you need 3. Be careful if fitting tubeless as any damage to the bead prevents them from sealing. I used to do this with levers to remove and bare hands to fit. It's really quite easy provided you get the other tyre bead well into the groove at the centre of the wheel. A bit of soapy water as lubricant helps. As a final point you will need a fairly good compressor to inflate tubeless for the first time as the tyres won't seal on the rim till there is a bit of pressure inside. Make sure the fitting line round the tyre is even with the rim all round on both sides before using.

Answer 3

Tyre levers for a small bike, its not that difficult.

For sports bikes and cars, get a tyre fitter to do it. They will save you hours of labour and will balance the tyres too. At higher speeds this is essential. The specialist tools needed are not worth getting unless you are fitting a lot of tyres.