17"Fikse Rims and mounting tires

Jims5543 · 01-26-2006, 09:41 AM

I want to mount some Kumho MX's on my rims. The PO gave em all the reciepts for the car and there is a paper for the rims that says you cannot squeeze the rim from the inside out to mount the tire.

It says you have to pinch the outside lip of the rim in order to mount the tire correctly.

Is this a must? If so, I am going to have a hard time finding a shop to mount them.

edward993 · 01-26-2006, 10:42 AM

Any reputable tire shop that is accustomed to seeing two and three-piece wheels will have no problem. It's not like these were invented yesterday. Find a good shop (as in ask around).

Edward

Kevin Stewart · 01-26-2006, 11:44 AM

take the paper work with you and watch, what they did is mount the tire on the correct way then put the jaws on the inside barrel to air leaving hella marks, Kevin

MuffinMan · 01-26-2006, 11:50 AM

Definitely spend the time to find a good shop with the right machine. I've had three sets of Porsche wheels badly gouged from different tire places, each insisting they could do the job without issue. Even though they all paid to have the wheels repaired, the hassle was...well, a hassle.

david.avery · david.avery's Garage

This is real timely for me, I am bringing a set of fm10's and tires for mounting tomorrow. I looked around the web, and one of the machines that does it right is a Hunter TC3500, according to the bimmer forums.

89911 · 01-26-2006, 04:23 PM

I've had my Fikse rims mounted with tires at least a half dozen times with no incident. The Fiske disclaimer is most likely to protect your rims against hack jobs done by quasi professionals which most here don't use. Any reputable shop can change those rims with most standard equipment. I think there line of thinking is if a shop has the high end equipment they recommend, most likely they have highly skilled shop to begin with. My garage that works on my car changes my tires and the mechanic I use personally does it. And nobody in my area had even heard of the machine they recommended.

MotoSook · 01-26-2006, 05:59 PM

So the appropriate machine would have a 4-jaw which clamps the rim from the outside (lip of the barrel) for pushing the tire onto the rim, then the tire is inflated off the machine?

Kevin Stewart · 01-26-2006, 06:14 PM

souk no, once the tire is mounted if it takes air release the jaws, usualy what happens is a guy cant get it to air up so he uses the blaster in the machine, but it gets the most blast if you use the barrel because it raises the wheel up some, then you have four marks that looks like a vise grip bit it,

by the way the hunter is no perfect magical machine, if the wheel is not put on the machine correctly then it will still damage the wheel, also even the tire tools can do damage, if you hand your wheels to a young guy in a tire shop you can bet your catuzi's he gonna fuch em up, Kevin

MotoSook · 01-27-2006, 06:49 AM

Kevin,

I have gotten my Fuchs back with the damn "vise grip" marks on the inside of the barrel. I have not found a shop in my area that caters to the special wheels or racing crowd. Even the local "big" shops will screw up the wheels!

Can the 4-jaws clamping on the lip of the rim damage them too? Seems like it's a potential. So what is one to do!?!

Kevin Stewart · 01-27-2006, 08:17 AM

really the only way a wheel can be damaged is by a punk mounting the tire, in reality they have no respect and just toss the wheel on the machine, not their wheel they dont care, when clamping on the out side damage usualy accours when the wheel is not in correct in other words only three clamps are on the wheel, then they put the tire tool on and the wheel is croocked and viola something hits the wheel causing damage because the wheel does not go around in a true circle on the tire machine, mounting or dismounting a tire is not rocket science, they guys just dont take the time, the best thing to do is ask to watch and to continue to tell the person do not clamp my wheels from the inside, please ge careful with my rare wheels, they will think your an idiot but who cares when you gotta baby sit a wheel guy, Kevin

Kevin Stewart · 01-27-2006, 08:19 AM

I think the hunter clamps from the inside and a rubber part is touching the inside of the barrel, samething if the wheel is not sitting on straight then the tire tool will bite the lip, Kevin

MotoSook · 01-27-2006, 08:45 AM

I think I get it Kevin. So I should call ahead and ask if they have a machine with 4-jaws to clamp from the outside. Right?

Like you said, the work order can land on a teenager's todo and then things go where ever. I have been persistent enough with the store manager that they don't say anything when I go up to the teenager who's mounting my tires...

greglepore · 01-27-2006, 12:09 PM

The above discussion is why I use a corner tire shop where I know the guy doing the work. Yes, they're 20 bucks a changeover more than the chains, so what. The guy knows what BBS halves cost.

Jims5543 · 01-28-2006, 08:44 AM

I run all my fleet trucks through a local mom and pop shop. I WAS using a big chain but, they lost one of my truck rims and offered nothing to make it right so they lost my business.

This mom and pop shop bends over backwards to make me happy. I already talked to the owner and he is nervouse about the cost of the rims and understands my concern the job be done right. He admitted to not having the 4 jaw outside clamp setup and would rather I find someone else to do the job instead of being a hero and possibly damaging my rims.

I am stopping off there Monday with my Fikse manual and my car so he can decide if he can handle the job. I like the fact that he respects me enough to care.

I will call around town and see if there is a shop that has the right equipment. Thanks for the tips guys.