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193 Posts
Anyone here mount and balance their own tires? I was thinking of buying a tire balancer and iron to do it myself. Seems cost effective, is it realistic? Any input appreciated. thanks
Tire Mounting/Balancing
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9,680 Posts
Buying the necessary equipment is cost effective if you plan on changing a lot of tires or your local source charges a arm and a leg. In any event you will need a way to break the bead. There are a couple of DIY bead breakers that will do the job. These links will show you how its done.
Rod Neff sells a excellent wheel balancer or you can do it the old fashioned way using your axle.
You can purchase inexpensive nylon rim protectors so that the rim does not get scratched with the tire irons.
Bead breaker 1
Bead breaker 2
Rod Neff sells a excellent wheel balancer or you can do it the old fashioned way using your axle.
You can purchase inexpensive nylon rim protectors so that the rim does not get scratched with the tire irons.
Bead breaker 1
Bead breaker 2
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366 Posts
My father and brother in law and I went in on getting a balancer and tire changer. Still need to post a picture of it. The honda dealer bought it brand new then sold it to a buddy of mine with his own bike shop. And he sold it to us three. I think it's a Jolly brand. My brother in law used to work at the honda dealer as a mechanic and use the tire changer a lot. We paid 600 for the pair...I'll get some pics soon.
Now I can have some track tires and street tires. It's a nice setup.
Now I can have some track tires and street tires. It's a nice setup.
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193 Posts
Hey Mike,
thanks alot, that was exactly what I needed. I am definitely doing it myself. My buddy and I are going to split the equipment. BTW, where can I get those nylon rim protectors?
thanks alot, that was exactly what I needed. I am definitely doing it myself. My buddy and I are going to split the equipment. BTW, where can I get those nylon rim protectors?
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1,044 Posts
Hell the dealer scratched my rims to hell.....I wont try it. Sure I have balanced tires before, mostly aircraft tires. You can get the basic balance at a mere 5 MPH but if you intend to do a hundred then you have to really spin it and most places will only balance to say 30-40 mph, over that your on your own....I have bought square tires before so _ I forget to many beers lol
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9,680 Posts
Dennis Kirk sells the Motion Pro rim protector. They come two to a package, buy 2 packages. Sometimes you might need 3 tire irons to do the job. Speaking of which, if you go the tire iron route get the long ones. You will need the extra leverage.blackbetty said:
FWIW: Static balance if done correctly will be fine, never had any tire wobble going down the back straight at Bridgehampton at 160 mph.
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193 Posts
Once again, thank you! There is nothing like experience. Btw, any idea when Marcus Dairy is meeting this year?
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9,680 Posts
You're very welcome...blackbetty said:
As far as this years Marcus dairy gathering and BBQ at my house, the date is open as of now. I'm going to suggest sometime in May or June. Next month I can start a thread and get some idea what Sunday would be good for everyone.
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858 Posts
You can also try this option for a tire changer. I watched this guy demo this thing at Barbers and it was pretty nice.
http://www.nomartirechanger.com/
http://www.nomartirechanger.com/
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193 Posts
That would be great if I had $500 to spare, but the idea is to save money...i wont be changing tires enough to warrant that. Thanks though.
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214 Posts
I have been working on making a tire changer for about 2 months... I will take some pictures of my progress so far... only thing im having problems with is the strength of the arm with the shoe on it... I used 1" angle iron from a fence I disasembled and it just folded over as soon as I put some pressure on it...
the base of it was formerly a 10" drill press with all the gut's stripped out of it... Kinda hard to describe but It should work as soon as I can pillage some 2" square tubing from the scrap yard.
as far as balancing, Go to the hardware store and but some round bar to match your axle's diameter and use some angle iron or a 2x4 and drill some holes to match the round bar. rotate the wheel use a tire pencil to mark where it rests ... exactly 180 degrees from there use a small wheel weight to correct and rotate again. progressively use larger wheel weight's to compensate till you get it right. Used this approach for a long time and have had it computer ballanced afterwards... was almost dead bang. Close enough as long as you are not driving mach chicken everywhere, no vibes or uneven tire wear.
the base of it was formerly a 10" drill press with all the gut's stripped out of it... Kinda hard to describe but It should work as soon as I can pillage some 2" square tubing from the scrap yard.
as far as balancing, Go to the hardware store and but some round bar to match your axle's diameter and use some angle iron or a 2x4 and drill some holes to match the round bar. rotate the wheel use a tire pencil to mark where it rests ... exactly 180 degrees from there use a small wheel weight to correct and rotate again. progressively use larger wheel weight's to compensate till you get it right. Used this approach for a long time and have had it computer ballanced afterwards... was almost dead bang. Close enough as long as you are not driving mach chicken everywhere, no vibes or uneven tire wear.
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