Tyre soap!

[Steve Smith]

When new cars are delivered they dont have white soap. When you buy new wheels and tyres prefitted there is no white soap. When you have a tyre replaced locally there is white soap! How do you get tyres on rims without white soap? Is there a clear soap or something else?

[mrmr96]

On a new car or posh wheels they will probably clean them.

[j44esd]

mrmr96 said:

On a new car or posh wheels they will probably clean them.

This, HTH

[steveo3002]

new cars dont have it when delivered at the dealer..very much doubt theyre cleaned

i say the factory has a mega machine thats set up just for that size rim and can do it with no soap

[j44esd]

steveo3002 said:

new cars dont have it when delivered at the dealer..very much doubt theyre cleaned

i say the factory has a mega machine thats set up just for that size rim and can do it with no soap

Possibly, never been in a car factory - as for aftermarket, I used to sell wheels and tyres and I used to clean the tyre soap off when they arrived! (Often they would have been wiped, but not brilliantly)

Also some tyre soap dries clear, and a good tyre fitter only uses enough to soften/lubricate the bead area so this could be a factor.

Edited to add: Area, softening the bead would be crazy talk...

Edited by j44esd on Tuesday 30th March 22:24

[HellDiver]

Car factories don't fit tyres. Car factories get wheels delivered with tyres fitted from whoever makes the wheels (Dunlop, Michelin, Ronal, Speedline, etc, etc). Same as they get seats ready to bolt in, engine come on a pallet from whoever assembles it, exhausts come from whoever makes those.

Vauxhalls with steel wheels, for example, come with wheels to OE deisgn and spec, but are made by Dunlop for cars fitted with Dunlop or Goodyear, Michelin fitted with Michelin, and so on.

[The Wookie]

They don't fit the alloys to the tyres, they make them inside them

[james328i]

The Wookie said:

They don't fit the alloys to the tyres, they make them inside them

I thought they made the tyre around the alloy?

[mugs]

On the Audi megafactories thing last week they fit the tyre right there on the assembly line, and no soap in sight, just a massive frick off machine forcing the bead into position.