DIY balancing/fitting wheels

[Tunku]

I've got my winter tyres delivered today, and I'n sitting here looking at them. I used to fit and balance my own motorbike tyres, because none of the local tyre places catered for bike tyres, so I got to thinking about how to do the car tyres. Has anyone done this? I think being able to home balance your car tyres would be good if it was as cheap and easy as doing a bike tyre. I've got a couple of ideas about how to do that. Fitting them would seem to be heavy duty though. Getting the new beads to pop on would probably be the difficult bit.
Anyone here do their own car tyres, without the benefit of tyre shop equipment?

This is just idle curiousity on my behalf.

[Davie]

Is it worth potentially damaging the sidewalls/bead and having a steering wheel shaking at 60mph for the sake of £8 a tyre down at your local fast fit centre?

[twazzock]

Worth a look if you don't mind damaging them/they're steelies/you know what you're doing:
http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=d...

Then just get them balanced for a couple of quid a wheel. Sorted. Only really works out financially if you do it a lot. (you can get balancing equipment too, see ebay)

[AdvanceRoadcraft]

Unless you are REALLY skint (in which case I'm sympathetic) or you change tyres/rims half-a-dozen times a year, why would you want to do this?

I've just had tyres mounted to rims, new valves and dust caps, wheels balanced (stick-ons not nasty hammered things) and the wheels fitted to the car by a professional with a torque wrench (not a monkey with an air gun) all for a tad less than £8 per wheel.

You know it makes sense!

Best, B

[Tunku]

I'll reiterate - This is just idle curiousity on my behalf. Do any of you actually bloody read ?
(except Twazzock)

Edited by Tunku on Tuesday 29th November 01:38

[twazzock]

I can't be arsed to read, I just want to make comments about your financial wellbeing

[Tunku]

twazzock said:

I can't be arsed to read, I just want to make comments about your financial wellbeing

[twazzock]

Tunku said:

twazzock said:

I can't be arsed to read, I just want to make comments about your financial wellbeing

You gyppo

Seriously though, I think the link I posted will be of great help to all gyppos with access to the internet, and all of their friends.

[Tunku]

twazzock said:

Tunku said:

twazzock said:

I can't be arsed to read, I just want to make comments about your financial wellbeing

You gyppo

Seriously though, I think the link I posted will be of great help to all gyppos with access to the internet, and all of their friends.

I've gone beyond. I'm now trying to figure out what the coloured lines on the tyres are for.

[twazzock]

Tunku said:

I've gone beyond. I'm now trying to figure out what the coloured lines on the tyres are for.

The coloured lines are just to tell you you're driving SO well and to thrash the living crap out of it wherever you can, especially wet, cold bends.

Really I think there's potential to have a go at DIY fitting your own tyres, but realistically it will be fairly hard work and if you're inexperienced you may cause damage (although to stty steels/alloys, who cares?). If you intend to do it for years the kit will pay for itself. Most PHers will pay for someone else to do it for various reasons but on a snotter I don't see the point.

Personally I'd give it a crack. I expect my cars to be on steels for the next few years so it will save me a few quid every time the tyres need changing and I don't give a monkeys what steel wheels look like.

I will probably be trying the DIYing next time I need tyres but for the time being my rubber is passable. (I'll report back post-death-defying DIY if anyone gives a st)

Edited by twazzock on Tuesday 29th November 03:04

[mybrainhurts]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLhUYQ8geM


C'est un piece de piss...