Hey guys I need an inexpensive Tire Machine that will break down my 18 in track tires and wheels, and also the stock 19 and 20 inch wheels. I no longer use the run-flat tires. My 18 inch track wheels are 13 inch wide. This is for home use and I'm wondering if anyone out there has bought a decent tire machine that will work for my needs. (Please do not post the $30,000 Hunter Machine that works for these new C7's) , I've seen Tire Machines for like 2 grand or less, and I'm just wondering if they'll work, if I'm very careful not to damage my wheels. Thanks for the info👍

 

https://www.toolots.com/autopan-tire...back-post.html

Bill

 

Hey Bill! Thanks for the reply, do you own this machine or know someone that does?

 

Do you already have a wheel balancer?

 

As of right now, I did order a bubble balancer from Summit Racing, do you have one for sale?

 

Has anyone on this forum purchased and used this tire machine that Bill listed above?? Also is there a bead blaster on this thing?? There's no mention of that on their website, also there are Zero reviews about this tire machine. I'm ready to pull the trigger on a tire machine, but I want to make sure I buy the right one!
There's a company called Derek Weaver out of Texas that seems to make a good machine with a lots of positive reviews...

 

Definitely interested in hearing feedback. My main concern is also 18" slicks but it would be nice if I could change out OEM ZP tires. I'm seriously considering this one after seeing the video of a guy changing what looks like a super low profile tire with it.
https://www.gregsmithequipment.com/A...0-Tire-Changer

 

Google Derek Weaver Tire changers , they're from Texas, he's got a machine for like $1,900 with that assist arm. He's got over 50, 5 star reviews and been in business since the 60s I think.

 

I have the Mayflower Model 980. It is great! Has a bead blaster. Has a really cool adjuster for bead breaker which allows it to break up to 15" wide tires. It was $1200.

http://mayflowertools.com/product/ma...r-red-edition/

 

That video does show a low profile tire but not one with stiff sidewalls. They should show him doing a run flat or RE71R tire. The guy also was using the tire iron to get the tire back on the wheel. That is a good way to mess up a wheel. I was not impressed.

Well, at least he did outside clamp the wheel so OK I was a little bit impressed!

 

Interesting. I watched his video and the machine looks pretty capable for the $. Toward the end it showed installing a fairly wide tire on an alloy wheel using twin rollers to press the bead in place... that seems to be "touchless" in that it can do it without a metal or plastic piece running along the rim. I wonder if it could do one of our ZP tires with the really stiff sidewalls.

 

Well after reading many positive 5 Star reviews about Derek Weaver Tire Machines , ( it's American-made from Texas) , his Tire Machines have over 100 5 Star reviews within the past few years!!
I bought the 898 model tire machine, it was less than $1,500 delivered, and for an extra 400 you can buy a tire assist to help out with low-profile run-flat tires. Every review says how good the quality is, and the customer service is there after the sale also! 👍

 

Amazing what you paid considering the Hunter and Corghi touchless machines can approach like $30k. Please post back when you start using it. I hate taking my pristine rims to people I don't know only to have them all scratched up and/or torn beads on tires. The hardest part by far is getting the tire to seal and fill with air enough to re-set the beads.

 

I'll definitely report back, however I no longer run those run flat tires. I also got tired of wasting my time trying to find someone to change my tires and wheels, either they say No we don't touch Corvette Wheels, or they say I can't guarantee it will not damage them! Everything I have is nice, and those comments don't sit well with me.
I'm really excited about this machine, I will mostly be using it to change my slicks on my 18 inch Forgeline Wheels, and also my 19 and 20 in. Signature Wheels with non run-flat tires. Well I actually bought the motorcycle adapter kit so I can take care of all my bikes as well 👍

 

The reason I bought a tire machine is because the tire shops around here do not use their machines correctly and they cause wheel and/or tire damage every time I get tires changed. The term "touchless" is pretty much meaningless since no modern tire machine is going to touch the wheel if it is used properly. The machines are designed so the duck head (if adjusted properly) will ride slightly above and outside the rim of the wheel.

The bead of the tire will certainly touch the rim as it is being mounted but if properly lubed and kept under control it will not damage the wheel. Proper control is the key. If you let the bead of the tire ride up onto the bead sealing part of the wheel, the machine is going to put a ton of force on the bead and may tear up the rubber or damage the wheel. You need to keep the bead of the tire down in the channel of the wheel at all times and all the way around the wheel.

I have found a great way to do this. I use four DeWalt heavy duty bar clamps and clamp the sidewall of the tire as it goes on the wheel. This way, the bead is forced to stay down in the channel. You don't need the clamps for normal tires but Corvette tires and high performance low profile tires of any type are way too stiff to manually push the sidewall down as you rotate the machine table. An assist arm as found on some machines helps, but it only keeps one part of the bead in the channel. Using the clamps, you can keep the entire bead under control.

Normal bar clamps do not have enough strength for this use. You need the "600 lb." Heavy Duty clamps as shown below.


24" DeWalt Model # DWHT83186

 

Yes 10-4! Control where the bead is on the wheel to make the job easier!
thanks for the tip with the heavy-duty DeWalt clamps👍

 

I have some more tips for you that I have learned the hard way.

1st, always use outside clamping on aluminum wheels!!!! Tire shops never do this and it results in damaged wheels. Every tire machine manual I have seen says to use outside clamping for aluminum wheels, but tire shops ignore this. The reason they inside clamp is that it is much faster and easier then outside clamping. If you see an installer toss the wheel on the machine and stomp the clamp pedal, he is inside clamping.

Outside clamping is much more difficult because you have to carefully and slowly move the clamps into place by keeping pressure on the pedal and the tire gets in the way so you have to push the wheel down and look under the tire to make sure the clamps don't ride past the rim. It is impossible to do this by yourself unless you use the bar clamps to pull the wheel down.

2nd tip is you need to learn and always use the 11:00 / 5:00 method of indexing the wheel. Use 11 o'clock position for the TPMS sensor or valve stem (referenced to 12:00 at the duck head) for dismounting tires and 5:00 for mounting tires. If you don't do this, the bead of the tire will hit the TPMS sensor (or the bulge of the rubber valve stem) and cause the bead to bind possibly breaking the sensor and definitely putting undo strain on the bead of the tire.

3rd tip is to use the tire lever to get the bead of the tire over the duck head and then remove the lever before you rotate the table. If you do it like the tire shops and just stomp the rotate pedal while holding the lever, most times the lever will slip off the duck head and smack into your wheel thus chipping paint.

4th tip is when using the bead breaker, do not just stomp the pedal and force the bead in. You want to slowly press the pedal until the sidewall of the tire moves in enough to get some lube in there. Lube it, then let the bead breaker retract and re-position the wheel then repeat so you can get lube at least half way around the wheel. Doing it this way protects the bead of the tire (in case you are flipping the tire or re-using the tire, plus it protects the wheel since you are not putting tons of pressure on the bead of the tire. After you have the bead area lubed, go back to the middle of the lubed area and let the bead breaker push the bead in. It works very well and avoids excessive bead pressure - those bead breaker put out over 5000 lbs of pressure if you just stomp the pedal.

5th tip is always bead break the inside of the wheel first. That way, the tire and not the face of the wheel will be against the back stop of the bead breaker. If you break the bead on the outside first, the tire will no longer keep the face of the wheel off the back stop when you the back of the wheel.

6th tip is make sure to buy some good lube and use lots of it! I use the Euro paste type lube that is non-corrosive. If you use dishwashing soap or cheap tire lubes, they will cause corrosion of the aluminum wheel and you will end up with slow bead leaks over time. Lube the bead area of the tire on both the outside (part that actually seals) and the inside plus lube the wheel where the bead will need to slip over the bump to seat. If you don't lube all these areas well, the bead will not want to pop when you inflate the tire. If the bead won't pop into place at leas than 40 psi, you have to break the bead down again and relube it. Getting the bead to pop is actually the hardest part of the process when working with low profile tires.

7th and last tip - find some wheels and tires you don't care about and practice un-mounting and mounting a few times before you try this on your expensive Corvette tires and wheels!

Good luck with your new tire changer and feel free to ask me if you have any questions once you start using it. Oh - and don't let your friends and family find out you have a tire changer or you will have endless numbers of people wanting you to change tires for them and the cheap bastages will never offer you any cash for your trouble!!!!!!!

 

Okay great, I'll definitely reread this before I start swapping tires 👍