hi there,
my 2002 pontiac sunfire needs tires and i have just ordered them from tirerack.com. I now have 2 options, i can either have a tire shop put them on for me for about 60 bucks. Or i can go to an auto skills shop that has a tire machine and a balancer and do it my self for about $40. the balancer is dynamic and there will be mechanics who know what they are doing there to help me.
So i want to get some opionions before i do this. has anyone put tires on themselves? or is it really just the norm to pay a shop to do it? keep in mind this is only vehicle and tell me what you think. peace out
Have Fun!
If you have never put tires on before, I wouldn't start with tires you just payed for. Its easy to tear the tire with the tire machine if you don't know how to do it. When I took automotive in high school almost half of my class tore the sidewall on the first try.
2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier
Seriously?? I had no idea you could tear into a tire if you did it wrong.
If it was me, I'd prefer to pay the $40 and learn how to do it in the process. I wouldn't do it to save the money though. I'd be doing it for the learning experience.
If I thought it might cost me one or more of my tires... forget it! Just pay someone who knows what they're doing.
Yep after you get the backside onto the rim and use the prybar looking thing to get the other on, when you spin it it can tear.
2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier
weasel,
That's exactly what i was thinking. i want to do it myself just to say i did and gain the experience. There will be certified mechanics in the shop who have done it hundreds of times to help me too. On the other hand, this is my only vehicle and if i did mess something up i am screwed! Right now i'm thinking the extra 20 bucks to have it done professionally is the better deal. give me more thoughts and opionions about this subject please!
I was also wondering if that tiny stock spare tire(the one in the trunk) could hold a normal tire. I really dont see the point in those little doughnut spare tires. If those little rims can hold a nornal tire, that will be my practice tire that i take to the shop and put a normal tire on. If that goes smoothly, then i would feel confident to do the real tires on my car. Like i said, please tell me what you other j-body owners think. Thank you for help and keep it coming!
Have Fun!
I'm all for doing stuff myself but when it comes to something I have never done, and something that could possibly be ruined really easily I would pay. 20$ is cheap insurance when it comes to that.
-Seth
No, the donut wheel can't hold a regular tire.
How can you not see the point? It's there as a spare to get you home if you lose air in one of your tires for whatever reason. What else would it be there for??
Yeah, it's just crappy. I wish i had a full size spare! I dont think a full size spare could even fit in the space the doughnut goes. Has anyone actully ever measured it and tried it out? Anyways, thanx for the help!
Have Fun!
A full size will not fit.
2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier
What size rim?
16 inch and above get difficult.
15 and lower are easier to work with.
Up to you, only an hour out of your day.
It doesn't fit flush under the stock cover, but it does fit in the well.
I carry a full sized spare in mine.
The point of the small "temporary" spare is to save weight and trunk space for folks who do use their trunk. A temporary spare is lighter than a full size wheel and tire, so you save fuel (over the long run). As long as the diameter is close to that of your other tires, a temporary spare works just fine. No, you can't autocross on it, but you don't want to drive around a long time on your full size spare anyway, because you have no spare left.
I'm sure part of the reason for the temporary spares is to encourage the owner to get the flat fixed quickly in their full size tire. Remember, we're talking about the millions of car owners out there, not the car-conscious folks like us. If you had a full size spare with a wheel that looked just like your other four, I'm sure the temptation would be there (for a normal driver) to procrastinate and not get that flat fixed in a timely manner.
Jason
North Carolina
1997 Cadillac SLS (147k miles)
2003 Dodge Grand Caravan (50k miles)
Cool,
i know a place where i can get a crappy little 15x7 rim for 35 bucks. i'll take the best looking stock tire from my car(196/65s) and throw it on that rim. with the measurements i got, the full size spare will only stick out of the bottom of the trunk 1 inch. i can defiently deal with that! i do alot of traveling in my car and a full size spare would be very nice. I'm going to take the rim and tire to the skills shop and put the tire on the rim myself and i'll balance it. Once i get done with that, i'll post and tell you guys how it went and if it would be something anyone with some mechanical skills could do! wish me luck!
Have Fun!
Wild Weasel wrote:It doesn't fit flush under the stock cover, but it does fit in the well.
I carry a full sized spare in mine.
Where is your jack
I have the tiny spare tire but i carry a 2 ton jack in there with it.
2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier
Your spare as a practice tire!!!!!!! lol, im not trying to be mean here, but any1 that has ever dismounted a spare tire, it is EXTREMELY difficult. I did one once, just to check it out, it is extremely difficult to do without tearing the tire. But anyways, I would deffinatly pay 40 and learn. First of all, every1 should learn how to do it sometime in their lifetime, it's like learning how to change your damn oil, its just one of those things. Also, it is extremely easy. In my auto apprentiship a couple years ago, b4 we used the tire machine, the teacher made us mount one by hand, TALK ABOUT DIFFICULT! Anyways, if you use soap and water, you wont tear the tire, LUBE IT UP A BIT. Also, after you get the backside of the tire on, and you start the front of the tire, spin it around a bit, then push down on the tire as it spins around, it will help keep it from tearing. Anyways, good luck!
Fire Fighter wrote:Where is your jack I have the tiny spare tire but i carry a 2 ton jack in there with it.
The jack is in the stock styrofoam holder thing and fits nicely right between the tire and the back wall of the trunk. It wedges in there and prevents the tire from moving at all.
hey fst cavy,
I would be using a tire machine, from what my friends told me you put the back of tire on the rim using a special tool then the machine does the rest. there is basicallly no way to do it wrong or ruin your tire. The tire balancer is a different story, i have no clue how that works. Either way, there will be an ASI certified mechanic working with me 1 on 1 to help with it. So i'm feeling confident, like i said, i'll post and give the details of how it went. i will also post some pics of the process. so i need to know how to post pics on these forums?
Have Fun!
amc31b wrote:hey fst cavy,
I would be using a tire machine, from what my friends told me you put the back of tire on the rim using a special tool then the machine does the rest.
That isn't so, the backside is easier. On the front, you use the pry bar to get the side wall down onto the rim, lock it down on the machine, push down the sidewall and spin the machine all at once. Difficult to explain, you will see once you try it.
2012 HD VRSCF
2010 Ford Explorer
2006 Ford Ranger
2004 Chevy Cavalier
i would just buy tires from a place and they will put them on there. i just got new tires put on my car and they did what ever to my old tires for $250 for 4 snow tires.
