Does anyone have any ideas on geting beads to seat on both sides of the rim for putting tires on the rims for the first time. I have the tires on the rim, I just need to get both beads to seat to fill the tire up with air. P215/75's on a 6" rim. Thanks for the help. Scott

If they won't seat with air thru the valve stem, then you need a cheetah air tank to blast them on with. I do it all the time with truck tires. It's a 5 gal tank full of compressed air and you blast it all at once into the bead area and the tires jumps up on the rim. Need to have the air hose hooked to the stem at the same time.

Put something around center of tire tread like rope or light chain that you can tighten in some way as you apply air tighten what ever you used it will go pretty easy with a little effert.

This is neccessary sometimes, it's really handy as I use it to seat all kinds of tires even on a 2 wheeler cart. Any tire with air this thing will seat it.


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Doing it at home? Try bolting it onto car, then push tire as far back towards center of car as much as you can, so that it tries to lock down onto tapered part of rim(usually rear of rim has a taper), then gently pull the outside of tire towards front lip of rim and have a third hand put the air in w/out valve core installed. Ya gotta do what cha gotta do.

Various methods spring to mind from my previous life. See if any of these apply in your situation:

1. Regardless of other things you do, pull the core from the valve stem. This will allow air to pass through the stem the quickest. Once the beads seat, you can get the core back in while the air is escaping (just be careful not to launch the core across the shop).

2. Tighten a strap or band of some kind around the tread surface, which can force the beads apart somewhat. Tire shops have straps designed for this, but you can use a ratcheting hold-down strap to do the same thing. This is probably to easiest professional trick to do at home.

3. Tire shops sometimes use a lubricated doughnut placed between the outer tire bead and the rim. It restricts the air flow escaping from this gap, and will "squirt out" once more air is trapped inside the tire. I can't immediately think of a home version of this, but maybe someone has one lying around, or you could borrow/rent one from a shop (or just pay them to seat the tire...).

4. Commercial machines often have a mechanism to blast air at the lower tire bead. This builds up a high pressure area, sometimes trapping a bigger pocket of air inside the tire. I have no idea how one might do this at home, but throw it out there anyway.

5. If you have the ability to break a bead once seated, there is also an extreme measure of tubing the tire for a few days, and them removing the inner tube once the sidewalls and beads have been spread out.

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Regardless of other things you do, pull the core from the valve stem. This will allow air to pass through the stem the quickest. Once the beads seat, you can get the core back in while the air is escaping (just be careful not to launch the core across the shop).

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Great advice. Just doing that will probably fix your problem.

Take the valve stem out too, it'll alow the air to flow into the tire faster helping to seat the bead.

Try a ratcheting strap, like a cheapy from WallyMart, to hold motorcycles down in pick-ups. Put it around the tire and snug it up slowly while airing it thru the valve stem. once it seats, loosen the strap before going any farther.

Or, you can try a starting fluid way, here's a coule of videos on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jINu1cuRlww

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIVLQCZJGAw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M0GNLvPmAg&feature=related

There are a few more on YouTube, just do a search for them.

Starting fluid and a match.

I've done the ratcheting hold-down strap and the piece of rope with a broom stick, both methods work quite well to get the beads to the outside edge of the rim where air can't escape.

Also. . . for small tractor tires and wheel barrows and other small tires I have used the ole' shot of starting fluid, or carb cleaner, and lighter trick.

It will instantly pop the bead on both sides of the rim simultaneously.***

***This is highly dangerous method and should not be performed by anyone except me***
If you happen to blow yourself up while trying this hillbilly method don't blame me you were warned!!!

Thanks guys. Pulled the valve and put a strap aroung the outside, Twisted it around a bit and got it to seat. Holding the rim in one spot was a PITA. Was going to try the starting fluid trick, but never doing it before I was a little afraid. Thanks for all the help, you guys are the best. Scott

Ether trick while 4 wheeling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24Fp1gPiOU&feature=related

Sometimes you can hold them upright light they would be on the car and drop ot on the ground over and over. I've changed tires for a living a few years back. Some pop right on, others are a pain. I never tried the butane thing, but may just to have some fun