Changing tyre in bush

Hi Lazylux16

We used to always take a complete spare rim, but because of the weight issue, now only take a spare good carcass.

Proving that you have a good quality air compressor, tyre levers, and bead breaker, it is an easy job and saves on a lot of weight. You will also need a. Good quality plug repair kit and most times that will get you out of trouble.

That's what we do and still gives the safety margin of 6 good tyres, even if you have to mount it yourself.


Cheers


Stephen

Harder than steel rims.
Have you honed your skills and actually changed a tyre by hand?
Pretty hard work even if you have the tools with you (do you have the tools?). I occasionally change mine by hand but then I spent my teenage years in a tyre shop that did not have the automated gear that they do now (40 years ago) so know what to do.
If you've never changed a tyre by hand then find out how before you consider anything else. Stranded in bush is not a good time to start practising on your only good carcass.
Having said that, its easy to mash the rim edge on the alloy rim. Not structural but it'll never look the same again. Not much more difficult than a steely.

Do you have a winch? You can always rig up a pulley and haul the wheel onto the roof rack.

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Despite what some may have you believe, it is not really easy to remove and replace a large 4WD tyre on a alloy rim. Depends somewhat on your mechanical skills and experience.

For a start, as Malcolm said, "its easy to mash the rim edge on the alloy rim".
And as Stephen said, you will need "a good quality air compressor, tyre levers, and bead breaker". I would add to that, tyre lubricant and a heavy rubber mallet.
By the time you carry all those tools you may as well carry a complete spare wheel & tyre, especially as the alloy is lighter than steel.

Malcolm has described some of the difficulties but has omitted something that can be problematic if the tyre is tubeless. i.e. the difficulty in reseating the tyre over the bead by compressed air. Unless the tyre is forming a leak-proof seal against the rim (difficult), it will be impossible to raise the pressure sufficiently to force it over the bead. There are ways to achieve this but more skills are required. Of course, a tube can be fitted but then it somewhat defeats the purpose of tubeless alloys!

How hard is to change a tyre on standard alloy rim

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The only way you are going to find the answer to that question is to get someone who really does know what they are doing to show you how then you have a go yourself.

I changed a 235/85 x 16 on a steel rim yesterday without any problems but I used to change tyres by hand many years ago at work. I could tell you it is easy but I could be lulling you into a false sense of security.

Howdy

Some good info about tyre changing in thread 91788 - especially "Outnabout's" reply about placement of tyre lube - get this right and the job is very easy !

I carry a vegemite jar of tyre slip I got from my tyre store.


Happy and safe, puncture free travelling


Cheers

Gazz

Lazylux16 - The two greatest obstacles as regards tyre-changing, is breaking the bead initially, and getting it to re-seat again.

The trick with bead breaking is to carry a 700mm length of solid-grain, 100x50 or 100x75 hardwood.
You place the flat tyre on solid ground in front of the front wheel (valve up), and place the length of hardwood right up level with the edge of the rim, at right angles to it, right in line with the valve.

This makes a simple ramp that you then drive up on, to break the bead (after you've deflated the tyre of course!).
This neat trick is one shown me by an old hand, over 40 yrs ago, and it never fails to work.
If the bead is really stubborn, you may need to back off the hardwood and turn the tyre and rim a little, and drive up it again.

Once the bead is pulled away from one side, turn the wheel over and do the other side the same.
It is crucial that the end of the piece of hardwood is as close to the edge of the rim as you can get, so it gets maximum bead-breaking effect. If it's back even 20 or 25mm, the bead-breaking effect is lost.

For re-seating beads, a length of tie-wire run around the centre of the tread and twitched up - or a heavy ratchet strap tightened in the same position, often works to spring the bead out enough to hold the air.
It's also important to remove the valve core and apply a copious amount of air through the valve stem to promote bead seating.
For this, you need a valve stem connection with no restrictions, to allow maximum air transfer to the tyre.

It pays to practice before you leave so you know what works, and what doesn't.

Cheers, Ron.

If you carry a spare casing, the biggest mistake is to tie it down on the roofrack. If you do so, the beads will be squashed together and when you fit the tyre as a tubeless tyre you'll have huge problems trying to get the beads to seat against the rim. This can be overcome by fitting an inflated tube inside the tyre when you travel - keeps the tyre in better shape. Ever wondered why tyre shops store tyres upright on racks?

Alloys are no different than steel to fit. It is easiest after a fair deal of practice. I've used the plastic rim protectors on alloys and they seem to prevent scratching OK. Bead breakers can scratch rims badly which is why I wrote up my original car jack bead breaker, although I admit these days I just get the high lift jack out if handy. That way there is no contact with the rim.

f you are just repairing a leak, then only lever one bead which is all you need to apply a patch. The only reason to completely remove a tyre is if its too badly damaged and you are replacing it. Chances are that this can be done by someone else in a remote location if you don't know how to do it.

I must also admit that these days I only ever seem to repair other peoples tyres in the groups we travel with. If you do all the right things, punctures are less common than they used to be. But when remote I still like the 2nd spare as one destroyed tyre will leave you very worried.

There are lots of other tricks.
Lubricate the beads as you remove the tyre too - the tyre comes off easier and you are less likely to distort the bead.
I just use detergent in water - doesn't work as well as lux flakes because it dries quick - so its OK if you are quick and its less likely that your bead will come off the rim at low pressures or that your tyre will lose balance by spinning on the rim.
And finally tyre plugs are the answer to most punctures in remote areas. But they too have a learning curve - make sure you explore the hole and remove every skerrick of stick or rock in the hole - if you don't then the plug won't seal. I always use glue with plugs - the blue special cement is usually best - seals better on the sidewalls.

There has been a few suggestions so far for reseating the bead. There is another method that I used successfully at work over forty years. It also worked yesterday on that 235/85 that I mentioned earlier..

Lay the wheel on flat ground with the inside down then push down hard with your feet on the outside. You are pushing the outer bead down onto the inner bead. This can often partially seat the inner bead. Stand the wheel up gently and lean it on an angle against a wall or another wheel on the car. Gently push the wheel into the tyre with your knee while you put air into it. If you push too hard you may unseat the inner bead.

This can lightly seat the outer bead allowing the air to build up pressure and take over.

We now carry the second spare as tyre only, and purchased a set of tyre pliers. These have not been used so I cannot say how difficult they would be, but they would have to beat the previous method of having me drive backwards and forwards over the tyre.

Peter n Margaret's idea looks easier.

No offence to anyone, but, by the time you pack your tyre levers/plyers, your tub of lube, your special air hose, and the adaptor for your jack or bit of 4x2 hardwood.. Any weight gain, or advantage would be minimal, compared to an alloy rim.. Not to even bring the effort, and convenience into the mix, of having the complete spare.. Maybe only a few kilos in it.. My thoughts anyway.. Odog

If you decide to go the carcass only route...

... grab a tube that fits your tyre, insert into carcass and inflate.

It doesn't add much weight, but it will stop your carcass getting crap and dust in it that will tip out all over you when you lift it down.

BTW! I use a combination of tyre players and the Jack under the tow hitch. It was nigh on impossible to change a tyre out when I started, but it takes practice...lots of practice (which is best done before your trip).

Cheers

Anthony

If I was going to use the drive over the tyre method to break the bead then I'd have to take a whole other car with me because mine would be up on the jack. :-)

Going alloy rather than steel makes quite a difference to the weight of a spare. Any margin helps to keep us old farts out there.

I have Federal Couragia M/T 267/75R16 tyres. My tyre shop tells me that even with my 750mm tyre irons I would have no hope of getting these tyres off a rim, let alone on a rim, on the side of the road. Even with all his equipment he had difficulty in getting these tyres on the rim and getting them to seat they are so heavy in the sidewalls. His advice just take a plug kit.
Tyres will vary depending on sidewall strength. The easier to mount and de-mount tyres are likely to be softer in the sidewalls so more prone to puncture. The stronger they are the harder they will be to mount, or de-mount, but will be less prone to puncture.
I have a D-Max and my first spare which is a Federal to match the others and is stored behind the passenger seat. The second spare is the original spare mounted under the tray which I also use as an airtank. Additionally I have internal Sensatyre tyre monitors for safety reasons, this gives an additional benefit in that it greatly reduces the chances of destroying a tyre by it deflating and you not knowing about it until its to late.

Sort of on topic - possibly think of one of these if you have the space to mount it...

Obieco wheel carrier - you can pivot and lift with one arm....