Changing tires on Original TR 3 Wire Wheels

[af3683]

Hi,

Does anyone have any tips or words of advice regarding having a local garage change the tires on my original painted 48 spoke TR3 wire wheels. Thank you.

Art

 

[sail]

It may come down to who will do it. Most won't touch wires. I went all around and finally found one guy who did them. But he is gone and I may be the guy next time.

 

[Geo Hahn]

Good luck. You may want the oldest guy you can find -- not rocket science but some care is needed, in particluar to get the tube right.

I do my own (probably mentioned that to you before) but some take them to small tire shops where the guys do them the old fashioned way (spoons). You say 'local garage' so perhaps it's that sort of place.

I always work the tire on from the back side of the rim so the irons do not scrape the paint. Talc in the tire, all labels removed from inside the tire, inflate the tube once (to get all the folds out, deflate it, then inflate it a second time. Use a grommet if the valve stem is smallish in the rim hole.

Balancnig is another matter -- you didn't ask about it but there will be several opinions on how it should be done.

 

[TR3driver]

Funny, I've not had that much trouble finding someone to change tires on wire wheels. Basically any shop that is equipped to handle alloy wheels (which is most of them today) should have a power changer that will also work well with wires. It needs to grab the wheel by the rim rather than the center, and ideally use a power arm that does not contact the wheel at all (only the tire). My local Wal-Mart has such machines, so does Costco.

Don't recall which one offhand, but I pulled off the highway into a Iowa city more or less at random (might have been Council Bluffs as I remember crossing a river), looking for tires on my way to VTR 2005 in Rockford IL. Pulled into the first tire shop I found (Firestone as I recall) and asked. They directed me to an independent shop just a few blocks away, where they not only knew how to handle wire wheels but had my size of tire in stock!

 

[sail]

Its good to be lucky on a 2000 mile drive.