Using inner tubes in radial tires

[TR3driver]

Related to the original topic, did you Randall (or someone else) once say they had the tire changer offered by Harbor Freight? Possibly this one:

https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34542

I do have that unit from HF, yes. Traded a TR3 shift lever for it as I recall

It is totally manual, no power connection at all. And yes, I can change tires with it. The bar gives you a good deal of leverage, but it does still require a moderate amount of grip and upper body strength; plus some finesse like being careful to push the bead down into the changing well on the rim, using lubricant, etc.

"Portable" is something of a misnomer, IMO, it simply must be bolted to something substantial. No reasonable way to both put most of your weight against that bar and hold the changer at the same time. I have heard of using an old tire filled with concrete as a base, but I just sank 4 lead anchors into my garage floor, and bolt the changer to them with hefty lag bolts when I want to use it. Once I'm done, the lag bolts come out and the changer goes back in the corner. (I made a simple holder to keep the bolts attached to the changer when not in use.)

The one I got also broke after maybe 6 or 7 tires changed (off and on), the weld between the threaded section at the top and the pipe it is inside simply broke. But I was able to repair it without welding (didn't have a working welder at the time) by threading the pipe for setscrews, and so far that repair has held up for quite a few more tire changes. HF quality control being what it isn't, yours probably won't have the same problem. Don't recall for certain without looking, but ISTR I modified the bead breaker a bit too; moved some pivot holes and added a spacer for strength, I think.

Last time I used it was to remove 4 old tires and mount 4 new Kumhos as temporary tires for the project TR3. Haven't quite decided on final wheel/tire configuration yet, but I'm leaning towards some old alloy wheels that I acquired in some other trade if I can get them looking decent. Hmm, I wonder what a TR3 would look like with Stag alloys on it?

I have actually changed a tire on a British wire wheel using the manual changer, but it's probably not a good idea. I mounted the wheel hub down, so the spokes did not carry the clamping load; but they still had to take the force of levering the tire off and on. Didn't seem to do any harm (was just the spare tire for the Stag with wires), but YMMV.

Oh yeah, there was no operator's manual with it either. Fellow I got it from said that HF did not supply one. Fortunately I knew how to run a manual tire changer (a symptom of my misspent youth), but if you've never seen it done, it might not be obvious at first.

Can't help with the bead spreader, except to remark that IMO it's for people that do a lot of tire repair. For a single use, or even two or three uses, I wouldn't bother. For a short term repair, I just put in a plug; for a longer term repair I generally replace the tire.

However you will probably want the tool to R&R the valve core, and the tool to install new valve stems, plus a supply of stems of course. Local stores don't seem to carry the right size stems any more, so I bought a dozen on fleabay for $10 or so. I almost always find that the old stems are deteriorated, so I usually install new ones.

I use Simple Green diluted maybe 2 or 3 to 1 with water as a lubricant, in a simple spray bottle from HD.

 

[TR3driver]

PS, I have also tried the method Art linked to ... IMO the HF tool is worth the $50! It looks easy, but even just breaking the bead with nothing but a tire iron and a BIG hammer can be an exercise in frustration, especially if you have relatively wide, low profile tires to deal with. You must move the entire bead down into the well built into the wheel, and it doesn't want to go there. I've seen as many as two people standing on the tire trying to press the bead down, while a third man prys and beats on the tire, and they still had to struggle with it.

Oh yeah, on occasion I have needed something to help seat the new tire bead. One of those cheap ratcheting strap things from HF does the job. Run the strap around the tire in roughly the center of the tread, link it up and crank it down. That should spread the beads out enough to touch the wheel all the way around, so you can add air. Having a shop air source of 100+ psi and the valve core out (so more air flow into the tire) helps a lot as well; usually with that I don't need the strap.

 

[Andrew Mace]

I do have that unit from HF, yes.... It is totally manual, no power connection at all. And yes, I can change tires with it.

Well, you've gotten further than I have. I bought one and succeeded in dismounting a couple dozen tires. But for whatever reason (even having tried lubricants and taking advice of those who have used it successfully), I can never get the last third of the bead over the rim when mounting tires. <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FF6600">Advice most gratefully accepted!</span> </span>

"Portable" is something of a misnomer, IMO, it simply must be bolted to something substantial.

I couldn't agree more! After struggling with it by itself, I ended up simply using lag screws to bolt it down to an old barn stall door (my barn had been built originally for dairy cows and still had some stalls when I first moved in)! That seems to be enough, along with my own weight, to keep it in place.

 

[TR3driver]

Well, you've gotten further than I have. I bought one and succeeded in dismounting a couple dozen tires. But for whatever reason (even having tried lubricants and taking advice of those who have used it successfully), I can never get the last third of the bead over the rim when mounting tires. <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FF6600">Advice most gratefully accepted!</span> </span>

The only tip I have to offer is what I mentioned before, you have to keep pushing the bead down on the already-installed part of the tire, so it drops down into the well in the center of the wheel. When I get to the last couple of inches, I lift the bar up and over, so it acts like a pry bar to lift the last little bit of bead over the rim of the wheel (and hopefully free the bar).

 

[KVH]

Question:

Are Vredesteins, Coker Michelins, and other specialty tires made for tubes?

 

[martx-5]

I just got Vredesteins put on my new wire wheels by Hendrix Wire Wheel. Besides the Vredesteins, he also sells Kuhmos, Dulops and Firestones. He mounts all of them on wire wheels that need tubes. I would think that it's more like the tube is made for use in tubeless tires rather then having to use tires made for tubes. He also liberally sprinkles the insides of the tires with baby powder, which I'm sure has something to do with using any tire with a tube.

You might want to give Allen Hendrix a call about this, as he's supposedly the wire wheel guru.

But to answer your question, I don't think think any of the tire sizes we are likely to encounter for our cars are specifically made for use with tubes, unless maybe they are bias ply. But I wouldn't put bias ply tires on any car I own.

I'm sure that some of the really early style tires are still made the same way as when all tires had tubes.