Changing wheels by yourself?

[toadcat]

Hi
Need to put new wheels on my car - is there any danger in doing this with just a tyre iron? Thanks.

[541NTT]

as long as its jacked up no..

[toadcat]

My mother for some reason is convinced that mechanics are superhumans or something and that if I do it myself and save $100 they will fly off and kill me.

[Jimmy S]

LOL... just make sure you tighten all the wheel nuts properly, and you will probably have done a far better job than most tire shops would have!

[toadcat]

Haha probably.. She is completely horrified that I would even think of doing such a thing. She doesn't seem to grasp the fact that there are spare wheels in cars as well as a jack and tyre iron FOR A REASON.

She is the kind of person that gets sucked into everything - and yes she did actually pay the $600 odd for 'paint protection' when she got her car..

[smythie]

dead simple to change the tyres. The OEM jack is a fair bit of work though if you're doing all 4 wheels. I need to look for something a little easier to use

[smythie]

Oh, a couple of other things.

Don't be tempted to stand on the OEM tyre iron. Always the chance that the thing will slip off the wheel nut.

Unless you are putting the car up on a stand, one of the biggest dangers is the car rolling off the jack.
Do the job on a level hard surface. Loosen the nuts (just crack them loose - don't loosen them right off) before you lift the tyre off the deck. When putting the wheels back on, don't tighten the nuts back up, do them up a bit past finger tight then lower the car back down off the jack before tightening the nuts fully.

If you are worried about them not being fully tight enough, do a run around the block (couple of minutes is enough) and check they're tight again. CHeck them the next day and you should be fine until you need/want to take the wheels off again

Hope that helps

[Fangin_RX]

Us Tyre fitters arent that bad at our jobs, We get it done 10x faster

[Sentinel]

:shock: Us Tyre fitters arent that bad at our jobs, We get it done 10x faster

Gotta love the rattle guns!!

[smythie]

and how inconsistent they can be.

I have experienced cases where I had to manually tighten wheel nuts after "professionals" tightened them with rattle guns. I have also had cases where I needed a 6 foot long pipe to get the buggers undone. Both are bloody dangerous.

Then there was this guy at a tyre shop on the corner of Coppins and Swan St's in Richmond back in Feb I saw tightening the wheel nuts on a merc with a torque wrench. Good to see there are some intelligent shops out there

[Sentinel]

Then there was this guy at a tyre shop on the corner of Coppins and Swan St's in Richmond back in Feb I saw tightening the wheel nuts on a merc with a torque wrench. Good to see there are some intelligent shops out there

That's just around the corner from my office! They were changing a Porsche 911 Cab today...

Rattle is quick, not good - I agree!

[smythie]

I was waiting for a tram that day. Had been down at 35 Rooney St

[Fangin_RX]

Some people go ballistic with the rattle guns, Our store we hand wind them in, Then a few shorts bursts (Depending on how many nuts there are) and to make sure they are on decently 2 seconds on each nut. I saw a few people holding it down till the rattle gun broke pretty much

[jdm rsk]

Hi
Need to put new wheels on my car - is there any danger in doing this with just a tyre iron? Thanks.

go and buy yourself a trolley jack and a set of stands, it will make it easier. you will be able to do 2 wheels at a time and your own oil changes

[loweart]

I have experienced cases where I had to manually tighten wheel nuts after "professionals" tightened them with rattle guns. I have also had cases where I needed a 6 foot long pipe to get the buggers undone. Both are bloody dangerous.

+1