buckled wheel/tyres

[Toby]

Hi all, whilst on the IoW we had a wheel stud snap, same rear wheel that had the loose wheel problem before. Although the 2 studs stayed done up numerous people told us we had a buckled wheel. I ignored them a) because I could do little about it without going near the remaining studs b) I assumed it was a bit of flex from the missing stud. Once we were back i checked the wheel and it is indeed out of true and this may have caused the stud failure (I changed the hub after the loose wheel/oil leak into drum using best hub I have and new bearing). I have to do around 170 miles to Woodcote rally and back next weekend and rather than get the tyre swapped to another wheel I'm going to swap a pair of wheels from the saloon temporarily. They are 450s and the tourers are 400s-can this be done as long as sizes on the same axle match? secondly the buckled wheel is a rebuilt one with new rim-could a tyre changing machine have buckled it? they did chip the paint! (this is why I don't want to get the tyre swapped at present) Incidentally due to clearance I'll go for 400s on the rear and 450s on the front!

[Toby]

whilst stripping hub have found drum screws were undoing which made the wheel look worse! Lesson learnt for future. Wheel appears to be about 1/8 -3/16 out of true, better than my bicycle but is this acceptable on a vehicle?

[Ian Grace]

450's on the front are not the best idea - they would put additional load on the steering...

[Ronald]

Toby, the easy way to ensure the drum screws don;t come undone.................. is not fit them!!

I don;t think personally that 11/8 to 3/16 is that bad on a 19inch spoked wheel.....

And i would also personally never use a tyre fitting place, i've always fitted tyres with dad and on my own....... you just have to be careful with the rims.....

[Toby]

Ah good! Thanks Ronald. I struggled with the last tyre I tried to do but it was a very old tyre that I needed to make up four spares in case the 4 seater tyres wouldn't inflate when we dragged him out. Also I couldn't get my fingers in to line up the valve with hole in rim! Will try again with my next new tyres that should be a bit more flexible. I've done the screws up with an impact driver and, after reading Ians post above, it may be an idea to fit the front wheels with the Excelsior 400 flat treads to the rear and the rounded triple stud type 400 Dunlops to the front (currently on rear) to give lighter steering. Found the remaining 2 studs were also loose in the hub so studlocked them in and repunched the inside of the hub. Don't know why this has been such a problem, must be the power and speed of PJ!

[Mike Stubbings]

Hi All, For the first time in 50 odd years of motoring I had the five new tyres on my 29Cowley put on by a tyre firm, no names mentioned. The wheels had been shotblast and stoved beautifully.They are artillery wheels. On collection I examined them and they all had a number of large chips on the inside of the rims in almost the same position on each wheel. When I mentioned this they said they must have been like it when I took them in. When I asked to see how they put the tyres on they showed me the machine and I pointed out how the damage had been done. The chap who did it said you cannot possibly fit a car tyre by hand, I offered to show him but he did not take up the offer. He rang his guvnor who appologised and offered me a very good discount on the tyres which I accepted. This was not one of your everyday tyre firms but one who mainly does vintage. In future I shall fit them myself with the old trick of a drop of washing up liquid around the wired edge and a warm tyre. Be warned. Mike.

[prharris25]

I had a similar experience back in the sixties when I took a newly painted (Humbrol Enamel !) wheel from the Minor to have a tyre fitted. Ever since, I've always fitted them myself by using the Dunlop levers as found in my 10/4 tool kit....but always placing a piece of rag between lever and rim. Not perfect I know, but as I have never sent wheels for blasting or stoving probably my hand painted jobs are not so resilient to damage as stove enamel would be. Swarfega also very good for easing tyre over rim.

Paul.

[Toby]

We're straying from the subject but I had a bike tyre put on a BSA wheel and they damaged the splines on the qd hub here it was put in a vice. Brand new hub but they said it wasn't them! Will take a masterclass in tyre fitting from the minor handbook, which I used to think was quaint in these modern times, might even make some sort of stand to mount a wheel on, one day!....

[Ronald]

Tyre soap or really soapy water is better thahn washing upo liquid.... as the detergent can 'age' the rubber rapidly.... apparently!

[Ian Grace]

And they age your hands too, which is why I never do the washing up.

[ian judd]

I recently had a couple of tyres fitted to rebuilt wheels. I went into the pros and cons of getting them fitted or doing it myself, and after a lot of advice choose the easy way. Modern tyre fitters should have nylon covers to fit on the clamps that hold the wheel because expensive alloy wheels are easily marked. Make sure they have them on before you let them near your wheel. The metal part that tweaks the tyre in can be adjusted so that it doesn't touch the rim. The best thing to do is to stand over them while they do the job - it takes two people, one to get the valve in, and one to get his fingers trapped.

The place I went did a great job in under half an hour. I don't think I would now do my own fitting except in an emergency.

Ian

[Toby]

Thanks all, the one thing i did know was not to use washing up liquid. This goes back many years to when a dodgy character in a builders merchant was asked if he wanted any proprietary lubricant for the rubber ring sealed fittings he was buying. No, got some mate, he said. The server then said well don't use washing up liquid. I wouldn't do that, came the reply. It'll rot the seals before the inspector can put a test on it, said the server. The chap left with a tub of lubricant!!! In fact this would probably do instead of tyre soap! I think I'll try doing it myself next time I have a new pair of tyres and then once my fingers are bleeding and I've a bruise over my eye from the flying tyre lever I'll revert to professional fitters