• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Bead sealing HELP!


KayLynn

New Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2022
Messages
12
Reaction score
5
Points
3
Location
Iowa
Vehicle Year
2001
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Tire Size
245/75R16
I just bought 4 tires (245/75/16) trying to put a tire on rim (rim is 16) and I can't get the bead to seal. When I go to put air in it about an inch or 2 a long the tire doesn't touch the rim. I've tried tightening a strap around tire, hammering the tire, attempted fire, but not sure put enough for flammable shit on it cause it sure didn't help seal it up.
 


alwaysFlOoReD

Forum Staff Member
TRS Forum Moderator
TRS Banner 2012-2015
TRS 20th Anniversary
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Messages
13,872
Reaction score
5,031
Points
113
Location
Calgary, Canada
Vehicle Year
'91, '80, '06
Make / Model
Ford, GMC,Dodge
Engine Size
4.0,4.0,5.7
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Make sure the valve is out. And that you have lots of air volume. I usually coat the rim with sealer too. Cant remember the name but it's like liquified tire that dries quickly.
 

fastpakr

Forum Staff Member
TRS Event Staff
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
Article Contributor
U.S. Military - Veteran
V8 Engine Swap
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
7,991
Reaction score
2,794
Points
113
Location
Roanoke, VA
Vehicle Year
1999
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.0
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Tire Size
285/75-16
Lots and lots of air.
 

Shran

Junk Collector
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
Article Contributor
V8 Engine Swap
Solid Axle Swap
Joined
Mar 4, 2008
Messages
8,637
Reaction score
4,704
Points
113
Location
Rapid City SD
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.0
Flip it so that the back of the wheel is facing you and hold the tire/wheel at an angle while using your foot to push the wheel into the tire...basically you want to work your way around and end up with the back side bead seated most of the way or all the way. Once you have that done, turn it around and use your foot to push the front of the wheel backwards towards the front bead while you put air into the valve stem... if you get it just right, it'll catch and start airing up.

I am sure it goes without saying but you need to be incredibly careful while airing up the tire. Hands AWAY from the bead, 9 times out of 10 they will seat very quickly and violently... great way to lose a finger.

If you have not mounted tires before, consider yourself warned, it is very dangerous if done incorrectly.
 

superj

Well-Known Member
U.S. Military - Veteran
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
3,031
Reaction score
2,503
Points
113
Location
corpus christi, texas
Vehicle Year
2004
Make / Model
ranger edge
Engine Type
3.0 V6
Engine Size
3 liters of tire smoking power
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Total Lift
none
Total Drop
none
Tire Size
235s
My credo
Grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s
You need to make sure that strap is dead center and tighten some more. Than when airing it up try wracking that yread area with a mallet or something like that.

I have two more to out on and am not particularly interested in doing it. I need one of those manual tire machines and a bubble balancer. That would fix me up for tire machines
 

lowspeedpursuit

Active Member
Joined
May 6, 2022
Messages
203
Reaction score
150
Points
43
Location
DE
Vehicle Year
1994
Make / Model
B2300
Engine Type
2.3 (4 Cylinder)
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Second what Shran said. I always used to use just a ratchet strap for swapping old tires around, but new truck tires are so stiff, that doesn't do shit; it just deforms instead of sealing.

I still throw a ratchet strap on there, but if that's not enough, I start by laying the wheel face-up on my 5-gallon bucket of gear oil, so the bucket fits in the concavity. Then I hop up, hold on to something, and jump around on the tire until I manage to seat the inside bead in at least one place.

Then I lean the tire up diagonally against the bucket, still face-out, with the bit where the bead seated pointing up or down. Push against the wheel with one foot to make the seal, keep your hands well clear, and air up as fast as you can. If you're not already doing it, pull the stem and use a blower rather than a tire chuck.

If it still won't seat doing it like that, you just need a bigger compressor. My current pancake is big enough, but my old one wasn't.
 

Uncle Gump

Token Old Guy
TRS Event Staff
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
13,710
Reaction score
13,166
Points
113
Location
Ottawa IL
Vehicle Year
2006/1986
Make / Model
Ranger/BroncoII
Engine Size
4.0L SOHC/2.9L
2WD / 4WD
4WD
My credo
Lead follow or get out of my way
You trying to put it on an aftermarket 8 inch wide wheel? Using a pancake compressor? It also helps to lube the beads well... soapy water helps.

That tire should pop right on a 7 inch wide wheel no problem.
 

Shran

Junk Collector
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
Article Contributor
V8 Engine Swap
Solid Axle Swap
Joined
Mar 4, 2008
Messages
8,637
Reaction score
4,704
Points
113
Location
Rapid City SD
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.0
Another little trick is to pull the valve core and stab a 1/4" quick connect air hose fitting onto it right from your compressor... rather than using the normal air chuck. This only works with medium and long length valve stems but you get a shit load more air volume that way than you do with the valve core in the way.

The manual bead breaker machines IMO are totally useless for anything bigger than a motorcycle tire. Cars/trucks, forget it. I put the tire under my front bumper flat on the ground and use a high lift jack to jack up on the bumper and break the bead that way... even that method doesn't work all the time.
 

Jazzer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2018
Messages
579
Reaction score
443
Points
63
Location
Indianapolis
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Ranger
Engine Type
2.3 (4 Cylinder)
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
I do what Shran and lowspeedpursuit do, set the back bead first. Then I turn it over on two short pieces of 2x4 so the rim can be pushed down with my foot, to seal the front bead while hitting it with the air.

-Jazzer
 

dvdswan

Well-Known Member
U.S. Military - Veteran
Joined
Feb 11, 2021
Messages
2,832
Reaction score
2,900
Points
113
Location
Seattle, WA
Vehicle Year
1991
Make / Model
Ranger XLT 2WD
Engine Type
3.0 V6
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
My credo
Keep your mind like an umbrella, it only works if its open... Continually learning.

don4331

Well-Known Member
V8 Engine Swap
Joined
Sep 6, 2013
Messages
2,007
Reaction score
1,329
Points
113
Location
Calgary, AB
Vehicle Year
1999
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.3
Transmission
Automatic
Does OP need to start 1 step back: Before trying to install the tire, make sure the rim is nice and smooth. No rust/aluminium corrosion, no flaking chrome, dirt, etc. Carefully smoothing down any roughness with fine sandpaper/buffing wheel goes a long ways to easy seating. And prevent rim leaks later.

I stealing the dish soap from kitchen sink before I install - a little soapy water, the valve core out initially and I've not had any issues.
When the kids were younger they got big thrill out of the pop when the tire seated; they've had health respect for the force involved every since.​
 

don4331

Well-Known Member
V8 Engine Swap
Joined
Sep 6, 2013
Messages
2,007
Reaction score
1,329
Points
113
Location
Calgary, AB
Vehicle Year
1999
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.3
Transmission
Automatic
I am sure it goes without saying but you need to be incredibly careful while airing up the tire. Hands AWAY from the bead, 9 times out of 10 they will seat very quickly and violently... great way to lose a finger.

If you have not mounted tires before, consider yourself warned, it is very dangerous if done incorrectly.
You haven't seen dangerous until you've worked with split rim wheels. Wrapping wheel with logging chain, clipping the air line to the valve and then standing back as air pressure is applied.
 

Shran

Junk Collector
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
Article Contributor
V8 Engine Swap
Solid Axle Swap
Joined
Mar 4, 2008
Messages
8,637
Reaction score
4,704
Points
113
Location
Rapid City SD
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.0
You haven't seen dangerous until you've worked with split rim wheels. Wrapping wheel with logging chain, clipping the air line to the valve and then standing back as air pressure is applied.
Yep... guy at a tire shop in my hometown died while mounting a tire on one of those. The force of it coming apart bounced him off the ceiling in the building... bad deal.

Couple years ago a guy got hurt real bad at the shop down the road from me when a rusty tractor wheel broke in half while he was airing it up. I started being more careful with rusty wheels after hearing about that!
 

Deiimos

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2021
Messages
33
Reaction score
18
Points
8
Location
Ohio
Vehicle Year
2001
Make / Model
Ford Ranger XLT
Engine Type
3.0 V6
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Yeah I do it basically like posted above on tires that are being difficult. Get the bead on one side seated as tight as you can, get a couple 4"x4" blocks under the tire so you can push the wheel down in the middle, flip it over, then while pumping a lot of air in with the valve core removed, push down to get the bead to touch on the other side. Can take a little fidgeting to not get the rear bead to pop back off before the front catches, but can usually get it. unless your trying to stretch a tire on to some super wide rim. I never had much luck with the ratchet straps. I've done a few dozen tires or more like this over the years.

I use a tire inflator that screws on to the valve stem so I don't have to push on it while trying to move the wheel around. And I've used smallish 4-8 gallon compressors, but you need to work fast the initial blast of air, and if you don't get it, let the compressor fill back up. Try to get the tire bead as close to touching the wheel as possible before you turn on the air, if using a small compressor.

On another note, a few years ago I was helping a neighbor put air back into a tire on their SUV that came off the rim on the front bead, did it on the car so you have to jack it up and work the tire around a bit (we were both grabbing it and pulling forward). The bead had just caught but the guy clearly didn't know about doing tire work, and started touching around the bead. He moved his finger, then instantly after the loud pop as the bead seated, he jerked his hand away real fast then. Happened before I could say not to do that, but he was lucky. Keep your fingers out of the bead area!
 

4x4prepper

Active Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
507
Reaction score
215
Points
43
Location
Atlanta
Vehicle Year
1985
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
I use real bead lube, I keep the valve stem core in, and hit it with my Bead Blaster. Usually seals fine the first time, as long as the back bead is properly seated, except with 16.5 tires. I usually start at 80 psi and work up to 120 psi if I have to. I can not vouch for this one, but, it looks fine, and better then spending the $250 for the more expensive ones.

Ironton 5-Gallon Tire Bead Seater — 90 to 120 PSI

I have literally mounted so many tires tires at dealerships, especially during the Firestone ATX recall, I can't even guesstimate it. I have done all the tricks listed here, and then some. But, I would NOT do the exploding gas routine to seat a bead, it is very easy to destroy a good tire or hurt yourself. Especially if you combine it with a strap. There are many reasons why they warn not to exceed 40 psi when seating a bead. Sort of like welding a wheel with the tire still on.

Just so much easier to mount a tire with a bead blaster.

I made my own one of these from white silicon bead (house) weatherstripping:

Ame International Passenger Tire Air Bead Seater — 14in. to 15in., Model# 21010

One thing that worked with mounting the 16.5" Interco SSR tires was leaving them out in the hot GA sun for a few hours, it made them just pliable enough to seat when all the other tricks I had tried failed.
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Today's birthdays

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Latest posts

Truck of The Month


Kirby N.
March Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Top