How do you change car tyres at home? You can probably imagine that it won’t be easy to remove the tyre from the rim without a tyre changer or a wheel balancing machine. If so, changing the complete wheel is the best solution.

By Published On: 2 June 2021Categories: Dealers and fitting910 words4.6 min read
Changing tyres at home: remove the tyre from the rim or keep complete wheels, choose your solution
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Are you a DIY person? Have you a basic understanding of mechanics? If you are tempted to change your tyres yourself to avoid going to the garage and save money on mounting tyres on their rim, then here are the steps to follow to fit your tyres at home.

Changing tyres: precautions to be taken

Many people buy tyres online due to their attractive price. To save more money, it is also tempting to change tyres yourself. But when you try to remove tyres from their rim or change wheels, you are venturing into the car mechanics field.

Despite these common practices, rezulteo advises you to ask a professional to fit your new tyres.

However, if you have a good understanding of mechanics or if you are a DIY buff, fitting tyres at home may be within your reach.

To change tyres yourself, special tools, which are not necessarily easy to find, can be very useful: a tyre changing machine, and a wheel balancer. The most difficult thing you will have to do is remove the tyre from the rim.

Also, the cost of a tyre fitting service is not excessive. For tyres bought online, another alternative is to have a professional fit your tyres at home, if you do not want to go to a car centre or a garage.

Tyres changed by specialists will guarantee you more safety.

Change your wheels completely or remove tyres from their rims?

If you hesitate, opt to change the complete wheels. If you want to fit your tyres yourself, this is the easiest solution, providing that you have room to store tyres on a rim, since you must be thinking about seasonal changes between summer and winter tyres.

Expert’s advice: the first time, visit a professional to align and balance your wheels. Then, with peace of mind, you can change or rotate them regularly. You will need a jack and a wrench or a wheel brace. This will then save a trip to the garage throughout your tyres’ lifecycle.

The other solution to change tyres is to separate the tyre from its rim. This option is for you if you want to fit your new tyres, from start to finish. It will just require more practice and more mechanical know-how.

How to change a tyre on a wheel rim: 6 steps

  1. Removing tyres from the rims:First of all, you must remove the 4 wheels from your car after lifting it with a jack. When changing your tyres, systematically replace the valve and balancing weight.To remove the tyre from the rim, first lubricate the edges of the rim and the beads. Now deflate the tyre. The tyre can then be separated from the rim using a tyre lever spoon or any other type of lever that will not damage the rim.Expert’s advice: You can opt for 8 rims: 4 winter tyres and 4 summer tyres for easy fitting without having to remove the tyres from the wheels which is a particularly difficult step.
  2. How to fit a car tyre in the right direction?
    Fitting tyres must be prepared, so that you don’t have to start again which requires a lot of energy: don’t forget to read the sidewall of your tyres to identify on which axle the tyre should be fitted. Don’t forget that some tyres, such as asymmetric and directional tyres, have a rotation direction! Make sure that the tyre sizes are suitable for your car and that their wear still complies with standards! rezulteo also recommends changing all 4 tyres at the same time, for more safety and comfort.
  3. How to balance tyres yourself?
    Within a few grams, tyres do not have the same weight. Balancing consists in placing weights on each tyre so that they have exactly the same weight. This step is essential for driving safely. It prevents vibrations that can damage shock absorbers, reduce tyre longevity or quite simply make driving very unpleasant. The counterweight placed on each rim completes the balancing of the four wheels.To balance wheels, it is strongly recommended to visit a professional who has accurate machines allowing them to know exactly where to place counterweights.
  4. Tyre fitting check
    When you have finished changing your tyres, you must have your wheels checked. Each tyre must be checked to ensure that:
    • it is mounted with the right direction of rotation
    • it is equipped with a valve cap
    • the wheel bolts are correctly tightened
  5. Tyre alignment
    Tyre alignment, also known as tracking, ensures that wheels are placed in the right axis allowing them to roll more easily. Misaligned wheels can result in premature tyre wear and increased fuel consumption. Tyre alignment also requires professional tools.
  6. Tyre pressure
    Once your car is fitted with new tyres and the wheels have been checked, you can now inflate your tyres. Adjust the tyre pressure as per the car manufacturer’s recommendations.

Changing your tyres: trust the professionals

To finish fitting tyres at home, here are a few last tips:

  • make sure that the tyres that are not fitted are properly stored while waiting for the next season
  • check the state of wear and tyre pressures regularly

Unless you are perfectly at ease as a car mechanic, rezulteo recommends you trust specialists to change your tyres.

Beyond the sheer pleasure of maintaining your vehicle yourself for financial reasons, you must think in terms of safety and regulations. And, you can also save money when you buy your tyres.

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