How to Manually Put a Car Tire on the Rim

Tires must be placed on the wheel rim.

When a car tire is punctured or needs to be replaced, it must be installed on the car wheel rim. This process involves some manual labor and often takes some strength to complete. This is because the tire must be pulled over the lip of the rim, and it is designed to fit on the rim with an airtight seal. Normally, this task is performed by a hydraulic machine. However if you need to do this manually, there are ways to go about it.

Things You'll Need

• Two tire irons
• Lubrication

Instructions

1. Lay the tire rim on the ground or a working surface with the inside part of the rim facing you. Apply a lubricant like WD-40 to the edge of the rim.

2. Place the tire on top of the tire rim so the rim is set in the middle of the tire. Push the tire onto the rim until the side wall slides over the top edge of the rim.

3. Slide a tire iron head under the tire wall and over the the lip of wheel rim.

4. Push the tire iron forward until the edge of the tire slides over and under the edge of the wheel rim. Hold the tire iron in place with one hand.

5. Place another tire iron a few inches from the first tire iron. Push this under the tire rubber and over the edge of the wheel rim as you did in step three. Push this tire iron forward until the tire wall slides behind the lip of the wheel rim as you did in step four.

6. Continue to repeat Steps 3 to 5 working around the wheel rim until the entire tire wall is behind the lip of the wheel rim. Then inflate the tire to the proper PSI using an electric air pump or air compressor.

References

• Ekartingnews: About Tires and Rims