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      12-18-2012, 03:24 PM   #1
luv1M
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help installing tires - tire lifter?

Hello guys


Do any of you change your own tires and have a heck of a time lining up those heavy wheels? I do and am looking for some kind of holder (pallet) on wheels that can be jacked up and down.

Any ideas? My lower back will thank you for any help.


thanks again
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      12-18-2012, 04:12 PM   #2
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There is a "tool" (a 10cm long dowel)that screws into one of the wheel bolt holes - and it makes aligning up the wheel bolt holes.


Here in Germany... most tire shops will only charge you ~35 euros to mount your summer/winter tires. You can also leave your "other" tires at the tire shop for a small fee too! This might be your best option.

Knowing how expensive things are in CH, that 35 euro fee could be more like 135 euros. Still it might be worth it to your back.
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      12-19-2012, 01:41 PM   #3
luv1M
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Hello Dackel


Thanks for your reply...

I actually have those aluminum holders for the tires and use them. Even with those it's pretty tough for me to line things up, especially with my back tires which are really heavy.

I've had a bad experience leaving my wheels at the local dealer. I've got them back with scratches which I know I didn't do because they were right around the bolts.

regardless, the search continues.

best regards and thanks for helping.

luv1M
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      12-19-2012, 02:11 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luv1M View Post
I actually have those aluminum holders for the tires and use them. Even with those it's pretty tough for me to line things up, especially with my back tires which are really heavy.
Strange - shouldn't be a problem with that tool...

Have you considered doing a stud conversion?
Tire changing gets much easier with those.

You don't have to get the 75mm bullet-nosed ones that make the cars look like roman battle chariots. They make shorter ones:

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      12-19-2012, 02:11 PM   #5
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You might also consider wheel studs. They make swapping wheels much easier.

Neil
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      12-19-2012, 04:37 PM   #6
ayao
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Quote:
Originally Posted by int2str View Post
Strange - shouldn't be a problem with that tool...

Have you considered doing a stud conversion?
Tire changing gets much easier with those.

You don't have to get the 75mm bullet-nosed ones that make the cars look like roman battle chariots. They make shorter ones:

What length are these? Source? Apex was selling some but the minimum length was 75 mm and the Ben Hur look was exactly what I wanted to avoid.

EDIT: Found some additional shorter lengths (44 mm, 57 mm) at motorsporthardware(dot)com.

Last edited by ayao; 12-19-2012 at 08:00 PM..
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      12-19-2012, 07:36 PM   #7
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Am I doing something different from you guys? The wheels slide around the hub and hold themselves on?

With the rear wheels, since I have the parking brake up, I can rotate the wheel until the holes line up.

With the front wheels, it's a little trickier, since the wheel will spin freely. But I either try to hold the outside edge of the rotor and rotate that way, or I try to line up the wheel and then throw it on the hub, which again holds the wheel up...

What am I doing differently from you guys? I've heard many people complain about throwing on BMW wheels and obviously the tool exists... So I know you guys aren't crazy. I'm also not the most patient person in the world, so what gives?
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      12-19-2012, 08:04 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
Am I doing something different from you guys? The wheels slide around the hub and hold themselves on?

With the rear wheels, since I have the parking brake up, I can rotate the wheel until the holes line up.

With the front wheels, it's a little trickier, since the wheel will spin freely. But I either try to hold the outside edge of the rotor and rotate that way, or I try to line up the wheel and then throw it on the hub, which again holds the wheel up...

What am I doing differently from you guys? I've heard many people complain about throwing on BMW wheels and obviously the tool exists... So I know you guys aren't crazy. I'm also not the most patient person in the world, so what gives?
Your description matches my experience as well (although on the front I sometimes have to hold the wheel on while threading a lug bolt because the hub doesn't reliably hold the wheel up.)

Having protruding wheel studs probably makes it a little easier for those who frequently swap wheels.
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      12-20-2012, 05:30 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj-
Am I doing something different from you guys? The wheels slide around the hub and hold themselves on?

With the rear wheels, since I have the parking brake up, I can rotate the wheel until the holes line up.

With the front wheels, it's a little trickier, since the wheel will spin freely. But I either try to hold the outside edge of the rotor and rotate that way, or I try to line up the wheel and then throw it on the hub, which again holds the wheel up...

What am I doing differently from you guys? I've heard many people complain about throwing on BMW wheels and obviously the tool exists... So I know you guys aren't crazy. I'm also not the most patient person in the world, so what gives?
Agree 100 percent. I do exactly the same. Most likely you are sitting and mounting the wheel rather than squatting and trying to do it. Makes a huge difference for me to give it up and just sit down.
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      12-20-2012, 12:59 PM   #10
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Hello Guys

can you tell me what wheel studs do exactly? Is there any risk for saftely / reliability when making this change? I do like the way it looks and don't mind as long as life changing wheels becomes easier.


thanks
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      12-20-2012, 01:12 PM   #11
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first couple of times I used to do what you guys are trying to do... but then it clicked I got a bit of a plastic pen I put in the bolt hole on the hub to align it properly with the wheel, sort of similar to directing stud....oh, and I also take out the BMW logo piece to put it on the hub from the first try... hope it helps.
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      12-20-2012, 01:14 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post
There is a "tool" (a 10cm long dowel)that screws into one of the wheel bolt holes - and it makes aligning up the wheel bolt holes.
A US source for the wheel hangers is ReverseLogic, which advertises occasionally on bimmerpost:

http://www.reverselogic.us/ReverseLo...lt_Guides.html
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      12-21-2012, 08:09 PM   #13
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I swap wheels for autocrossing. So I arrive at an event, swap to the Hoosier A6s, run the event, and then back to streets (yes, I swap twice a day and I ran about 15 events last year). Here's the drill down.

I get some knee pads (Home Depot/Lowes, flooring department, gel padding is best).

I use a good floor jack and jack at the lifting pad at the rear wheels and lift the whole side of the car up. It means I jack the car twice to change all four wheels. I could probably jack from the front, too.

I have a Snap-On 18v ½" drive battery powered impact gun. It gets the bolts off very quickly. I still use the OEM hub-centric setup. Yes, I center the rears since they are locked with the E-brake. The fronts I'm pretty good at lifting them on to the rotors and lining them up. I can usually do all four swaps in about 10 minutes (faster is it's raining). I use to hand thread the bolts to start, but as I became more used to it, I'm good at dropping the bolt on the socket and slow spinning them on. Once I know they are going in straight, I crank up the impact gun and it centers the whell all around.

The Snap-On unit throws plenty of torque, it is very rare that I under torque. I double check after I get the street tires and wheels back on.

Yes, mounting the bolts on the rotors and nuts would be a click easier. But I'm to lazy/cheap to do the swap over.
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      12-22-2012, 09:33 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mattm View Post
Yes, mounting the bolts on the rotors and nuts would be a click easier. But I'm to lazy/cheap to do the swap over.
Once you do it, you'll never look back.

Neil
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      12-22-2012, 09:55 AM   #15
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I have struggled to swap summer/winter sets on my wife's Mercedes GL450 (20" wheels with gigantic run flat tires) and have found a technique that works for me. I adjust the jack so that the hub is no more than 1cm higher than needed to minimize lifting but allow some room to maneuver. I put a wheel bolt in 1 hole that will be at the top and position the wheel in the hub centric ring. I use my knee to brace the bottom of the wheel so that it won't sway outward, which it tries to do. I can then turn the wheel slightly until the wheel bolt drops into the hub. I will then turn it all the way in hand tight. The rest line up easily after that. Without proper sized hub centric ring, it would be impossible. I have only had one wheel off the 1M and it worked well, much lighter wheels. If you have sometime with nowhere to go, experiment with it.

If you don't overjack the car higher than needed, it should be more finesse than brute strength that is required. I am not an athlete by anyone's standards and manage the huge GL wheels pretty well now that I have figured out the mechanics of it. The first time was a comedy, though. I didn't think I would ever get them on!
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      12-22-2012, 07:42 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post
There is a "tool" (a 10cm long dowel)that screws into one of the wheel bolt holes - and it makes aligning up the wheel bolt holes.


Here in Germany... most tire shops will only charge you ~35 euros to mount your summer/winter tires. You can also leave your "other" tires at the tire shop for a small fee too! This might be your best option.

Knowing how expensive things are in CH, that 35 euro fee could be more like 135 euros. Still it might be worth it to your back.
Have a nice VW dealer in Chicago that does all of my cars for $20 each! (I used to check their torque, but has always been spot on.) They even do a nice job of cleaning up the hubs and putting on anti-seize...
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