I'm wondering if it is normal that tire change will cause the outer lip of the rim to be stratched. It happened to some of my friends. The tire stores claimed that it is unavoidable, and the stratch will be even worse on low-profile tires due to the stiffer sidewall..................

That makes me worries because I'm about to install some snow tires onto my 15" hollies, and I really don't want to see any stratches on my currently perfect rims. Also I'm thinking of getting some 16" rim for summer use, probably BBS or SSR. I definitely wouldn't want to see any damage on those expensive rims.

Therefore, anyone knows if rim damage caused by tire change can be totally avoided? Should a good garage guarentee the 'safely' of your rim during a tire change?

Thanks for your help

 

Yes........It has to do with them having the right equipment and knowing how to use it. Generally, the people that can do it right will charge more but if you go to Discount Tire or one of the bigger stores they should be able to help you out. Just make sure you tell them you do not want your wheels scratched. That way they'll have to put one of their experienced guys on it.

Stuart

 

If the tire store can't keep your wheels nice - GO SOMEWHERE THAT CAN! There is too much tire store competition out there for everyone to suck...um, right?

 

exactly :smile:

 

Thanks for the quick replies :smile: I'm located in Toronto, could anyone suggest a good shop?

I'm also considering bringing it back to the dealer. Do dealers usually do a good job, If so how much more do they charge?

 

i've installed some tires on my SSR wheels, can't seem to see any scratch on it. therefore i think its avoidable :D

 

Fully and unconditionally avoidable! If they do scratch it, they should replace at their cost. A friend had one of his $400 rims gouged on the inside (in a place not visible when mounted, but the wheel was brought in loose, so he saw the scratch) the tire store replaced the rim after threats of suit in small claims...so if they scratch it, they will pay-unless you sign a waiver of damage up front.

 

[QUOTE=andrew_py_ng]Thanks for the quick replies :smile: I'm located in Toronto, could anyone suggest a good shop?
QUOTE]

I would suggest going to the Tire Rack site. They recomend shops in your neighborhood. These shops may not be the least expensive places but they will have worked cars belonging to pickey owners (like me). If you go to a local auto show you may get other ideas as well.
Good Luck.
John

 

A better site link than the one above.

Installers from Tirerack

Alex

 

one of my aftermarket tires was first put on backwards and in a hurry the tire man pulled it off and put it on correctly. in the mean time he really scuffed up the rim. i mentioned this to the manager and he got me a new wheel.

thanks NTB

 

I've got the 5-star 16's on my MINI and had no problem the first time I needed new tires for the front. You do need to find a shop though that does runflats (like the new Corvettes) as it requires a specialized machine and more skill than a "normal" swap.

However, the same shop damaged my rim during a recent change resulting from a serious puncture. They were honourable though and immediately offered to replace the rim at their expense. Took a week to come in and everything ended well.

 

Tirerack can mount tires without any scratches on the wheels from my experience. :smile:

 

Unfortuately since I'm in Canada tirerack or tirerack authorized shops are not an option for me. I guess my best bet seems to be the mini dealer, at least they should have the special machine that handles runflats, therefore changing normal tires would be an easy task for them. And *hopefully* dealer implies quality service? :smile:

 

FWIW, I run a tire and auto repair facility, and yes it's possible to remove and install even the 30 series tires onto the most fragile wheels w/ no scuffing.
In fact we just mounted some 19" run flats onto some 19x10 SSR GT3 wheels w/ a reverse drop (in laymans terms, the wheel goes face down onto the tire machine ) I did them myself and had not one scratch or nick.

As a general rule, and in an effort to keep lawsuit-happy Californians off our case, I'll put a disclaimer on the work order to let guests know that we'll be as careful as possible w/ their wheels but, small scratches sometimes can't be avoided and that we will not be buying a wheel for a small scratch. Of course if we gouge it, we can get it rectified some way or another. We are fortunate enough to have a local wheel wizard w/ whom we have a great working relationship. He has repaired/buffed out some of our "oopses" over the years and saved us many $$$.

One last thing, and this isn't to sound high and mighty, but a lot of car "enthusiasts" are overly **** retentive and need to relax about their precious custom wheels. Yes, I know you spent two weeks worth of paychecks on them and you want those 35 series tires installed onto your freshly polished reverse drop wheels in a half hour because tires are all the same and they just plop right on the wheel, right? As advanced as today's cars have become, tires have advanced w/ them, as well as the wheels. So if you happen to get a little scratch, and it's only visible when you're using your toothbrush to clean between the mesh spokes, take it easy and don't hammer your tire guy about it. He could be the guy who marks down that next set of runflats or high dollar Z rated tires. Don't be the guy who goes looking for every little gnat bite on the lip of your wheel and then turn around and ask for a new one. That's BS. Most tire guys don't like having to see you get hot under the collar because they were as careful as possible and just happened to have a "human moment." I mean, keep in mind most "enthusiasts" don't work on their own cars, and if you take care of your tire guy, he'll probably take care of you, especially if you're a consistent customer.

Sorry to rant a bit there, but I had an interesting day.

Buenos noches

 

So what you're saying is there's no excuse for hacking up a wheel, and those that do don't deserve your business!

 

That's what I'm sayin':smile: You know what I've found is that it's not the guys w/ the low profile wheels that are overly picky, it's the clowns out there w/ the F150's and Ram pickups that are lifted to the sky and have 38" tires on them w/ $500 a piece forged alloys on them that want those super aggressive Swampers on their truck that'll never see an inch of off-road driving. These guys driving their "urban curb crawlers" tend to be the most particular about their wheels, way worse than the Porsche or Corvette guys, and us Mini guys too.