Wal-Mart personnel were unable to install my new Rawhide Grip eight inch tires on my Motto seven inch rims. Just looking at the tire on the wheel suggests that a seven inch wheel is too wide for these tires. Am I going to have to look for five inch wheels for these tires? I have stock wheels but they consist of three rear wheels and only one front wheel. A rear wheel cannot be installed on the front hubs because the center hole is too small. Thanks, Samurai
That doesn't sound right. The tire is wider than the wheel. I have 8" wide tires on my 7" wide wheels. This is very common. Was that their explaination? -Greg
The tire is narrower than the wheel until expanded by air pressure. The side wall is so rigid that it cannot be stretched to reach the bead. Goodyear tire also tried and failed to mount the tire. Now it looks like I am going to have to buy, not merely another stock front wheel for the Nanco Super Lug tires, but also two more front wheels for the Rawhide Grip tires. I bought the truck partly because of the great looking wheels and tires, but now having bought six tires and despite having four extra stock wheels, I still cannot get a usable combination of four wheels and four tires for the truck. I am very disappointed by all of this but will soldier on. Can anyone suggest a five or six inch wide, 12 inch diameter wheel that would fit on the front of the Daihatsu Hijet? Thanks, Samurai
I see the problem. Do you have an ATV shop in your area? There are ways to overcome this issue. Its just because the tire is new. Did they use a strap around the tire to force the inner beads outward. There's also the old red-neck way using some ether and a match. -Greg
Like Greg said, the way I've done it is to simply put a strap around the circumference to get the beads to bulge out. Works like a charm. An ATV shop should have no problem as this is definitely a common combination.
Greg, one of the tire places suggested I try a local ATV store. I wonder whether, even if the tires could be installed, this would be a durable, reliable set-up. Is this a futile attempt to use the wrong size wheels? I don't know if either Wal-Mart or Goodyear tried a strap. They did what they could. thanks, Howard
The combination is just fine. If you have a local ATV shop take them there and ask them what they think. Tell them what the other shops have told you and see what they say. I watched the guy mount my tires and he had quite a hard time as well. -Greg
Greg, I just called a local ATV place and they said no dice. This is strike three. The fact is that a seven wide wheel is too wide for an eight inch tire, even though there may be someone in the country who could do the installation. I have no reason to believe that any tire shop in my town can do this. This may be a tire specific problem. Different eight inch wide tires or used tires which have loosened up might fit. I am going to have to find narrower wheels, perhaps some stock tires. But I cannot find even ONE stock wheel for the front of the Hijet, although there should be hundreds piling up as they are replaced with fancy wider rims. Can an eight inch wide tire be installed on the stock wheels, which seem to be about four inches? I don't care what the wheels look like if they will fit on the truck and accept the eight inch tires. Thanks, Samurai
Wow! I'm surprised they told you that. Not only do I have that combo on my truck but I have two Honda Rincons that have them on the front as well. I'm not sure what else to tell you. I don't think I would try mounting them to the OEM wheel. I'm not sure how common a 12" X 6" wheel is. -Greg
I can't say for sure on the tires that you are trying to put on. I have never had any of them. I know it is difficult to put a narrow tire on a wide wheel. We have done it here but we have never worked with that tire. On another note I have a lot of stock wheels here that I will sell you for $15.
Greg, I have noted the suggestion that a strap be used to bulge out the tire sides. Customers are not allowed to watch from inside shops and garages, so someone may have tried that today, I am not sure. Apparently you have more talented tire people where you are. Samurai
The only other thing I could suggest is using a few blocks of wood or some paint cans etc.. to force the beads outwards to get them acclimated then take them back to wally world for another try. Maybe its the style of the tires, who knows maybe thats why they had 11" wide ones to start with. Sorry about all the trouble you are having. -Greg
If you want something done right, . . . do it yourself I installed 25" X 8" X 12" tires on 12" x 6.5" rims myself with a ratchet strap and my trusty $89 Wal-Mart air compressor. I didn't have any problems to speak of. I can't imagine the extra 1/2" of rim width would make that much difference. I say if you've got access to a compressor, give it a try yourself. You might be surprised at how easy they are to mount. Just my $0.02 worth . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-LnkEUAImU The stretched tire look is somewhat popular among drifters and euro car types... try to find a local sport compact/import forum and ask about tire stretching. It's likely someone will offer their services or point you in the right direction. Heck, it would be a walk in the park to mount an ATV tire if you're accustomed to mounting low profiles. Colin
Greg, I have now seen the videos in which people use a ratchet strap to force the tire sidewalls out, and also the videos in which people ignite ether or some other aerosol to pop the sidewall out and seal the tire. Although it appears that the explosion technique is being used in some commercial garages, I don't think it is a conventional method employed at your local Goodyear retailer. But I see that eight inch tires CAN be mounted on seven inch rims using one of these two methods. The question now is how to get it done. I may buy a strap and try to do it myself at a service station, or buy a cheap air compressor. Samurai
Yeah, I don't know how far away you are from me but I would help you out if I could. You could have Wally World put the tire on the rim and take it down to a service station with an air compressor and a strap to get the job done. Just don't use the coin-op compressors, you'd be wasting your time. -Greg
Greg, I live in the West Meade/Hillwood neighborhood of west Nashville, not very close to you, but thanks for the offer--I am grateful for all your comments and suggestions. The tires are already on the rims, ready to be inflated and sealed. I think the way to go is to GET 'ER DONE--get those two tires mounted one way or the other on these seven inch wide wheels. Samurai
You need a tool called a chetta. It is a tank of compressed air with a large valve that relieses the compressed air very quickly. There is a nozel that directs the air into the tire very quickly.
I ordered a (Cheetah) bead seater last week. haven't used it yet but have seen it in use. wow what a breeze. no mess no fuss. I was taught by an old timer and used Murpheys tire soap and an inflatable ring on the outside to mount those difficult ones for years. I would get that waxy goop all over the place but, never had a tire i couldn't seat. we had a superintendant that wanted us to put some really "cool" tires on his cart and we messed with him a little and put wheel-barrow tires on it instead. That was probably the most challenging stretch we had. it had a 3" patch of tread stretched to a 8" rim. We resorted to copius amounts of starting fluid and throwing matches at it from across the room.
Actually, I didn't know you were that close. I know you are looking for a spare wheel. I just posted an ad in the parts section. It has the bolt pattern you are looking for 4/110 just not the same style. Its yours if you want it. -Greg
Greg, Thanks for mentioning this. What is the diameter of the center hole? I need to know this to determine whether the wheel will go on the front of my truck. I don't care about style if the wheel will go on the truck and hold the tire. Thanks, Sam
I have 8" wide tires on 7 inch wide wheels mounted on my mini right now and it was not a problem at all. This should be a non issue. I have had several ATV's and trucks with tires that were wider than the wheels and never had problem.
The problem is not that the tires are too wide, but that the wheels are too wide. Goodyear and Wal-Mart were unable to stretch the sidewalls so that the tire could be inflated. The sidewalls have to be pushed out to meet the wheel flanges. Samurai
SUCCESS! Today I took the wheels and tires to Petro 2, a nearby truck stop. I had previously called to make sure they had a Cheetah and were willing to attempt to mount my tires. It took two tries on each wheel, but Tommy was able to get the job done. I knew it could be done with the right equipment and skill but I had trouble locating these in Nashville. I am delighted to have this done and will probably remount the wheels this afternoon. Thanks to all for the excellent advice and information. Sam
Be sure to wear ear protection when using a "Cheetah"! Those things are LOUD! The best thing I found was a ratchet strap around the middle of the tread. It also helps to let the tires sit in the sun for a while to make them more pliable. Also, when tires sit in a stack for a while, the weight tends to "crush" the tires on the bottom of the stack. If you can, try to get tires from the top of the stack. Just my 2 cents from personal experience....
