Anybody change there own tyres ?

[justdan]

As above ? , iv been looking at these manual tyre changing machine and they look pritty handy ! I'm a skinflint and hate paying for something I could do my self , so anybody got 1 , used 1 ???? Etc
Thoughts ?

[Drift]

I have used tyre irons, bloody hard work

[rseaville]

Bottle jack under front cross member to break the bead and tyre irons to get them off. Very possible but there is a nack to it.
Part worn tyre fitters around here charge £5 and balance them as well so not worth sweating over really.

[Wilberforce]

How often do you change tyres then?
Unless it's lots then I'd be another for just getting them done and balanced at a 2nd hand tyre place.

Cost me £20 just before the Annual to have all 5 of my BFGs bead broken then the rim cleaned and the tyres put back on and balanced. Alright they probably had the lot done inside 15 minutes but it would've taken me longer and they'd not have been balanced. Plus they had no issue with me leaving the car for an hour or so while I went shopping.

[justdan]

Between me the wife's motor and father in laws I would say there is a new tyre going on 1 of them every month ( wife does 35k a year )
So a reckon the £50-60 fora manual changer wouldn't be a bad investment lol Dnt mind a little hard work to save a quid or2 lol
£10 a change around me !!!!!!!!!

[Big Dav]

Ideally you should try and get a device that has the bead-breaker foot and a table that clamps the wheel down while you pull the tyre off with the bar.

Have you got a pic of what you've been considering?

[Drift]

Also remember you need a half decent compressor to pp the tyre back onto the rim, that said I have used a portable halfords car tyre compressor and that worked fine just a bit slower.
I not use a Tmaxx portable compressor for the car but now take my tyres to work to change them

[justdan]

http://bit.ly/11ddpBR
This is the bad boy , bead breaker at the foot of it ! Needs bolting down but the fine iv a concrete shed floor . ..... Iv a pritty good compressor already so again jobs a goodn lol

[Retro Pedro]

As the guys are indicating, relative to what you can get them done for by somebody who as got the gear - at £5 a corner I definately wouldn't bother myself. Times I've had mine done it was £16+VAT per corner or £10 beer tokens per corner by somebody doing them privately (done by a mainstream tyre company employer who was able to take the mobile van home for emergency call outs).
Since then I bought one of them DIY manual things and quite honestly it's a waste of money. I've since changed my own on the truck using 3x24" tyre levers and probably the only time I use my high lift farmers jack. I put a piece of shaped wood on the tyre so as not to damage it, use the tow bar of the truck as an anchor point and push the bead off using the jack.
From there scrap the crap from the inner wheel rims, coat the rims with the black tyre sealant. Give the tyre rim a coat of tyre soap stuff to soften the rubber and lever the replacement tyre back on using all 3 levers. I allways put a new valve in just for safety sake. When your putting the tyres back on you have to make sure the opposite tyre rim is right in the centre of the wheel to give you maximum levering on the rim your fitting. I remember an old post on here when somebody was having a pop at I believe Camskill because of a damaged tyre rim. Having done the DIY tyre change, I reckon Camskill were in the clear and it was the fitter that damaged the tyre because he didn't get the opposite rim bang centre of the wheel.
Going back to your scenerio, if alloy wheels are part of the equation, chances are you would be better advised to get some of the plastic rim protectors to save the soft alloy when being levered against. Plus the other downer is getting the wheels balanced after the refit.
Conclusion for my money, I wouldn't bother. Better trying to find somebody that will do the fitting and balancing for £10 or less per corner.