Shoutout to the guy who showed me the right way to seat a bead

I was putting a new tire on a Ford Ranger rim yesterday and kept fighting the bead. I was using a regular air chuck, sweating and cussing for twenty minutes. An older mechanic from the next bay walked over, grabbed my starter fluid can, gave a tiny spray near the bead, and lit it with his lighter. The tire popped right on. I had always been told that method was unsafe and never tried it. What's your go-to trick for stubborn beads that doesn't involve a cheetah?

3 comments

3 Comments

simon7171mo agoMost Upvoted

Know that exact struggle, man. Watched my dad do the starter fluid trick for years on tractor tires and it always felt like a magic show. My own cheap method is a ratchet strap around the tire's center to squeeze the bead out towards the rim. Works most times without any fire or fancy tools. That pop when it finally seats is the best sound.

kim96325d ago

That pop really is something else man, like a tiny victory every time. So @vera308 and I were wondering about this - do you have to worry about the strap slipping off or damaging the sidewall at all? I've seen guys wrap old inner tube pieces around the rim edge to protect it but that seems like extra hassle for something that's supposed to be the simple cheap trick.

vera3081mo ago

Love how @simon717's ratchet strap trick shows real ingenuity always beats buying more stuff.