Around this time of year, love is in the air – can you feel it? While some may have someone, others must resort to swiping left or right on random people with lofty expectations. I mean, how am I supposed to be good-looking, funny, nice, and smart? Pick one, people!
Customer expectations are evolving, too. Due to larger wheel sizes and lower profile tires – customers may buy tires with rim guards to protect their investment.
In this Tire Review Continental Tire Garage Studio video, we give you tips on how to service tires equipped with rim guards.
A rim guard is an extra section of rubber added to the outside of a tire sidewall or bead area to prevent damage to the tire and wheel. When servicing tires with rim guards, use caution, have the right equipment and use a tire changer’s helper device to help you.
It can be tricky to use a side-shovel style bead loosener on a thick bead rim guard. It’s important to be careful and deliberate with your movements so that the shovel does not slip off the “slope” of the rim guard and scrape the sensitive surface of an expensive wheel.
A tire changer with dynamic bead-breaking capability or rollers makes this job a lot less daunting. Remember to keep the wheel moving while bead-breaking and lower or raise the roller slowly, allowing the tire to rotate several revolutions before incrementally lowering the bead-breaking roller.
While loosening beads with a side shovel or rollers, take that opportunity to lube the bead of the tire thoroughly. Take the brush and lubricate the drop center of the wheel to make demounting the top bead much easier.
In addition, lubricate the outside and sidewall of the bead. Be sure to lubricate the tail of the duck head and the round part of the duckbill head. This will prevent the tire from going under the duckbill and becoming damaged, which is common when mounting tires like those with rim guards.
When demounting the top bead of a tire with a rim guard, it will be noticeably stiffer due to the added material near the bead. A bead-pressing device will create an opening for the tire lever to sneak past the tire. Then, use the pressing device to push 180 degrees from the duck head.
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