What lubrication do you guys use when installing tires.
- soapy water
- wd40
A friend of mine insists that wd40 is best but he also washes his hands in the stuff so I don’t exactly trust him for advise.
I use mounting lube. Its enough for you and 10 friends for a lifetime. If you have friends at a tire shop, you could probably get some for free Amazon.com: Tire and Tube Mounting Compound REM 46634-8 lb. Pail : Automotive
Mounting lube or simply dish soap both work really well.
AMV personally recommends dish soap for mounting on their wheels.
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A little dish soap and water works well for me. Also able to tell if there is a leak on the bead or valve stem.
I use the Rema D75 tire mounting paste. It is what my local Discount Tire Center uses.
I thin it with water.
I was having difficulty mounting a tire last weekend and someone who ended up doing it for me used Simple green.
So, many solutions (all puns intended).
I do not recommend WD-40. When I have used it, it has drawn the pigment out of the rubber, and it dyed my fingernails for quite some time. I have found that dawn powerwash is cleaner, and it works much better.
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Windex. It’s cheap, you probably already have some and it evaporates quick and does leave a residue.
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I use a product from Napa called Ru-Glyde, I dilute it and put it in a spray bottle. They also make a paste.
this…I’m afraid of some of the lubes and tire rotation so I actually use straight isoproply alcohol to mount mine knowing it should should evaporate with ease after the process.
I always recommend P80 emulsion. You can buy a gallon for $25-$30 on Amazon. Mix it up in a spray bottle. Doesn’t take much. I bought a gallon when we started racing and my son was 8. Still have some and he is now 22.
P80 is what many manufacturers use when pressing rubber bushings into small holes.
Simple Green, and lots of it. . . . . I kid!
I usually use windex.
I use Dawn Dishsoap. Works perfectly, and even though I despise doing tires, the dish soap makes it soooo much easier.
There’s a parallel discussion we could have about the optimal brew for tire changes. It’s not Bud.
nor is it labatt haha
Just spit on that thing! Then it’s lubed up… But anyways no lubrication needed here. Just toss 'em in the desert sun for 5-10 minutes and tires go on like butter.
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Lubrication ain’t just for the rubber.
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That, sir, is not the case up here. At the beginning of our season, the tires normally need to be mounted indoors because a lot of the time its around 50 deg F when we start racing up here.
For the first few races of the season I usually have to put the tires in my truck with the heat cranked for 20 Mindoro so before I can even think about mounting them by hand.
Is there a reason to not use Simple Green? Serious question.
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