Three piece wheel mounting question

[Tom Berube]

Any advice on getting tires mounted on 3-piece Kodiac wheels? Is a no-touch machine good enough? Anyone with experience near Simi Valley?
Thanks!

[Bill Martin]

Hi Tom, I assume you have spun thin-wall outer rims. Any shop can bend those with power changers if they come across a tight tire and just force it. I usually take my chances, but insist on back-seat driving. If they want me out of their shop, I take my rims with me. People who do race tires for a living, like Carroll Shelby, might be the safest. I've had some 3-piece rims that had no drop center and could only be mounted by assembling the wheel around the tire. That's obviously time consuming, but pretty safe. Good luck, Bill

[Zak Gutmann]

The no-touch is the best bet. It's the ones where guys are trying to use the spoons that cause the most failures. Depending on how thin the rim halves are, the clamping force may be enough to bend it though.

[John Coffey]

Whichever shop you use, hand the guy actually installing the tires on the rims a $20. That's the best rim insurance you can buy.