The old reseating a tire bead with lighter fluid trick. Bad idea?

[emmodg]

1- Get the tire to a good "clear" area. It doesn't have to be perfectly flat, it doesn't have to be all sand or dirt. Use common sense...

2- Clean the tire bead(s) and rim with a GLOVED hand

3- Remove the valve core. (You don't have to do this but it allows more oxygen for combustion. I've also seen a valve core or 2 shot out of the stem from over-zealous use of either.)

4- Get your starter fluid and "flame maker" handy. Stand on tire giving a short little "squirt" of either at around the 12, 3, 6, and 9-o'clock positions. (You're standing on the tire to open up a gap at those positions to get your fluid IN the rim/tire cavity.)

5- Make yourself a "wick" by squirting a strip of fluid from your last "squirt", to tire surface, to ground if you like. Step back and light her'up! (When it's hot out the starter fluid will evaporate quickly so you have to be ready with flame or you'll waste fluid and have to do it again. In colder climate you have a bit more time but then have to deal with slower ignition because you lose the fluid evaporation needed for combustion.)

6- Now. One of two things will happen at step 5. Combustion will happen and you'll hear a nice big "POP", the tire is seated and friends will think you're magic OR the tire and will just sit there burning some as the the evaporated fluid and flame isn't getting enough oxygen for good combustion. DON'T sit and watch it burn. Your tire wont burn up but you'll have wasted fluid, flame, and time which are precious commodities when your out in the middle of nowhere with only 3 useable tires on your truck! Do yourself and the tire a favor and quickly stomp on the top of the tire if it's just laying there burning. Stomping opens up a gap in the tire/rim cavity for a split second allowing a burst of oxygen to complete the combustion necessary to seat the tire bead. DON'T kick the tire - why would want to kick a burning tire towards someone or something? That, and it does nothing to allow that burst of oxygen in.

At our school we have taught this to every civilian and military class we've had. I've had everyone from 60 year old men to SEALs do it. In the 8 years I've taught it (been doing it longer than that) I have NEVER seen any one of my students even close to hurt. Like anything else - use your head. It's effective and it's fast and it's a skill that's damn good to know!

(I'm not exactly sure why you would ever need to get your air chuck immediately on the valve stem right after combustion or "Pop". You do need air to fill your tire but you have all day after the bead is set to do that if you want. I'm not sure what Metcalf is getting at here. You DO NOT need compressed air to help the combustion part of this exercise. You DO need air to fill your tire when done though.)

[grizzlyj]

I've only used ether. Off the truck too! I can't get my tyres to flex with the biggest ratchet I can find, and the bicycle tube + washing liquid I just can't get to seal


The difference between hot and cold ambient makes a big difference and makes guaging the perfect squirt quite hard.


Two other things I'd add;


You know the little straw you get with the likes of WD-40? Attach that to the ether nozzle (or swap nozzles) cos that allows you to get more stuff into the tyre rather than just firing it at the wheel/tyre gap.


I would think that first unsucessful pop will eat most of the oxygen up. So each following fail will need more and more ether, frying your nerves each time. Stopping to reassess is well worth it, and while checking for lost eyebrows put more air (and so O2) in from your airline.

[Hill, Bill E.]

(I'm not exactly sure why you would ever need to get your air chuck immediately on the valve stem right after combustion or "Pop". You do need air to fill your tire but you have all day after the bead is set to do that if you want. I'm not sure what Metcalf is getting at here. You DO NOT need compressed air to help the combustion part of this exercise. You DO need air to fill your tire when done though.)

I have seen the tires compress after the 'pop' as the ether finishes burning up the O2. This can cause the tire to unseat itself if air isn't applied fast.

You're correct in that you don't need compressed air for the combustion part, but you do need it ASAP after the 'Pop'

[emmodg]

I have seen the tires compress after the 'pop' as the ether finishes burning up the O2. This can cause the tire to unseat itself if air isn't applied fast.

You're correct in that you don't need compressed air for the combustion part, but you do need it ASAP after the 'Pop'

I've never seen one come "un-beaded" from the vacuum created by the cooling combustion. I guess people have had some weird circumstances with this procedure which really does amaze me but I've done 37", 33", 31", and tractor tires and I've never had to introduce air "ASAP" after the "pop".

[grizzlyj]

Mine come off quickly if I'm not speedy in getting the air line on.

Maybe it depends on the tyre width versus wheel width? My tyres and rims are as supplied by Merc, but when unseated the tyre is a fair way off the rim, maybe also why a strap, a bit of water and wiggling with an airline in place will never work for me (unless you borrow a huge compressor, then I know it works )

If the tyre only needs a little encouragement to stay close to the rim then maybe it'll be easy and you have time, if the tyre wants to move away you have to be quick?

The lower film clip linked to on this page is just about the first time I did it. Once its popped I've got the airline on quickly, but being distracted for a moment talking to the camera, the airline unseated and the tyre fell off again But I suppose thats not the same as continued burning sucking it off?

Forest Fruits silicone spray is used, I'm not sure why! Using silicone since then hasn't burnt well enough at all, so ether all the way!

http://www.moglet.co.uk/page109.html

[I Leak Oil]

I can't see it being sucked off the bead if the valve core is removed.

Emmodg....How dare you bring actual experience into this conversation!

[Metcalf]

I have always had it work best when I could introduce air right after the 'pop'. I wasn't trying to infer that you needed it for combustion, just timing...

I start SMALL on the starter fluid. I don't think you need 'extra' to fully pop the bead on the rim....only enough to get it to grab with the introduction of compressed air at the right time.
Introducing air before you light it tends to get the eyebrows crispy....or you just displace the chemicals and don't get anything to happen.

My remarks ARE experience based, Everything from ATV tires to skidder tires while working for a tire shop in my younger dumber years. Sometimes you just HAVE to find a way to make something work. I don't teach classes but have used the technique more than I would like over the last 15 or so years.

[JIMBO]

Righton, but I owned a Goodyear tire shop for 10 years in the Sierras and with both truck and 4x4 tires/snow/rain/mud (littlebit) all we ever used was the PBE and OBA-

That worked for the lost of both beads and only rarely ever took the tire off the vehicle-

Ya just play with the cards you're delt--

JIMBO

[Metcalf]

Sometimes you just have to use what you got......

Your talking about one of these correct?

http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Tool-31433.../dp/B000J1Y31W

Been there, done that, doesn't always work for me. Some tires like the old Swamper SX steel belted bias just where too stiff to get much bead movement.

[JIMBO]

Yup, thats it, Goodyear gave us two, one for smaller passenger/truck tires and one for new radial 18 wheeler tires-

Sometimes you just have to use what you got......

Your talking about one of these correct?

http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Tool-31433.../dp/B000J1Y31W

Been there, done that, doesn't always work for me. Some tires like the old Swamper SX steel belted bias just where too stiff to get much bead movement.

Like I said--I've never been unable to useit--then/now, course I'm not talking about somebodys IMPROPER WIDE rims for a narrow tire--that could be a problem-

JIMBO