Rim preparation for darksiding

I made the decision to go darkside after my Metzler 880 bit the dirt in a big way. I read many articles on this forum in making my decision, and one of the reservations that I had was the warning of how much "seating" pressure was required to get the car tire on the MC rim.

Today, I took the wheel with the old Metz on it to a local shop and had them remove it, as that is where I would end up scratching my polished rims. I took the empty rim back home and prepared it for mounting. The Bridgestone 205/60R16 Blizzak went on the rim just I expected it to, so there was no surprises there. After reading one post about keeping the tire concentric with the rim ahead of pressuring up the kasson for mounting, I spent a little time doing that. I mixed up a solution of "snot" comprised of 15% shampoo diluted with water, as using watered down real poo in this circumstance didn't seem beneficial at all. I applied air pressure, and as normal the bottom bead partially seated, and the top bead did the same at 180 degrees from bottom seating. I thought to myself "This is where the men are separated from the boys", and began adding more air. Very shortly, the bottom bead "popped" into place, and I quit adding air. I watched in amazement at the unseated top bead began slowly moving towards the rim edge and then "popped" into place as well. I wanted to see just how much pressure I had to use to seat the tire, so I took my digital tire gauge and checked it; it was 25 psi. That's all it took.

I took the assembly out of my shop so I could wash the rim and tire, and spent a little time dwelling on why it took me so much less pressure than many here have reported having to use. The only conclusion that I have reached is that the necessary preparation process is not being used by others, and this results in the tire not wanting to co-operate. I suspect that many here have little experience dismounting/mounting tires, and I doubt that their experience was gained at the hands of an experienced "old timer". I gained my experience from my dad, who gained his through his dad who was a "master" Cadillac mechanic back in the 1930's - 40's; a time before tire "machines" were available to dealerships; so I though I'd share what I was taught to do.

Cleaning the ramp and seat areas of the rim is very important. I took a can of "brake parts cleaner" and a piece of grey ScotchBrite (fine) and wet small portions of these areas and scrubbed that area with the ScotchBrite until all of the previous lubricant (now dry) and the shards of remnant bead rubber were gone. This process was repeated until the entire circumference of both sides of the rim were complete. I checked for any burrs along these areas, taking care that nothing would "catch" the tire bead and keep it from sliding over the ramp. I really think this is the missing step that many have overlooked, and it's making the use of high air pressure necessary to overcome the friction/obstacles.

I may be "all wet" about this, but I'd like to see someone else try it and see if they get by with as little required pressure as I did. Hopefully, this step might allow folks to use a lot less pressure in seating the tire beads, and lower the physical risks of over pressurizing a tire.

I agree. Rim prep is important. My local shop removes my tire then let's me take the rim home for cleaning and then back to them for mounting. The tire shop says it unnecessary but I do it for peace of mind.

I've sanded mine down to 400 grit then car polish. Worked very well.

All went well that ends well, but be careful have how slick your "snot" is or you'll pop the tire off the rim. Been there done that !

Hi Phideaux,
wheel and tire tolerances can make surprising difference to how easy a tire will go on but your cleaning and polishing regimen will certainly make things easier.
But a Blizzak? Blizzaks are snow tires, got 4 of them on my Buick's winter rims. WTF would anyone in AZ run a snow tire on their bike?
I understand that the hi-grip at low temp tread rubber in snow tires starts to wear away real fast when the ambient temperature rises above 7ºC
I've used hand slime instead of dish soap as a tire install lubricant but I've been told that both of those expediences carry a corrosion risk and that I should have used genuine tire snot instead.
Dunno if an ordinary Joe can buy the stuff or if he'd have to scrounge a cupful from a tire shop.

Here ya go: http://www.a1tireinc.com/codys-tire-snot-performance-tires.php