Putting on new alloy wheels may appear as if the very easiest process to the person who hasn’t had much experience yet on real scrutiny it’s a lot trickier than may be believed at first. To get this task done correctly you need to take a step by step strategy that copes with each step so that there is no danger of getting it wrong.
However there is a down side to this way of doing things and may be that it takes a heck of a lot more time to finish changing your alloy wheels but when you have finished you are more than able to have a proper go without making costly and sometimes irreversible mistakes. Lay down the facts, how many miles are you expecting to travel with these wheels……………….you must want to make sure the wheels that you are changing have been fitted safely for the protection of the family and for the upkeep of the car!
Getting started is one of the best actions to getting this done correctly and you need to be careful of what you do. This is the most basic stage but you would be amazed by the amount of folk who mess this up. Be very careful that before you get started you must be careful each tire has a perfect match to each wheel.
No doubt you are ware but it is always a solution to read over the instructions again before commencing with the fixing the tires. You don’t want to go to a lot of trouble in fitting the tire only to find that it is completely the wrong size and shape. Do not be caught out and make sure that you the tools you have are right for completing the task. Without the right tools it will make the task impossible and you’ll struggle like mad to complete the task.
Make sure that you have the car on a flat surface or better yet a lifting ramp. Once you have approach to the wheels you will have to dispatch the wheel nuts or lug nuts as the yanks like to call them. You can use a standard four way wheel wrench for this job or if you have access to an air gun then this will be better still, but you must be careful as these can sometimes damage the nuts and this is the last thing that you want.
Next stage is to determine if the wheel will fit snugly onto the hub. For those of you who have access you might consider using a focussing ring but its not critical and if you don’t have one don’t trouble. The wheel should now be resting flush against the surface and should be lined up in n exact position for the bolts. Now if all is not well at this stage and you feel that there is an thing with the fitting then it is vitally important to cite to the manufacturer’s instructions as you may have done something wrong. If it still isn’t fitting properly after referring to the manufacturer’s instructions then make sure that you contact the manufacturer forthwith and get their valued tactile sensation on the discipline. Do a test of the bolts and nuts before fixing the wheel and make sure that all the threads are sound and worthy.
Next step is to make sure that the space between the brake disc and the wheels is wide enough for the calipers to fit. Next start turning the nuts with your fingers and turn them as far as they will go without using your wheel wrench. At any point your wheel nuts should go onto the bolts without giving any resistance. If you feel any resistance then unthread the nuts and try again as it may be that they haven’t caught properly. Never ever force them as you risk stripping the threads and that is an avoidable mistake.
All done and your euphoric with the fit of the wheel, nuts and bolts you now need to put the car in neutral so that you can physically spin the wheel by hand. Now is the time to check that the rim of the wheel doesn’t catch the caliper. If everything is ok at this stage then you can lower the ramp or jack so that the car is resting with all four wheels on the ground. Now you can take your wheel wrench and tighten each nut so that the wheels are fixed firmly in place. Please, please make sure that you’re not tempted to over tighten the nuts as this can have a prejudicial effect and can crack the nuts or make it impossible to remove them. It goes without saying but you will also have to make sure that they are not loose or there is a danger that they might come loose through the vibe of the wheel on movement of the car.
If all is good then you should have a new set of tires to go with your fantastical alloy car wheels.
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