A tire bead is the part of the tire that sits on a rim. You’ll need to break a tire bead to remove your vehicle’s tires from the rim. Breaking a tire bead requires tools and a lot of force because the bead firmly grips a part of the rim called the bead seats.
Breaking the bead doesn’t involve actually breaking the tire’s bead. Rather, it’s just a term that refers to pushing the bead down from the bead seats into the center part of the rim. This portion of the rim has a smaller circumference, which means the bead doesn’t sit tight around the rim. From here, the bead can be slipped over the rim on the other side.
Wondering how to break a tire bead? In this article, we’ll discuss the best methods and tools to break a tire bead.
This method involves using a lever wedged between the tire and rim. These levers are typically called tire levers or tire spoons. Once the tool is wedged between the tire and rim, the lever is pulled upwards, forcing the tire bead down. This process is repeated with several wedges so that the whole bead comes off the rim seat. Using this method is common when it comes to motorcycle and bicycle tires. Levers can also be used on passenger vehicle tires and trailers, but these tools can be difficult to use because you’ll need a lot of leverage.
This technique uses tire pliers that wedge themselves in between the tire and bead. Pulling the pliers open causes the plier’s jaws to open, separating the tire and rim, and breaking the bead.
Note: This method may not work for many applications.
This method involves holding a wheel and rim in place. Then, the front of the tire is forced down using a blunt object and a lot of force until the bead is off the rim. This method works if you have enough force. There are a lot of tools that can exert this force on the tire, as we’ll discuss in the following section.
Tire machines are the easiest tool to use for breaking a tire bead. These machines are common in auto shops. Tire machines can hold a wheel in place and utilize hydraulic pressure to push a flat piece of metal on the tire’s sidewall, which will break the bead of the tire off the rim.
You won’t always have a tire machine at your disposal, especially if you need to repair your vehicle’s tire on an off-road trail. Luckily, you can remove a tire bead using your vehicle’s weight and common jacks.
Using a scissor and bottle jack to break your vehicle’s tire bead involves extending the jack while it rests over the tire. The jack and wheel also need to be under your vehicle, so that when you extend the jack, it’ll wedge itself. From here, extend the jack slowly until the tire bead pops off the rim. When this happens, the jack and the vehicle are going to fall a few inches so you must steer clear.
This process involves raising your vehicle, putting a piece of wood over the tire, and then slowly lowering the vehicle on the wood. As you lower the jack, the vehicle’s weight will push the wood and the tire. When enough of the vehicle’s weight rests on the wood, the tire bead should break.
You can use a long, sturdy piece of wood as a ramp. Place one end of the ramp on the tire and then slowly drive over the ramp. This should push the tire down from the bead beads.
This method only works if you’re using a vehicle that has thick off-road tires so that it can drive up the edge of the tire. At the same time, you need to be removing a tire with thick sidewalls. Removing small-profile tires is difficult because you won’t be able to drive over the tire since the tire will just push itself away.
Breaking the bead with a tool other than a tire bead can be dangerous. The object that you’re using to exert pressure on the tire can slip. If you’re using the wood and jack method, your vehicle will fall once the bead breaks. Don’t put any part of your body under the vehicle or near the wheel.
Make sure to double-check your tool’s alignment with your tire. You can dent or crack your vehicle’s rims if you accidentally put a lot of weight on it rather than the tire.
Sometimes, the rim can tip over to one side when you’re forcing the tire off the bead, especially if you’re using the bottle jack method. You can stand on the tire so that the rim stays flat on the ground. However, you should mind where you’re putting your toes, as they can get wedged underneath your vehicle if you’re not careful.
If you’re using tire levers or pliers, make sure that you’re exerting force on the tire bead rather than the tire’s sidewall. This is only a concern if you’re using a lever or tire pliers because the force is focused on a small area. Pushing the sidewall rather than the bead can damage it because it doesn’t have as much reinforcement.
Breaking a tire bead might seem like a challenging task because it involves a lot of force. It can be quite intimidating to put that much weight on your tire. Don’t be afraid to take your tire to a tire shop that has a tire machine. Using a tire machine to break the tire bead might be ideal, but you can safely and reliably use everyday items like jacks and wood planks, as long as you prioritize safety and avoid potential hazards during the process.
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