Thread: "Tyre Pliers" alternative

If you REALLY needed to use tyre pliers on your car whilst travelling remotely, (you carry 2 spares?) are you gonna worry about scratching up your rim? considering the odds are minimal

I have used the tyre pliers and if careful you can avoid damage to the alloy rims. However, after my last 4wd adventure I now have more scratches and marks on the rims than what I have created by using the pliers in anger.

Another thing to check ... will they fit your new wheels/ given that I guess they are larger diameter than the set when you bought them.

That's why I use a set of Discovery steel rims on my Defender for remote trips, and leave the alloys for running around locally.

They are too pretty to scratch.

I also use Discovery steel rims on my Defender and when the need arises to break the bead, I find the Tyre Jaws extremely good and a lot easier to use than the Tyre Jaws.

I have also seen a very good and effective home made bead breaker - see attached pics.

The problem with the alloys though is not so much in breaking the bead - although they have a considerably larger safety bead than the Disco steel rims - but in levering the tyre off the rim once the bead has been broken, so it's best to do this on the inside of the rim so that any damage is hidden. Getting the tyre back on is no problem, once you have found the 'sweet spot' with your large rubber mallet.

Roger

As Matt said, under the circumstances that you have used both spares and your still miles from nowhere then scratching the rim would be the furthest thing from my mind, I'd be whacking at it with a sledgehammer if I had to.

No use looking good if your stranded just because of a flat you can fix.

But other than that, go and buy some nylon covers from TJM that just slip over the prongs on the end and a block of Nylon on the other end.

This cover set isnt made by Tirepliers but was available at TJM last time I was there about 2 years ago and was so you could use it with Alloy wheels.

Originally Posted by Xtreme

I also use Discovery steel rims on my Defender and when the need arises to break the bead, I find the Tyre Jaws extremely good and a lot easier to use than the Tyre Jaws.

I have also seen a very good and effective home made bead breaker - see attached pics.

The problem with the alloys though is not so much in breaking the bead - although they have a considerably larger safety bead than the Disco steel rims - but in levering the tyre off the rim once the bead has been broken, so it's best to do this on the inside of the rim so that any damage is hidden. Getting the tyre back on is no problem, once you have found the 'sweet spot' with your large rubber mallet.

Roger

I haven't seen a LR alloy stripped yet, is the well in the centre as most alloys are offset?

I've got an R&R Beadbreaker with an alloy wheel kit which I used on my previous Disco rims. It worked really well and didn't scratch the rims!

Just as a side note, the Disco alloy rims seemed a lot more difficult to un-seat than my other mates wheels that I've done. I wouldn't like to try it with anything that depended too much on muscle.

Nathan