Any point to mounting your own tires?

Debating on picking up a Harbor Freight tire mounter: Figure this will allow me to be source-agnostic when it comes to picking up tires. I’ll still get them balanced, obviously, but I can see the benefit in not having to pay someone to swap out a TPMS when I have most of the tools already.

Thoughts?

 

How often do you mount/remount tires? All the Discount/online tire stores I’m aware, have partnerships with big box tire stores,

 

It will not be kind to your back or your wheels but it will work. I've used a manual tire changer enough to know that I'll gladly pay someone to do it.

 

Hard to say. Now that my son is driving, we have three vehicles and my daughter is only a few years away. My local tire shop charged $20/wheel to swap out TPMS sensors last time I needed it. Even if it’s only once a year that pays for the tool already.

 

Hmm, how tough is the bead to break on a Tacoma tire? My Equinox was an absolute PITA and I ended up paying to have it done.

 

If this is for wheels you like, I'd not recommend it.

 

My experience comes from my grandparents farm, and its fine for utility tires and such that you're balancing anyway. But they still take their cars and trucks to a tire shop. And it may not be significantly cheaper just to balance a tire depending on where you go.

edit: do you already have a high capacity air compressor or a way to seat the bead?

 

I do, but I think you’ve talked me out of it.

 

Last time I tried was with a pole-style bead breaker.

 

Find a used tire shop near you with good reviews. Paid $100 to have 4 tires mounted and balanced that I sourced myself. TPMS is an east change that probably wouldn't cost any extra to do while they're in there.

 

I'm with Snackbar, those old-school changers are really for steelies only. You'd scratch the sh-t out of a nice alloy wheel with that

 

The HF tire changer is going to wreck your wheels. If you are set on doing your own to avoid the absolutely stupidly high cost of mounting/balancing tires these days, there's a somewhat pricey upgrade to the HF unit that makes it much easier and no damage to the wheels. I haven't gone this route yet, but I will be soon due to the fleet of vehicles I own. It will end up paying for itself within 5 or 6 tire swaps.

https://lucidautowerks.com/collections/ultimate-manual-tire-changer

 

Who changes TPMS sensors yearly?

 

I had my own tire machine for a while. The full-size electric/pneumatic versions are not all that expensive, but I found that it just took more space than anything else. I sold it.