Author Topic: Starter Fluid to Seat your tire bead, Anybody try it?  (Read 1777 times)

Offline MyMopar

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Re: Starter Fluid to Seat your tire bead, Anybody try it?
« Reply #15 on: August 22, 2008 - 10:12:25 AM »
Hmm I'd imagine that depending on the amount of starter fluid you used the force would only be so much.
When out wheeling in the woods with Jeep club, we had a guy unseat his tire from the rim (we run as low as 5 psi and as high as 11).  We first tried using our on board air compressor but it wouldn't go.  We couldn't really jack up the Jeep anymore due to the location and angle it was in.  We gave teh starter fluid a try and it worked well.
We were conservative at first but got bold with a 4 second shot.  Of course we are talking about a 37" tire on a 15" rim.
The trick works but I prefer a ratchet strap and compressed air.
1969 (OO===]|[===OO)
1973 (OO/=====\OO) <---SOLD
1997 (O|||||O) <---SOLD

Smoke tires, not drugs!




Offline snowdog

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Re: Starter Fluid to Seat your tire bead, Anybody try it?
« Reply #16 on: August 26, 2008 - 12:26:11 PM »
   I worked in a truckstop for over twenty years---most of that time in the shop. Fixed a lot of tires.  One night a driver came in late with a flat on the left rear inside dual on his flatbed trailer. The tire had come off the bead but the driver was in a big hurry to get on down the road so we got out the ether/starting fluid and gave it a shot. It went poof but didn't seat the bead.  We gave it another shot and the same thing happened. Now this driver was getting really impatient so he gave it a rather large shot of starting fluid and I thru a match at it from way back----it went POOF and then caught on fire---but would still not seat the bead. After putting the tire out I finally crawled under the trailer and had a look.  That tire had a blown sidewall on the inside .   I can also attest to the power of compressed air.  I walked into an unfortunate situation one afternoon that ended with a tubeless tire (11r24.5) exploding on me---long story---but it came off the rim with about 80 PSI in it with me kneeling beside it. Slapped me up beside the left leg. The force of the blow crushed my kneecap and broke my femur--split it length wise 11" and blew it out. Got a nice steel rod and some pins from that shot.  Sometimes even now when filling my wheelbarrow tire with a bicycle pump I kinda cringe.    :lol:   

Bentpshrods; You always have the "Best" stories,  :ylsuper:  how can anyone compete with that.  Hope, your knee / leg doesn't still bother you to much.
Scott (aka: snowdoggie) 1970 Challenger - 440 Modified - 4 Spd - White on Black - 1970 Cuda - 383 Magnum - 4 Spd - Drk. Green on Black - Howell, MI
See my "I'm gonna fix'm up someday" story at Cars in Barns.  **Dodge Main 76-78**
http://www.carsinbarns.com/Mopars%20In%20Barns/pg113mopar.htm

Offline Moparal

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Re: Starter Fluid to Seat your tire bead, Anybody try it?
« Reply #17 on: August 27, 2008 - 09:25:40 PM »
That would be a hard story to beat and be able to talk about it    WOWWWW   OWWWW

Offline 72hemi

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Re: Starter Fluid to Seat your tire bead, Anybody try it?
« Reply #18 on: August 27, 2008 - 09:33:48 PM »
My dad told me this one but involves a welder instead of starting fluid. A shop had someone come in with a slow leak, unpon inspection they discovered the wheel was cracked. The person at the shop wasn't the brightest because he decided to weld the wheel without removing the tire. The pressure in the tire increased to the point where the tire ruptured and killed the welder. Wasn't good at all and this happened in the last 10 years.
1972 Dodge Challenger 340 6 Pack 4-speed
1996 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe

Offline Aussie Challenger

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Re: Starter Fluid to Seat your tire bead, Anybody try it?
« Reply #19 on: August 28, 2008 - 01:11:59 AM »
  An old trucker trick was to screw in a self tapping screw into a leak, a local trucker used to do this all the time, anyway when his tyre wouldn't hold air for long he decided to get it looked at. When the tyre tech went to pump air in the screws started to come out, just like a grenade.     :screwy:   He deflated the tyre and pulled out over 20 screws, he then told the trucker he wouldn't even try to repair that tyre, so the trucker took his tyre with him to another tyre shop.   :banghead:   :horse:
 The same tyre shop had a tyre tech blow his head off  about 12 years ago when the locking ring slipped and came off, they changed the law and safety standards after that happened.    :22yikes:
Dave