Hey all-

I'm looking to buy some Holeshot XCT 22-11-10 tires...

How easy it to mount these myself. Do I need a special tool to get them over the rim? Is there a technique to balancing?

..and lastly, I've heard people say it's hard to "break the beads" to put the tire on.- what is a bead- and why is it hard to break?

Thanks

 

Tubeless tires require a tight seal or "bead" where the inside diameter of the tire rests against the rim of the wheel. The tolerance between the rim and tire is so close in fact that the inside rim of the tire must be forced upon the rim to create this seal. For this same reason it can be difficult to separate old tires from the rim or "break the bead" when the two are not separated for a long (several years) period of time. The recommended way to break such difficult beads is to have it done in a local tire shop. Any tire shop that once sold you tires for your car should remove your old ATV tires and install the new ones for a small ($5-$10 per tire).

You can purchase "bead breakers" made specifically for ATV or small vehicle tires. Otherwise, you can try other methods like driving over the ATV tire edge with you car. Of course you have to be careful that you don't damage the rim in doing so, otherwise it will not seal on the new tire.

Sealing the bead is usually easy if you have an air compressor with enough volume to expand the tire quickly so that it creates an initial seal against the wheel. Once the tire begins to fill with air, it requires a higher pressure to "set the bead" or tire edge completely on the rim. You will usually hear a slight "pop" once this occurs. The pressure required to set the bead of a new tire is much less than what it would take to blow the tire and should be noted on the side of the tire. Once the bead is set, you bleed air out until you reach the proper operating pressure.

Hope this helps.

 

I also find it easier to spray the edge of the new tire with diluted dish soap. Makes the tire slip onto the rim much easier. Also if the bead is stubborn when putting on the tire...When the tire is full of air, hit the tire close to the rim with a hammer (DON'T HIT THE RIM) and it should pop into place. Works for me every time.

But it's much safer to pay the $30-$40 and have them installed for you.

 

unless you have a bead breaker you won't be able to change your tires. i would just take it to you local shop of you could buy a bead breaker which you can find in a ad out of dirt wheels or a similar magiazine

 

I think you will like the XCT 22" tires they are really sweet. I took mine to Richfield, UT in September. They worked really well on my 400EX.

One thing is do you have 10"wheels for those tires. Remember your stock Honda wheels are 9". I am pretty sure you can get 22x11x9 XCTs.

Adam Smith

99 400EX

 

The Big O in American Fork took my stock tires off and mounted my Mudrunners for $6.00 apiece. For $6.00 I wouldn't waste my time trying to do it myself.

 

UtahRancherRider---What size mudrunners (width) are you running on your quad?

 

If you can find someone to change them for $5 a tire, definitely do that. It's not worth the effort. I took my stock tires and rims to Quality Farm and fleet and the lawnmower kid, popped the bead for me, free of charge, then I changed the tires myself. It helps if you have a workbench and in my case, a bolt sticking up off the trailer, that you can hold the rim still with. That way you can torque on it and not look like some billy goat trying to stand on the rim and pry the tire off at the same time. My neighbors have had many a laughs watching me work on stuff, but none as good as me trying to change an ATV tire by myself for the first time. HA!

 

I understand that breaking the bead is the hardest part- and I probibly could get a local lawnmower place to do it....

How hard is it to get the new holeshot back on the rim? Will I need a special tool for that? I read on this site that using dishsoap and water will help slip it over the rim.

So can I put a tire on a rim without problems? Is that the easy part?

Thanks for your guys input.

 

I used an old fashion bumper jack. put the foot on the tire close to the rim. jack up your car or whatever and rotate the jack around the tire in a few places. i did this because i shopped around for a good deal on tires i didnt want to add $10 more to the cost of each tire. I had no problem.