Where to get tires mounted without scratching the wheels? (pic of wheels incl. [:D])

[sirpickles]

Hello gentlemen,

Does anyone goes to their Audi dealership to get wheels mounted scratchlessly?
I had a bad experience at a regular tire shop back in 2003 and am being more careful this time.

thanks!

[L0U]

if you go to a wheel shop that sells a lot of high end rims, they are experienced with not scratching them. The tire sales only places are not worth the risk.

[apexit1]

Yup. I wouldn't go to a dealer. If they mess up they might argue that they aren't oem. Find a place that sells high end wheels. Make sure they use a road force balancing machine.

[Info@EuroCode]

Nearly all modern tire installers will not scratch a wheel. The use a machine that actually never touches the outer lip of the wheel.

[jfabes]

^^^That's not 100% correct. Corghi makes one of the best touchless machines out there and an inexperienced or careless operator will still scratch them. on the other hand, a skilled, patient operator can use an old machine and mount them perfectly. i went through this a few months ago with my forgestars and it took a while to find a reputable shop that also has a good machine. that's the challenge, you need both. some new discount tires have the best, newest machines, but the guy making $10/hr isn't going to care. stay away from those places.

OP, your rim is similar to mine in that the spokes are extruded from the outer lip and extend all the way to the edge. also, because the inner groove is towards the front face, they can't be reverse mounted (again, just like mine). because of those two things, a conventional machine WILL scratch them no matter how careful the operator is. trust me on this, don't let a shop tell you otherwise. you need one of the new touchless machines AND a good operator. i found a reputable shop that had the Corghi (lamborghini houston) and mine came out perfect.

my last point is to be cautious of high end wheel shops, just because they are high end. many people that spend $10k on Asanti rims for their Panamera Turbo do not have the same value of a dollar than me, for example. just because you have money doesn't mean you are picky. so while i agree that a shop that services/sells high end wheels and parts is your best bet, its not a "case closed" deal. still need a good machine and operator. i wish you luck, i was so stressed from the whole process. based on my research talking with a Corghi rep, there were only 6 machines in houston.

[pandi]

Audi dealership sent me to Discount Tire because they didn't have the equipment for my reverse mount wheels. Discount tire did a great job! Of course I talked to the manager first who told me they take care of wheels much more costly than my $3300 set.

[LYKUNO]

Interesting topic. My BBS RS-GT (2-piece) wheels are supposed to have the tires "reverse mounted" - there were stickers on the inside of the rims stating "Please mount a tire from the inner rim side". I wasn't aware that there was specialized equipment required to do this, and after reading through this thread, I found this info (with a few pictures) about reverse mounting equipment from one manufacturer (Atlas), that was somewhat enlightening:

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/At...r-Post-Adapter

Also found a video on reverse mounting a tire on a 20" Vossen wheel using a Corghi Artiglio machine ...



Also a Corghi 50 machine in action ...



After watching these vids, I'm going to see if I can find some tire places around me that have the right equipment and can do reverse mounting before I need new tires!

[dparm]

Audi dealership sent me to Discount Tire because they didn't have the equipment for my reverse mount wheels. Discount tire did a great job! Of course I talked to the manager first who told me they take care of wheels much more costly than my $3300 set.

I have used a variety of DTs for 10+ years and they've never scratched a wheel, everything from 15" up to 19", both OEM and aftermarket.

[Borti]

^^^That's not 100% correct. Corghi makes one of the best touchless machines out there and an inexperienced or careless operator will still scratch them. on the other hand, a skilled, patient operator can use an old machine and mount them perfectly. i went through this a few months ago with my forgestars and it took a while to find a reputable shop that also has a good machine. that's the challenge, you need both. some new discount tires have the best, newest machines, but the guy making $10/hr isn't going to care. stay away from those places.

OP, your rim is similar to mine in that the spokes are extruded from the outer lip and extend all the way to the edge. also, because the inner groove is towards the front face, they can't be reverse mounted (again, just like mine). because of those two things, a conventional machine WILL scratch them no matter how careful the operator is. trust me on this, don't let a shop tell you otherwise. you need one of the new touchless machines AND a good operator. i found a reputable shop that had the Corghi (lamborghini houston) and mine came out perfect.

my last point is to be cautious of high end wheel shops, just because they are high end. many people that spend $10k on Asanti rims for their Panamera Turbo do not have the same value of a dollar than me, for example. just because you have money doesn't mean you are picky. so while i agree that a shop that services/sells high end wheels and parts is your best bet, its not a "case closed" deal. still need a good machine and operator. i wish you luck, i was so stressed from the whole process. based on my research talking with a Corghi rep, there were only 6 machines in houston.

This is outstanding advice. I took my BBS RS-GT's to one of the most celebrated shops I could find and the rims were scratched on two wheels. Be very careful with who you choose to go with.

[Dr GP]

Google Hunter GSP tire mounting systems. Then take your car to a shop that has that equipment. It WILL NOT scratch your rims. PLUS it has the ability to balance the tires with relation to the balance of the rims .Can also compensate for wheels that are slightly bent . I would use nothing else.