Track Tac

Mounting Vega's

Marcis71

Marcis71

Member
Who has a trick for mounting new Vega's they'd be willing to share or a tool that works well that they'd like to sell? I would be burping bubbles for a week if my mom walked in while I was trying to mount these stupid things ;) ?!%%?#@!
 
Heat. Got to get them really hot. Loads of soap and extra set of hands. If they are cold forget it. You'll bend rim before the tire will give.
 
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i dont have much problem with my vega's. i use regular gojo white hand cleaner to mount and the roll right on and air up
 
Windex and tires at room temperature (inside house temp) lube the entire band or ring so the tire slides. You are using a band/ring correct ?
 
Kj26 said:
Windex and tires at room temperature (inside house temp) lube the entire band or ring so the tire slides. You are using a band/ring correct ?
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Yes, using a band and shop is 68*. White and blue Vega's on 8 1/2" and 10" Van-K wheels. The front bead pops easy, the back not so much. I've tried Vaseline, Go-Jo, Windex, WD40 and I seem to have this issue every year when putting new tires on.
 
We mount everything now with our tire wash product (Green Apple Clean.)
A mix of dish soap and water will work well also - used that for 30+ years.
Hold tire at 45* angle to the backside of the wheel and wrestle it on. (Hey, they're not as bad as some of the road racing tires!)

It certainly helps if the tire is at room temperature to get them over the wheel.
To get them to bead, takes a LOT of air, and sometimes some heat. Removing the in-line regulator from your compressor helps a ton.
We don't ever put tires in an oven (in a hot box to size only, but never to seat the beads.)
I prefer to use a heat gun but only if necessary. Remember, heat and psi stretch a tire = may not be what you are wanting.

-----
Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
30 years of service to the karting industry
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
Marcis71 said:
Yes, using a band and shop is 68*. White and blue Vega's on 8 1/2" and 10" Van-K wheels. The front bead pops easy, the back not so much. I've tried Vaseline, Go-Jo, Windex, WD40 and I seem to have this issue every year when putting new tires on.
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Are you removing the valve core ? Just asking because I recall someone else having issues that wasn’t removing the core
 
Kj26 said:
Are you removing the valve core ? Just asking because I recall someone else having issues that wasn’t removing the core
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I was, however I had 2 that I could NOT get to seat so I put the valve cores back in and let them sit with air in them and they popped in 3-4 minutes. What I did find after those 2 was that a nice coating of GOJO inside the tire band seemed to help as I didn't have any issues with the rest of them ( I mounted 8 tires total) and as I was inflating them I was hearing and seeing GOJO bubbles coming from between the tire and the band. Did that actually make a difference???? As for installing the tires on the wheels I did find something that worked well for me. I used a ratchet strap to pull the tire into the wheel which also helped pull it onto the wheel. The 10" wheels were almost effortless :) and with a little alteration to the strap so it pulls down and in (I'm picturing a tie down strap that goes over a car tire) it may be a little easier yet. Thanks for all the input everyone!!

strap.jpeg
 
Never heard of lubing the tire ring. Wouldn't that affect any prepping later? What does gojo do to a tire, maybe soften? Just asking.
 
Joe28 said:
Never heard of lubing the tire ring. Wouldn't that affect any prepping later? What does gojo do to a tire, maybe soften? Just asking.
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I don't have a clue. The tires are brand new and still have the release agent on them plus I took them immediately to the sink and washed them off with hot water so I really cannot see it affecting them. I have always lubed the tire ring with window cleaner but never GOJO.
 
I use old school gojo on the beads and rim to help them pop on I never used it on the inside of my mounting band... :unsure: I’ll try anything once. Lol
 
Joe28 said:
Never heard of lubing the tire ring. Wouldn't that affect any prepping later? What does gojo do to a tire, maybe soften? Just asking.
Click to expand...
I spray the ring and beads on both old/new tires with windex, I used to use dish soap, but windex is less messy.
You wash your tires anyway and use something to wet them while your grinding/sanding.

I also use a straight clip on air chuck and have an on/off valve setup on the airline so I'm nowhere close to the tire, seen to many wheels explode lately and I like my fingers.
 
When we were drag racing Brain all our Mickeys would bleed out. I never liked running tubes. We would rub dawn dish soap all over the insides of the tires and sidewalls and then use baby powder over top of them and it worked like a champ. But I can remember coming in the house covered in powder and mess I looked like the Swedish Chef from the muppets ... lol
 
I'll need to try the heat. Mounted my first set of Vega's just last week, and was unpleasantly surprised by how stubborn they were.
 
Kj26 said:
Not sure how powder is cleaner than windex, but I’ll take your word for it and never try it lol
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Less mess than GoJo. :) It wipes right off, or blows off with an air hose.
I've even used it for cutting tires on the Jones, but it won't work for refinishing... ;)
 
The real problem is flipping them...I think i'm going to build a wheel mount, (hub mounted on bad axle thats mounted to a pedestal or vice to hold it all). I had no problem getting mine on the wheel, but the folds in the tire after were hard to unfold while on the wheel. Seating the bead took a lot of air for the first two, then i figured out you have to have the tire band just right and they pop right on.
 
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