Considering a Tire Changer - Couple of questions

[TripleThreat]

OK... So once you reach the "A" pace, the tire budget goes through the roof...

so... I've been considering buying a tire changer to have in my trailer. This could save me a little cash on mounting and balancing fees (if I can get a better price if I mount and balance them) and would allow me to flip the rear (especially at Putnam).

For those of you who mount and balance your own tires, where do you buy them and do you get any discount for mounting and balancing your own?

I'm trying to conserve money wherever I can to get more track time...

I run slicks FWIW...

thoughts?

 

[7-FITTY]

http://tracktalk.nesba.com/showthread.php?t=10117&highlight=Tire+Changers

 

[D-Zum]

You're not really going to save any money, but there's a convenience factor.

You MAY make some money by offering to mount/balance tires for the local squid population, though. And if you run DOT's you could reap some benefit to selling those squids tires with one weekend on them and charge them a little extra for mounting/balancing.

 

[ERB68]

NoMar works well once you get the hang of it.

It's only a saving if you buy tires on the net. The down side is no track side info about them.

I like having my stuff all set before I get to the track. Wrenching at the track takes away from the riding to me.

 

[Jiggy]

just something to consider.......you noted in your orginal post that it will go IN your trailer. that was my original idea as well, but unless you have an extra large trailer exceeding 6ft ceiling height or you plan on using spoons instead of a tire bar, your tire bar (in my case my No-Mar bar) would not work in my 6x12 trailer with ceiling height of 6ft. You just couldnt get leverage because you had to angle the bar too much. If you are considering buying one, additionally purchase the hitch mount and save yourself a headache inside tight trailer spaces.

 

[pajixxer]

The hardest part of the whole process is breaking the bead, and there is many different ways to go about that, I just purchased a tool from harbor freight to break the bead. But once that is done, I can change a tire with 3 spoons pretty fast and without to much effort now. The first time I ever had to get new tires on a motorcycle I took it to the stealership, they charged me I think $40 to mount and balance one wheel, Ive done it by hand every since then. (I almost always buy my tires online wherever I can get them cheapest)

 

[HondaGalToo]

ERB68;121331 wrote:
It's only a saving if you buy tires on the net. The down side is no track side info about them.

Unless you hook up with your local distributor for the brand you want. Great prices, all the available and newest offerings of track rubber, and all the info you'd want on them as far as pressures, etc. No, you can't run over and ask questions during the track day I suppose, but that only works for Dunlop now anyway....

Breaking the bead with the No Mar is the easiest part, just sayin.....

 

[TripleThreat]

I have a pretty large ATC trailer with about a 6'6" ceiling height and a 4' V-Nose, so I think a No-Mar Jr Pro model would mount nicely in the nose of the trailer. I've run Pirelli Slicks in the past, but may look to try some of the DOT stuff this year.

I've shot off some emails to a few tire vendors to see what if any savings can be had. The convenience factor of being able to service my own tires when I'm at events where there is no trackside vendor is a huge plus also.

I'm most likely going to pull the trigger on it, but I'd like to get the emails back from the tire vendors to be able to see if there is any additional savings there also before I make my final decision.

 

[Mike Moore]

Jiggy;121344 wrote: just something to consider.......you noted in your orginal post that it will go IN your trailer. that was my original idea as well, but unless you have an extra large trailer exceeding 6ft ceiling height or you plan on using spoons instead of a tire bar, your tire bar (in my case my No-Mar bar) would not work in my 6x12 trailer with ceiling height of 6ft. You just couldnt get leverage because you had to angle the bar too much. If you are considering buying one, additionally purchase the hitch mount and save yourself a headache inside tight trailer spaces.

:notsure: I have a 6ft trailer and my no-mar works fine. Now it gets in the way of the third bike so I am considering the hitch mount attached to the trailer.

 

[some guy #2]

I have the harbor freight tire changer with the No Mar bar and it works fine. I would like to upgrade to the Mojo blocks on my changer so I can grab the rim easier but that is my only complaint for what it is.

I do my own tires for the reasons you listed; cost (I've paid for all the tools I had to buy in less than a summer of use) and convenience (i change my tires on my time). If you can find tires cheaper on the net then you are saving a lot of money by doing it yourself.

 

[Sklossmonster]

Hey Jeff,

Sorry I haven't replied to your email yet, but I guess this will save me one more email this time of the year, which means more than you might realize.

We've discussed having two prices for tires in the past, so our internet customers who are out of region aren't paying the same as our regional customers who are getting much more customer service due to their location, but we don't always have the flexibility to lower tire prices, and we already price our tires at the bottom of the range we are given by the manufacturers.

And here's the cold hard reality of the situation. Trackside vendors make such a pittance for their time and energy, with such a dismally low return on investment, that the idea of lowering their already low prices to help enable certain customers to change their own tires at the track to save $20 or $30 is a road to ruin.

In fact, it's threads like this one, and the extremely difficult competitive environment we've recently found ourselves in, that have forced us to make some changes in how we operate. Turn One Racing simply can not afford to provide the level of support you've become accustomed to, and while we're trying to survive, members like you are trying to figure out how to pay less for what they take for granted.

To address the economic realities we face for 2010, you won't be seeing me or Tom at most Nesba events anymore. We simply can't afford to travel all over the Midwest to mount take offs and internet deals for the handful of members who haven't yet bought or borrowed a manual changer to save a few bucks.

For all but a select few events, there will now be only one Turn One Racing guy present, and in a more limited capacity. We are keeping a closer watch on what it actually costs us to support this organization, taking our love for the sport and helping people out of the equation, and threads like this one don't bode well for the future.

Good luck with your manual changer. I remember when I bought mine ten years ago, but my decision was based on the fact the trackside vendor couldn't be depended upon to show up and support us, not the other way around.

 

[stephenjpauls]

Sklossmonster;121386 wrote: Hey Jeff,

Sorry I haven't replied to your email yet, but I guess this will save me one more email this time of the year, which means more than you might realize.

We've discussed having two prices for tires in the past, so our internet customers who are out of region aren't paying the same as our regional customers who are getting much more customer service due to their location, but we don't always have the flexibility to lower tire prices, and we already price our tires at the bottom of the range we are given by the manufacturers.

And here's the cold hard reality of the situation. Trackside vendors make such a pittance for their time and energy, with such a dismally low return on investment, that the idea of lowering their already low prices to help enable certain customers to change their own tires at the track to save $20 or $30 is a road to ruin.

In fact, it's threads like this one, and the extremely difficult competitive environment we've recently found ourselves in, that have forced us to make some changes in how we operate. Turn One Racing simply can not afford to provide the level of support you've become accustomed to, and while we're trying to survive, members like you are trying to figure out how to pay less for what they take for granted.

To address the economic realities we face for 2010, you won't be seeing me or Tom at most Nesba events anymore. We simply can't afford to travel all over the Midwest to mount take offs and internet deals for the handful of members who haven't yet bought or borrowed a manual changer to save a few bucks.

For all but a select few events, there will now be only one Turn One Racing guy present, and in a more limited capacity. We are keeping a closer watch on what it actually costs us to support this organization, taking our love for the sport and helping people out of the equation, and threads like this one don't bode well for the future.

Good luck with your manual changer. I remember when I bought mine ten years ago, but my decision was based on the fact the trackside vendor couldn't be depended upon to show up and support us, not the other way around.

Marshall, Tom & Joe,

I'm very sorry to hear this. I hope things turn around for the better for you guys. I always felt like Turn One was the best part of my weekend. You guys supply so much more than just parts. I never understood how you could make it with the amount of equipment you have, the gas to get to and from the event and how little you charge for things.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[HondaGalToo]

I wouldn't expect lower prices on tires if you're doing changes yourself. As Marshall stated, the prices they (and other NESBA trackside vendors and the trackday store) sell tires for are rock-bottom. The only comparable prices are from the authorized distributors.

Marshall, I'm not in your area, but I'm sure you guys offered terrific service and I'm sorry it's no longer economically feasable for you to continue supporting NESBA events. For me, purchasing a tire changer is NO reflection on the level of trackside support in my region (which was excellent from Moon), but rather that I hate rushing to change wheels in the morning; I'm afraid I'll forget to tighten something important! I won't be doing changes at the track for the same reason, but showing up ready to go.

 

[some guy #2]

+1 HondaGalToo

Paying cheaper prices if you mount and balance at the track yourself is a dumb idea. You're already getting a "usually" good deal on tires and at least Moon mounts and balances for free if you buy the tires and take the wheels off (no idea about Turn One).

And I might be reading this wrong but it seems like Sklossmonster is against people doing their own work on their own bikes? If somebody wants to mount and balance themselves with tires they found cheaper online then good for them. Also, what are we taking for granted? If you mean asking questions about bike setup, tires, etc then how is any of that for granted? Working on a bike and talking about it are two different things.

 

[ERB68]

some guy #2;121402 wrote:

And I might be reading this wrong but it seems like Sklossmonster is against people doing their own work on their own bikes? If somebody wants to mount and balance themselves with tires they found cheaper online then good for them. Also, what are we taking for granted? If you mean asking questions about bike setup, tires, etc then how is any of that for granted? Working on a bike and talking about it are two different things.

I will have to disagree with you here.

If you can't figure out what to do to your bike, you ask them. They tell you what you didn't know. Free!

Call your lawyer or accountant and ask a question. Take some of there time and they bill you.

I'm guilty of cheaping out. I wish I could make a difference but I can't afford it either.

P.S. I have watched some one monopolize Marshall's time for a half hour with questions and get them all answered and walk away. No tip, no bill, nothing.

Do you work for free?

I wish NESBA could supplement them cause they are a very valuable resource @ the track. But like most, I can spin the wrench if I can figure it out. When I can't, they have been VERY helpful.

 

[some guy #2]

I agree about hounding people for hours about every question in the book. I was taking Marshall's post to mean if someone comes up and asks what tire pressure to use he wouldn't tell them since they didn't buy the tire from there or something along those lines.

BTW, all the lawyers I've talked too give me the first 30 minutes free Then you get hosed

 

[HondaGalToo]

some guy #2;121412 wrote: I agree about hounding people for hours about every question in the book. I was taking Marshall's post to mean if someone comes up and asks what tire pressure to use he wouldn't tell them since they didn't buy the tire from there or something along those lines.

Don't know about Turn One and what all brands they sell at the track, but my experience has been that you can get help with pressures, etc. from the NESBA trackside vendors about the preferred brand they are selling, which is currently Dunlop. When it was Pirelli, that info was posted. Depending on who's running the vendor area, they may only have info about Dunlops right now. I started running Pirellis when that was the NESBA preferred brand, and I prefer to keep running them.

 

[mattf]

I've got 4 bikes (at the moment) that do street/track/off road, plus friends and family that ride so I picked up a changer for convenience. My Cycle Hill tire changer works great (made by No Mar, or No Mar is made by Cycle Hill, not clear on that!), and I got the optional hitch mount so I can jam it into the receiver on the back of my Hemi no matter where I am and swap tires.

 

[BigBird]

mattf;121472 wrote: I've got 4 bikes (at the moment) that do street/track/off road, plus friends and family that ride so I picked up a changer for convenience. My Cycle Hill tire changer works great (made by No Mar, or No Mar is made by Cycle Hill, not clear on that!), and I got the optional hitch mount so I can jam it into the receiver on the back of my Hemi no matter where I am and swap tires.

i believe No Mar bought Cycle Hill to compete with cheaper companies...

the thing i like a lot about a changer is the convenience factor of it all. i have been thinking about it myself. the place i take my tires too costs $30 a tire. but,l ike someone said before, i like to be totally be ready before I get to the track. I really dont like the idea of having to go to the track and then taking the bike apart, especially since the day goes by so fast, and we are already up so early in the morning.

but having a vendor there is also a big plus for parts, rental of equipment, advice, etc. I hope everything can coexist.

 

[Zippy]

Just in case anyone is left wondering, Marshall has always been very nice and open with helping everyone that he can. He has given a lot, and almost always has a smile for everyone. He was busy helping someone just about every minute of two long weekend days. I never even saw him sit down to rest. The rest of the crew at Turn One Racing looked just as busy. It wore me out just watching them.