2015 RTS Rear wheel/tire replacement - does it HAVE to go to a dealer?

[Steve W.]

After changing the tire, you can check the balance yourself. I use a pair of jackstands. Put the axle through the wheel, support the ends on the jackstands. Rotate the tire a bit to get the bearings moving freely, then slow it down manually. Note where the valve stem is when it stops. Give it a gentle shove, it does not have to go more than a rotation or two, note where the valve stem is when it stops. Do it a few times for consistency, then add a bit of weight at the top, if necessary. Rotate the tire 90°, see if it moves. Direction and speed will show you whether you need more or less weight, and how much more or less.

As others have hinted by their "no need to balance" comments, balancing the rear is not as critical as the front, so you only have to get it 'close'.

.

 

[Realtor]

After changing the tire, you can check the balance yourself. I use a pair of jackstands. Put the axle through the wheel, support the ends on the jackstands. Rotate the tire a bit to get the bearings moving freely, then slow it down manually. Note where the valve stem is when it stops. Give it a gentle shove, it does not have to go more than a rotation or two, note where the valve stem is when it stops. Do it a few times for consistency, then add a bit of weight at the top, if necessary. Rotate the tire 90°, see if it moves. Direction and speed will show you whether you need more or less weight, and how much more or less.

As others have hinted by their "no need to balance" comments, balancing the rear is not as critical as the front, so you only have to get it 'close'.

.

Thanks, I'll be doing this tomorrow....

 

[Realtor]

Done, I will say, after watching the YouTube vids, I used blue painters tape to secure the adjustment plates at the end of the swing arm in place, it looks as if everything is aligned exactly as it was before taking it apart. took a short ride before dark, I'll make a longer run tomorrow...

Oh, it took 4 tire shops to turn me down, then I went to Discount Tire, I was in and out of there in about 30 minutes.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Done, I will say, after watching the YouTube vids, I used blue painters tape to secure the adjustment plates at the end of the swing arm in place, it looks as if everything is aligned exactly as it was before taking it apart. took a short ride before dark, I'll make a longer run tomorrow...

Oh, it took 4 tire shops to turn me down, then I went to Discount Tire, I was in and out of there in about 30 minutes.

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4 tire shops ..... I've had many rear tire changes over the past 12 years and they were done at different tire shops. ALL of them had NO issues with our wheels and their specific machines .... Commercial tire machines are pretty much the same. I think those shops had employee issues .... glad you got it done .... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Mikey]

Nice looking tire!!! Got to ask what brand did you get?

 

[davev1pa]

I hope it wasn't a Kenda......that's a lot of effort for that tire!

 

[Realtor]

Nice looking tire!!! Got to ask what brand did you get?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M24Z5VO?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

took it on I-10 today, Much smoother ride than the old worn out Kenda...

 

[BajaRon]

Done, I will say, after watching the YouTube vids, I used blue painters tape to secure the adjustment plates at the end of the swing arm in place, it looks as if everything is aligned exactly as it was before taking it apart. took a short ride before dark, I'll make a longer run tomorrow...

Oh, it took 4 tire shops to turn me down, then I went to Discount Tire, I was in and out of there in about 30 minutes.

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They turned you down, not because they couldn't do the job. But because they didn't want to do the job.

 

[Realtor]

They turned you down, not because they couldn't do the job. But because they didn't want to do the job.

Probably both..... couple blamed their machine. others just said, "We can't do that wheel"...

 

[pidjones]

For folks near Knoxville, TN, Aaron Lynch at Lynchworx in Powell has BUDS and a growing Syder clientele. He mounted a rear tire for me on a wheel I carried in. He is off Beaver Creek just behind the convenience center.

 

[Peter Aawen]

For folks near Knoxville, TN, Aaron Lynch at Lynchworx in Powell has BUDS and a growing Syder clientele. He mounted a rear tire for me on a wheel I carried in. He is off Beaver Creek just behind the convenience center.

While it's nice & even quite helpful to other members to identify people who will do this as you have above, I really hope you haven't lined him up for monstering by BRP until/unless he gives up doing this sort of thing - as has happened to others, both dealers &/or independent techs, who've been publicly 'outed' like you've just done above!! :yikes:

It's for this reason that the recommendation is that you only share this sort of info via PM! :lecturef_smilie:

 

[Realtor]

While it's nice & even quite helpful to other members to identify people who will do this as you have above, I really hope you haven't lined him up for monstering by BRP until/unless he gives up doing this sort of thing - as has happened to others, both dealers &/or independent techs, who've been publicly 'outed' like you've just done above!! :yikes:

It's for this reason that the recommendation is that you only share this sort of info via PM! :lecturef_smilie:

what exactly is "monstering by BRP"?

 

[RangerRick]

out here in north west (ak, ca, wa, id, or, mt, nv, wy, ut, co) "Les Schwab Tire" did all my wheels no problem, I removed the wheels my self and just took them in. Because the rear wheel has a small hole they could not balance it, but I used my motorcycle balancer no problem.

 

[Peter Aawen]

what exactly is "monstering by BRP"?

:hun: Just think about all the things that they could do to convince people to decide not to fit auto tires onto Spyders any more, and exclude any that are illegal &/or involve physical violence! :lecturef_smilie:

 

[Realtor]

:hun: Just think about all the things that they could do to convince people to decide not to fit auto tires onto Spyders any more, and exclude any that are illegal &/or involve physical violence! :lecturef_smilie:

The BRP Mafia will beat people up.... 'Come on man!

That tire has no idea what's sitting on it. And the Spyder has no clue to what shoes it's wearing. You aren't leaning it over riding on the sidewall like a 2 wheeler...

 

[Peter Aawen]

The BRP Mafia will beat people up.... 'Come on man!

That tire has no idea what's sitting on it. And the Spyder has no clue to what shoes it's wearing. You aren't leaning it over riding on the sidewall like a 2 wheeler...

Exactly!! Look at the threads here highlighting all the miles covered by Spyders running non-OEM tires with NO reported ill effects or accidents and telling us the non-OEM tires are returning far better performance & tire life tire as evidence! And it's not as if the pre-production Spyder's didn't start out on 'normal' auto tires in the first place - you can (or you could??) see them hanging on the wall at Valcourt! Yet we are continually having these lightly constructed, poorly quality controlled, defect prone, over-priced, difficult to balance, rapidly wearing, second-rate tires forced onto us by BRP & dealers!! :banghead:

And if you do go back thru the tire threads & look, there's no denying that many of those dealers publicly acknowledged for fitting 'non-OEM' tires often stop doing so soon after; and if they say anything about why the change, it's invariably because they've been 'advised' by BRP not to, or words to that effect! It doesn't take blind freddy to work out what's really going on!

 

[Realtor]

Exactly!! Look at the threads here highlighting all the miles covered by Spyders running non-OEM tires with NO reported ill effects or accidents and telling us the non-OEM tires are returning far better performance & tire life tire as evidence! And it's not as if the pre-production Spyder's didn't start out on 'normal' auto tires in the first place - you can (or you could??) see them hanging on the wall at Valcourt! Yet we are continually having these lightly constructed, poorly quality controlled, defect prone, over-priced, difficult to balance, rapidly wearing, second-rate tires forced onto us by BRP & dealers!! :banghead:

And if you do go back thru the tire threads & look, there's no denying that many of those dealers publicly acknowledged for fitting 'non-OEM' tires often stop doing so soon after; and if they say anything about why the change, it's invariably because they've been 'advised' by BRP not to, or words to that effect! It doesn't take blind freddy to work out what's really going on!

Theres a good reason to NOT go to the dealer. I'll go to the dealer as a last resort, and for something I can not do myself.

 

[Jane1330]

Got my 215/60 15 tire from Discount Tire, NO problems with mounting, Hubby static balanced it, I performed removal/installation (1 hr. each way) Now my speedometer and GPS both agree on my speed! WIN WIN!