[F36 Pilot]

Does anyone know of a tire shop in the San Fernando Valley area that uses leverless tire changers?

I went to America's Tire in Canoga Park this week to get a flat tire dismounted from my 19" 442M rim and found out the hard way that their tire changer is metal on metal contact. My rim now has these chips on the inside of the lip. You won't be able to see the damage when new tire is mounted but still, I don't like it.

[m6pwr]

I think Hunter is the gold standard. There's a sales rep on the following page you can ask to find the nearest shop/dealer with the best tire changer -
http://www.hunter.com/tirechanger/index.cfm

[claykin]

Hunter is pretty much the gold standard, at least in NA.

BMW dealers have either leverless or machines with a nylon bead roller to break the tire bead and remove from lip without trashing your wheels. Basically a Hunter TC3700 or higher... its also important that these machines be maintained and operated by a knowledgeable person, which is a whole different story.

Try calling Hunter or call around to shops that promote doing custom work, higher end wheels, etc.. Typical tire shops won't have anything other than the more basic tire changer.

[F36 Pilot]

Thank you guys. I will contact Hunter.

[aksi]

I saw Vibe motorsports, one of the sponsors on the forum, uses Hunter everything on their website. Not too far from where you are. I am going to get my wheels there in the future. Pm them. They are pretty quick in response.

[F36 Pilot]

Originally Posted by aksi

I saw Vibe motorsports, one of the sponsors on the forum, uses Hunter everything on their website. Not too far from where you are. I am going to get my wheels there in the future. Pm them. They are pretty quick in response.

Thanks aksi. I talked to Leo over at Vibe today and he hooked me up. It's about 40 miles from my house but it will be worth the extra drive to insure I don't get my wheels messed up. They also have have road force balancing.

[aksi]

Originally Posted by F36 Pilot

Thanks aksi. I talked to Leo over at Vibe today and he hooked me up. It's about 40 miles from my house but it will be worth the extra drive to insure I don't get my wheels messed up. They also have have road force balancing.

Yeah. They do list the Hunter balancing too.
Glad you found a place. I am around 40 miles away from them too but I will support our sponsor, and they have what I want
Let me know how it went after you are done.

[F36 Pilot]

Originally Posted by aksi

Yeah. They do list the Hunter balancing too.
Glad you found a place. I am around 40 miles away from them too but I will support our sponsor, and they have what I want
Let me know how it went after you are done.

Went to Vibe today and got my 442Ms mounted and road force balanced using their Hunter machines. I made an appointment and there was no wait. The guys there are all cool, especially Leo. I think they are used to guys like me with OCD when it comes to their cars. I wish I could have watched them work but they close the garage door and there is no window into the work area. I asked for a print out of the road force balance results and the guy who did the work went over the results with me. It was important for me to find a place with a leverless tire changer as I'm selling the wheels that were dismounted and I didn't want them to be damaged. It was worth the drive and extra $$ to get it done right. It was rush hour when I left so didn't get to drive over 50 mph on the way home but the ride was smooth on the new wheel / tire set up. I definitely would recommend this place for anyone who has high standards when it comes to their wheels.

Thanks aksi for letting me know about this place.

[aksi]

Originally Posted by F36 Pilot

Went to Vibe today and got my 442Ms mounted and road force balanced using their Hunter machines. I made an appointment and there was no wait. The guys there are all cool, especially Leo. I think they are used to guys like me with OCD when it comes to their cars. I wish I could have watched them work but they close the garage door and there is no window into the work area. I asked for a print out of the road force balance results and the guy who did the work went over the results with me. It was important for me to find a place with a leverless tire changer as I'm selling the wheels that were dismounted and I didn't want them to be damaged. It was worth the drive and extra $$ to get it done right. It was rush hour when I left so didn't get to drive over 50 mph on the way home but the ride was smooth on the new wheel / tire set up. I definitely would recommend this place for anyone who has high standards when it comes to their wheels.

Thanks aksi for letting me know about this place.

Really good to hear you had good experience with them.
Thank you for letting us know how it went.

[VIBE Motorsports]

Originally Posted by F36 Pilot

Went to Vibe today and got my 442Ms mounted and road force balanced using their Hunter machines. I made an appointment and there was no wait. The guys there are all cool, especially Leo. I think they are used to guys like me with OCD when it comes to their cars. I wish I could have watched them work but they close the garage door and there is no window into the work area. I asked for a print out of the road force balance results and the guy who did the work went over the results with me. It was important for me to find a place with a leverless tire changer as I'm selling the wheels that were dismounted and I didn't want them to be damaged. It was worth the drive and extra $$ to get it done right. It was rush hour when I left so didn't get to drive over 50 mph on the way home but the ride was smooth on the new wheel / tire set up. I definitely would recommend this place for anyone who has high standards when it comes to their wheels.

Thanks aksi for letting me know about this place.

Originally Posted by aksi

Really good to hear you had good experience with them.
Thank you for letting us know how it went.

Thank you guys for the kind words. Please don't hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.