Getting new tires for the first time. Anything to look out for?

[jim928]

I just ordered a set of Hankook Kinergy ST SL tires as suggested from DeLorean. They seem to be the only brand that makes both the front and rear sizes. My DeLorean desperately needs new tires. I believe the ones I have now were already over 10 years old when I bought the car back in 2010. Its just dumb luck they haven't blown out. When it comes to new tires for any of my cars, I've always purchased the tires myself and brought the rims and tires to a local mom and pop tire shop. I've never had any issues getting tires mounted but since this is a DeLorean, who knows what could be weird or different. I also have purchased new metal tire valve stems from DeLorean. Has anyone run into any weird issues getting tires mounted?

[WHO1DMC]

I just ordered a set of Hankook Kinergy ST SL tires as suggested from DeLorean. They seem to be the only brand that makes both the front and rear sizes. My DeLorean desperately needs new tires. I believe the ones I have now were already over 10 years old when I bought the car back in 2010. Its just dumb luck they haven't blown out. When it comes to new tires for any of my cars, I've always purchased the tires myself and brought the rims and tires to a local mom and pop tire shop. I've never had any issues getting tires mounted but since this is a DeLorean, who knows what could be weird or different. I also have purchased new metal tire valve stems from DeLorean. Has anyone run into any weird issues getting tires mounted?

I had the same concern a year ago when I did mine. I did exactly what you're going to do and there were no problems. I gave the wheels a good cleaning removed the old weights and all. I could tell they did there best to get a good balance by the residue left in places that had no weights. They did get one wheel perfect with no weights needed.




Dave B.

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[David T]

Consider also replacing the spare tire. It is OLD (if it is original and it most likely is!). Many reports of owner's having to use it and it blows in in just a few miles. Sometimes you see a lot of corrosion on the rims by the bead so you must clean it all up. Ask them to use Camel Bead Sealer, especially on the spare. If the shells of the lug nuts are missing or coming off, get a new set. The vendors have solid ones now. Consider also getting a 4 wheel alignment. Bring the specs. Before going make sure the suspension and steering has no loose/worn parts. Get the tires balanced too (not the spare). If it takes a LOT to balance a tire it is defective (unless the rim is bent).

[ssdelorean]

Consider also replacing the spare tire. It is OLD (if it is original and it most likely is!). Many reports of owner's having to use it and it blows in in just a few miles. Sometimes you see a lot of corrosion on the rims by the bead so you must clean it all up. Ask them to use Camel Bead Sealer, especially on the spare. If the shells of the lug nuts are missing or coming off, get a new set. The vendors have solid ones now. Consider also getting a 4 wheel alignment. Bring the specs. Before going make sure the suspension and steering has no loose/worn parts. Get the tires balanced too (not the spare). If it takes a LOT to balance a tire it is defective (unless the rim is bent).

... and regarding the spare...

Most tire store's machines cannot mount a new spare because it is too skinny for their machines.
Take it to a motorcycle shop for mounting. They might not be able to balance it but who cares, it's just a spare.

[dmcman73]

... and regarding the spare...

Most tire store's machines cannot mount a new spare because it is too skinny for their machines.
Take it to a motorcycle shop for mounting. They might not be able to balance it but who cares, it's just a spare.

I actually just had a tire shop by me, Mavis Tire and Auto, swap my old tire with a new one I purchased online. The only issue they had was the old rubber was fused on the rim and it took them a minutes to remove but installing the new one went on with no issues at all. As for balance, the space saving spares are not balanced, I don't think I have ever seen a space saving spare (like the one in the Delorean) ever have any balancing weights on them on any car I've owned.

[Rich]

Has anyone run into any weird issues getting tires mounted?

Yes, one weird thing happened - I got the car back with fresh tires but noticed during a last-minute walkaround one of the wheel center caps was missing.

Took the shop team >5 minutes to find it. It might have disappeared for good if I missed that detail for a few days/weeks.

So a walkaround before you leave the shop.

Things I do to avoid weird issues:

• Verify during check-in the shop will use a contactless tire mount machine that won't scratch the rim. This may be standard everywhere now. Doesn't hurt to check.
• Specify glue-on balance weights, the ones they stick inside the wheel barrel. Avoids the weird look of clip weights and chipped wheel lip paint you'll see when the clip weights are replaced later.
• Tell the shop the wheel nut torque spec because they often have no DeLorean specs and will guess high. I retorque the nuts anyway when I get home. 70 ft-lb per the DWT. Avoids a warping a wheel hub/disc.

[WHO1DMC]

... and regarding the spare...

Most tire store's machines cannot mount a new spare because it is too skinny for their machines.
Take it to a motorcycle shop for mounting. They might not be able to balance it but who cares, it's just a spare.

I also took mine to my cycle shop. They had a little bit of a fight with it because the rubber was pretty stiff.





Dave B.

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[Mark D]

I'd recommend removing your wheels and tires at home and bringing them in loose with the new tires to the tire shop. This avoids any issues with service techs jacking up the car improperly, or having issues getting it on a lift due to it being low to the ground. It also prevents them from over-torquing and destroying the caps on the lug nuts.

Remove the center caps and keep those at home so they don't get lost.

Specify sticky weights only so they don't use the hammer-on style weights and mess up paint on the lip of the wheels.

If your car already has stick-on weights, remove them yourself ahead of time with a plastic trim tool and clean the inside barrels of the wheels. Remove all glue residue from the old weights. Yuu want a nice clean surface for the new weights to stick to, and often times shops don't do the greatest job prepping the inside of the barrel before just slapping them on.