Technical Articles

How to Install Your Wheel and Tire Package

Wheel-Hero-Packages

Congratulations on your new wheel and tire purchase! To ensure that your vehicle rides as well as it looks, it is important to follow these instructions for installing your new wheel and tire setup.

First things first, if you purchased directional and/or asymmetrical tires, it is important to set up each wheel and tire on the ground around your vehicle to ensure proper mounting and prevent any mistakes.

Installing Your Wheel and Tires

1. Remove Old Wheels and Tires:
With your vehicle on the ground, begin to loosen the lug nuts or wheel bolts before raising it using a floor jack or lift. Carefully loosen the lugs or bolts using a four-way wrench or socket with breaker bar. A power wrench or impact wrench can be used, but use extreme care as they may damage the wheel hardware.

2. Raise the Vehicle
Raise the vehicle using a lift or a jack. If using a jack, be sure to secure the vehicle and use jack stands on a level surface to keep the vehicle stable and safe. Remove the wheel lugs or bolts and take the wheel and tire off.

3. Test Fit Each Wheel
Test fit each wheel and check for proper fit as described in the following steps. If you have purchased only wheels, it is important to test fit them prior to ordering/installing tires.

4. Check the Bolt Circle
Check to see if the bolt circle on the new wheel fits the wheel hub of your vehicle. It is very important that the wheel makes contact with the wheel hub’s surface and matches the bolt pattern. If your wheel does not fit, please contact your sales specialist or the WheelHero customer service department at 305-728-7803.

5. Check Wheel Hardware
After checking the bolt circle, test the wheel lugs or bolts without the wheel. This will help to ensure that you have properly-sized hardware. With the wheel removed, install the lug nuts or bolts. Do not force the hardware onto the wheel hub. If you feel any resistance during the install, check the nut or lug for any obstructions and then try another. If the thread still does not match and you experience resistance, then give us a call and we will verify that you have the correct hardware for your application.

NOTE: Do not force your lug nuts or bolts on with a wrench. They should be able to be turned by hand. If they can’t, something is wrong! Please call WheelHero customer service department at 305-728-7803.

6. Check Hubrings (if applicable)
Test the hubring on to your vehicles hub and also test on your wheels center bore. The hubring should fit snug however it should not be something forced on. In the event you feel the hubring is either loose or extremely tight on the hub or center bore you may not have the proper parts required call WheelHero customer service department at 305-728-7803 for further assistance.

7. Inspect Brake Clearance
It is important to verify that your new wheel and tire fitment accommodates your vehicle’s brake system. To do this, temporarily install the wheel and tighten the lugs or bolts to see if there is enough space between the calipers and wheel. The wheel should spin freely and not make any contact with the brakes.

8. Verify Caliper Clearance
While your vehicle is still raised, put the transmission in neutral. Turn each wheel to see if any part of the brakes comes into contact with the wheel. If there is any contact with the wheel or wheel weights then the wheel is improperly sized.

If you have any concerns…CALL US! We will be happy to help you solve your problem.

9. Install the Wheels
Install each of the wheels by tightening the lug nuts or bolts using a crisscross/star sequence. Tighten each lug nut or bolt to the recommended torque specifications found in your vehicle’s owner’s manual, repair manual, or at the vehicle’s dealership. Do not over-torque a wheel as it can lead to a stretched or broken stud, strip a lug nut, and damage the wheels or brakes.

10. Tighten Center Caps
For wheels with closed caps, tighten each cap by hand without over-tightening to prevent any cracking or damage.

11. Re-Torque after Driving
It is important to re-torque your lug hardware after driving 50-100 miles. As the wheels break in on your vehicle, they may compress and loosen the hardware. Repeat the torque instructions as listed in Step 8, above.

IMPORTANT: While installing your new wheel and tire setup may be just as easy as changing a tire, it is always important to take every safety precaution to prevent any injury or damage to your vehicle.

If you have any questions regarding your wheel and tire packages installation or need assistance with product sizing, please call WheelHero customer service department at 305-728-7803.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Auto Service Center

    February 3, 2014 at 7:16 am

    Nice Blog

    Thanks for providing such a useful
    information about auto wheel installation.

    http://www.premierautoofswfl.com

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