Shops that Mount Low Profile Tires on Powder Coated Rims - Raleigh-Durham, NC - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

RenegadeXR · 04-08-2016, 12:36 PM

Incase this thread is of any benefit to folks in Raleigh Durham looking for a shop that mounts low profile tires on powder coated rims, I'm documenting my plight incase it ever helps somebody in a similar situation.

On Tuesday this week, I ran over a nail when driving through many of the roads with active construction near RTP where I work. It's enough to cause a slow leak of maybe 1 PSI per 15 minutes.

I used the included "fix a flat" air pump in the trunk of my 2011 SS. For anybody who hasn't done this before — the air pump has a cartridge of fix a flat liquid that it disperses into the tire while filing it. However, once the tire is filled, you need to drive the car for a few minutes to let the liquid coat the inner tire. This seems to be holding so far.

I also ordered a replacement tire sealant cartridge on Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/General-Motors.../dp/B008Y95LMQ

However, a local shop confirmed the tires are too bald to be patched, and I needed a new set on all 4.

Which leads to the main focus on this discussion: 2 years ago, I ordered custom powder coated "Type 41" ZL1 replica rims off Camaro5. These shipped as a tire/wheel package, pre-balanced from a shop out of state. What do you do when you have low profile tires on easily-scratched powder coated rims?

Well, the options are extremely limited. Take it to a shop like Firestone (the first place I went to see if it the tire could be patched) and they will state they aren't liable for scratches. Try to take it to a custom rim shop like RimTyme (most other shops gave me a referral to them) and they will say they don't touch rims that weren't bought from them, even though they have the right equipment to install low profile tires safely.

Well, after calling 5-6 different places and being told repeatedly that the tires cannot be safely mounted without incurring damage to the rims, a shop with a very unassuming name — Discount Tire Store — in Raleigh has offered to do the installation. They claim to have the more expensive plastic-tipped tire mounting equipment that won't scratch rims and works with low profile tires as well. They went on to state that they work with many high end cars that require this kind of level of care.

Their Yelp reviews seem stellar, so it sounds like this isn't just bs.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/discount-ti...h-nc-raleigh-8

Let's see what happens. I'm starting off with relatively flawless rims. I will post a review when they finish mounting my replacement tires ordered from Tire Rack. Here are the "before" pictures. Hopefully, they won't look to different when all is said and done. (Ignore the streaks of white liquid on the rear left tire — that's just the fix a flat)

shibbs · 04-08-2016, 02:22 PM

I have Discount Tire take care of all my wheel/tire stuff. Always been really really happy with them. I've never had any damage, and their prices are usually the best in the area.

RenegadeXR · 04-08-2016, 04:53 PM

Alright, the tire swap is now done. No pictures to really show since the rims look exactly like they did before. No new scratches. Just a few globs of whatever they use the mount the new tires, which I'll wash off eventually.

The experience was fairly painless considering 5 other shops didn't even want to touch these.

The funny thing is that the original Firestone place that I went to in a panic said they could handle this. They talked me into having the tires shipped to them, but the moment I pulled in this morning, the manager took one look at the powder coating and said he wasn't comfortable handling them. I was pretty upset since another employee said it would be no problem. The manager said I was welcome to transport the tires myself to another shop, but I was like "Hey, I have one tire with a nail in it barely being kept inflated by fix a flat. There's no way I'm making 4 trips between here and another shop with my tiny trunk." Eventually he caved and said he would have somebody load them in a truck and drop them off at Discount Tire, which was 1 mile down the road actually.

Again, I'm kind of amazed that the name of this shop is so unassuming, yet when I went there, they had cars in their shop with all sorts of wacky tire profiles. A Toyota MR2, several Bemmers and Porsches. If you see that sort of stuff in the parking lot, you know they know what they're doing.

Now I need to get back to work and start painting white letters on the new set by hand. They look so plain without them.

04-08-2016, 12:36 PM	#1
RenegadeXR Drives: 2011 Camaro SS Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,850	Shops that Mount Low Profile Tires on Powder Coated Rims - Raleigh-Durham, NC Incase this thread is of any benefit to folks in Raleigh Durham looking for a shop that mounts low profile tires on powder coated rims, I'm documenting my plight incase it ever helps somebody in a similar situation. On Tuesday this week, I ran over a nail when driving through many of the roads with active construction near RTP where I work. It's enough to cause a slow leak of maybe 1 PSI per 15 minutes. I used the included "fix a flat" air pump in the trunk of my 2011 SS. For anybody who hasn't done this before — the air pump has a cartridge of fix a flat liquid that it disperses into the tire while filing it. However, once the tire is filled, you need to drive the car for a few minutes to let the liquid coat the inner tire. This seems to be holding so far. I also ordered a replacement tire sealant cartridge on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/General-Motors.../dp/B008Y95LMQ However, a local shop confirmed the tires are too bald to be patched, and I needed a new set on all 4. Which leads to the main focus on this discussion: 2 years ago, I ordered custom powder coated "Type 41" ZL1 replica rims off Camaro5. These shipped as a tire/wheel package, pre-balanced from a shop out of state. What do you do when you have low profile tires on easily-scratched powder coated rims? Well, the options are extremely limited. Take it to a shop like Firestone (the first place I went to see if it the tire could be patched) and they will state they aren't liable for scratches. Try to take it to a custom rim shop like RimTyme (most other shops gave me a referral to them) and they will say they don't touch rims that weren't bought from them, even though they have the right equipment to install low profile tires safely. Well, after calling 5-6 different places and being told repeatedly that the tires cannot be safely mounted without incurring damage to the rims, a shop with a very unassuming name — Discount Tire Store — in Raleigh has offered to do the installation. They claim to have the more expensive plastic-tipped tire mounting equipment that won't scratch rims and works with low profile tires as well. They went on to state that they work with many high end cars that require this kind of level of care. Their Yelp reviews seem stellar, so it sounds like this isn't just bs. https://www.yelp.com/biz/discount-ti...h-nc-raleigh-8 Let's see what happens. I'm starting off with relatively flawless rims. I will post a review when they finish mounting my replacement tires ordered from Tire Rack. Here are the "before" pictures. Hopefully, they won't look to different when all is said and done. (Ignore the streaks of white liquid on the rear left tire — that's just the fix a flat) Attached Images

04-08-2016, 04:53 PM	#3
RenegadeXR Drives: 2011 Camaro SS Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,850	Alright, the tire swap is now done. No pictures to really show since the rims look exactly like they did before. No new scratches. Just a few globs of whatever they use the mount the new tires, which I'll wash off eventually. The experience was fairly painless considering 5 other shops didn't even want to touch these. The funny thing is that the original Firestone place that I went to in a panic said they could handle this. They talked me into having the tires shipped to them, but the moment I pulled in this morning, the manager took one look at the powder coating and said he wasn't comfortable handling them. I was pretty upset since another employee said it would be no problem. The manager said I was welcome to transport the tires myself to another shop, but I was like "Hey, I have one tire with a nail in it barely being kept inflated by fix a flat. There's no way I'm making 4 trips between here and another shop with my tiny trunk." Eventually he caved and said he would have somebody load them in a truck and drop them off at Discount Tire, which was 1 mile down the road actually. Again, I'm kind of amazed that the name of this shop is so unassuming, yet when I went there, they had cars in their shop with all sorts of wacky tire profiles. A Toyota MR2, several Bemmers and Porsches. If you see that sort of stuff in the parking lot, you know they know what they're doing. Now I need to get back to work and start painting white letters on the new set by hand. They look so plain without them.