ATVs, also known as all-terrain vehicles, are perfect for achieving exhilarating speeds no matter where you drive them. Every part of the average all-terrain vehicle is purpose-built to provide you with a smooth ride while also remaining tough and durable to handle even the absolute worst of conditions.
However, occasionally, you will still have to do some amount of maintenance on the vehicle in order to keep it in tip-top shape and to keep the excitement going for years and years.
ATVs are generally well regarded for their customizability, allowing you to change elements of the vehicle easily and without fuss to suit your tastes or needs. However, you will definitely need to have some experience with vehicle maintenance and a strong knowledge of vehicle parts. One of the toughest parts of an all-terrain vehicle to customize or maintain is the tire.
Changing an ATV tire requires some precision and care so as to avoid damaging the wheel. You might be wondering what the best way to change an ATV tire is and how you can do it yourself.
So let’s find out how you can change your own ATV tire hassle-free and without damaging your wheels!
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How Do You Change An ATV Tire?
Changing ATV tires requires careful precision, so you should make sure to ask for help from others if you need it. Having two pairs of hands can make the job much easier and safer.
Changing an ATV tire requires a number of distinct steps that should be followed in the correct order to prevent accidental damage to the vehicle, so make sure to remove your tire carefully.
You may also want to make sure that you have any tire tools you own close by, such as tire irons. Tire irons are incredibly useful for levering a tire out. Aim to have two tire irons ready.
First, we need to deflate our tire!
Step One: Deflate Your Tires
Before you get to work on removing the tires from the wheels, you will want to make sure that they are deflated so that they do not burst and are looser and easier to remove. Start by opening the cap or opening the tire valve stem, which allows the air to escape. The air will naturally escape slowly, but if you want, you can lightly squeeze the tire to speed up the rate at which it drains. You should hear the air lightly hissing as it pours out of the tire valve stem. Make sure to keep your tire valve stem close by; you don’t want to lose it.
You can also use a pressure gauge as you drain your tire to ensure that air is not escaping too quickly or that you are not risking bursting the tire upon filling your tire with air.
The next step is perhaps the most difficult, so let’s get right into it!
Step Two: Break The Bead
On every all-terrain vehicle wheel, there is a small caved-in groove called a ‘bead retainer,’ which is built to hold a tire in place to ensure that they do not slip around on tough terrain, which would be disastrous. These bead retainers are built to be tough and to never loosen up on their grip, so separating them from a tire is the most difficult part of the process.
If you were to check the inner edge of a loose tire, just past the tire sidewall, you would notice a slight protrusion that circles around the center of the tire. This is what is referred to as the tire bead.
Tire beads, when attached to the vehicle, are built to slide comfortably into the bead retainer to keep the tire solid through use. It is lined with a strong steel wire throughout, which makes it inflexible. This is where the difficulty comes into play.
Luckily, deflating the tire will make the process of removing the tire bead easier. If you don’t plan to reuse a tire, you can break the tire bead by breaking the steel wire to loosen it up. If you want to use it again, or you don’t want to damage the tire beads, you can carefully coerce the tire free. You will need to ease the tire bead out from the bead retainer.
Wedge a slim tire iron between the tire and the wheel, being careful not to damage its structure. You should aim to have your tire irons just below the tire bead. Once you have managed to successfully insert the tire iron between the two elements, you can slowly use the iron as a lever to push the wheel out from the tire.
After this, insert the other tire iron at another point of the tire and slowly use it to lever the wheel out while also moving the second tire iron towards the first of the tire irons. You should notice the tire bead popping out.
After it has been loosened enough, it may pop out by itself, but if not, you can simply continue to lever it out safely. Keep working the tire out, moving both the first and second tire iron, and eventually, it should pop out of the rim completely.
There are also specially designed tools that you can purchase to assist you in separating the tire from the wheel, or even specially designed tools to help you in breaking tire beads to allow the tire to slip off easily. These tools can be quite expensive, so make sure that owning one is necessary before you purchase, such as if you plan to remove a significant amount of tires.
Step Three: Installing Your Tire
Before installing your new tire, you should ensure that you are working on a stable platform, such as a garage floor. Place your wheel on a flat surface to ensure that it does not move during installation. You can then slowly place the tire onto the wheel and slowly slide it on.
Start on one side of the tire, and place it comfortably onto the side of the wheel. Make sure that the beads are sliding into the bead retainers comfortably.
From here, you can slowly apply pressure side to side in order to push the tire onto the wheel. Go around the side of the wheel a few times until the entirety of the tire is wrapped around the wheel.
This process can be made much easier by lightly applying a layer of lubrication so that the tire will slip on with little resistance or hassle. You can also use tire irons to slightly stretch the tire to wrap around the wheel. Make sure to be careful not to damage the wheel or your new tire.
Step Four: Setting The New Beads
At this point in the process, you should start to feel the bottom beads beginning to set into place within the bead retainer. Check to make sure that the entire inner circumference of the first bead is comfortably fitted into the retainer.
From here, you can then apply pressure to the upper half of the tire to fit the second bead into its corresponding retainer. Use a similar motion to before by going around the tire, lightly applying pressure to slowly push the tire down into place.
You will likely know when the bead is in place, as it should make a satisfying click sound and will feel very secure. You may find that the final part of the bead is slightly more difficult to slide into the retainer.
If this is the case, then simply use tire irons to coerce the rest of the bead into the retainer. Eventually, it should click in. Check that the bead has slipped into the retainer by checking the rim completely. Now you have your new tire installed!
Step Five: Inflating Your Tire
Before you inflate your tire, the beads may not yet fully be fitted into the bead retainers. This will happen over the course of inflation, as the beads will be pushed to the edge and fitted directly into the retainer as you pump air through the tire valve stem.
You might want to keep your tire iron close to hand so that you can maneuver the bead into position as you inflate. Mounting ATV tires should be one of the easier steps in the process, so don’t push your tire too hard and risk damaging it.
Make sure to use your pressure gauge as you fill your tire and fill it up slowly, with only small amounts of air at a time. This is so you don’t risk bursting the tire and so that it can properly move into position.
Keep checking each area of the tire as you inflate it to ensure that the bead is moving into the right position and that you are getting the right results. Use the tire valve stem to carefully add more air. You can also use an air compressor to give you a constant flow of air to ensure that you do not end up with too much air. This is the best tool to use when mounting ATV tires.
You’ll know when to stop inflating your tire, as the maximum pressure will likely be written onto the tire itself. Do not pump in too much air and exceed this limit, as it is there for your safety. A bursting tire can be extremely dangerous during installation, and especially so while the vehicle is in use.
Don’t fret about not filling your tire to its maximum pressure; a tire can work perfectly fine, if not better, with a slightly lower amount of air to provide them with a buoyancy that makes riding across rough terrain easier and more comfortable.
And there you have it, you now have a newly installed tire, and you are ready to hit the tracks all over again!
How Much Does It Cost To Change An ATV Tire?
Changing ATV tires can occasionally be quite expensive due to the specialized knowledge needed to do it safely. The cost can vary greatly depending on the type of tire you are installing and how you are installing it. However, there are certain ways to reduce your costs so that you don’t have to dread the day that you have to change your tire!
Whenever you need to change your tire, your first option is to have it installed at a tire shop. This can generally be more expensive than doing it yourself since you are depending on someone else’s labor and expertise.
The price of a tire shop can depend entirely on how in-demand the mechanic is or how many of them need changing. Make sure to discuss the job with a few local tire shops if you want to pursue a professional service so that you can make an informed decision on the price.
Tire shops may also cost you less money in the long run if you are inexperienced in changing your ATV tires. Changing the tire on an all-terrain vehicle can be a time-consuming and challenging task that carries the risk of potentially damaging your wheels or other components of the vehicle if you are unsure of what you are doing. Depending on the skills of a mechanic can save you a lot of money if you are unsure that you can take on the task yourself.
If you choose to take on the task yourself, you will need to consider your budget for the job. You will want to invest in a high-quality tire that will last well, but you also don’t want to overspend and end up with a tire that may be unnecessarily complex.
As well as this, you should make sure that you are confident in installing a tire, as damaging an expensive tire during the process could mean a lot of wasted money! However, if you have good experience with the job, then an expensive tire is well worth the money for the high-quality construction and the hours of driving it can provide you before your next change.
Another variable cost that you could encounter is tools. Some tools used in tire changing, such as bead breakers, can be costly and occasionally challenging to get your hands on.
You can create your own DIY bead breakers and other tools, but these run the risk of being flimsy and doing the job improperly. If you have the necessary tools at hand already, then this cost is not something to worry about.
If you are only missing a few of the essential tools, then it is worth looking into buying them to carry out the job yourself. However, if you have none of the necessary tools, then it may be worth depending on your local mechanic to carry out the task, as they will have easy access to top-of-the-range tools to do the job safely.
You should consider how often you plan to change your tire. If you have multiple vehicles that need their tires changing frequently, then it is worth investing in the necessary tools, as you will be using them very often. If you need to change a tire after a one-off incident, then it may be less worthwhile paying for the tools, as you may not be using them much at all.
Do Different Types of ATV Need Different Types of Tire?
There are a wide variety of all-terrain vehicle models available that differ in numerous ways, especially in terms of size. Sometimes different vehicles are only compatible with a highly specific type of tire, or only a specific tire will fit the wheels. In order to find out what kinds of tires your all-terrain vehicle can take, you should check the user manual that you should have received when you first purchased the vehicle.
If you do not have this manual, then you can also take to the internet by using search engines or forums to find out exactly what type of tire you should go for.
ATVs can also be divided into separate types, such as youth ATVs, sport ATVs, or utility ATVs. These vehicles are different in numerous ways, and thus they may require different kinds of tires.
A youth ATV will likely require a smaller tire than the average vehicle due to being aimed at young riders. Utility ATVs, such as those used by the police or by those who use them for heavy work, will require a different kind of tire.
Utility ATVs benefit from tires that are built to handle rough terrain, perhaps at a slower speed. You might also want to purchase a specially designed tire for snow and other harsh weather conditions.
Sport ATVs will benefit from a tire that is built to maximize speed and to rescue shock and vibration to allow for prolonged comfortable rides at high speeds. These should be durable and able to quickly deal with uneven terrain, ensure a smooth ride, and maximize safety.
These can occasionally be more expensive than an ordinary tire or those designed for utility, thanks to their highly specialized nature and the high-quality materials needed to make them.
Some ATVs also have six wheels, so these vehicles may be more difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to maintain.
How Should You Know Which Tire To Use?
You will need to make sure that you choose the perfect tire, or you may run the risk of the vehicle not running at its best, which would then mean that you’d have to buy a new tire all over again!
When choosing your tire, make sure to strongly consider exactly what purpose you will be using them for. Will you be using your tire for heavy and arduous work on tough terrain that could potentially be slippery?
In that case, you definitely want to spring for a utility tire built to take on uneven ground at slower and more careful speeds. These are usually built to be durable and able to handle whatever is thrown at them.
If you plan on using tires for motorsports or stunts, you may want to consider ones built for high-speed use. Ones that can provide you with sufficient and safe traction but that also focus on increasing your speed. These can occasionally cost more, but this is a worthwhile cost for the extra benefits it provides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Hard To Change ATV Tires?
As with any vehicle maintenance project, changing ATV tires can occasionally be a difficult task, thanks to the more complex knowledge that is needed and the specialized tools that may be necessary for the process. However, if you have the right tools and knowledge, the process can be made much easier by following each step properly to ensure safe and full installation.
Does Walmart Install ATV Tires?
Yes. Walmart offers ATV tire changing and installation as part of their wider vehicle maintenance services. You should check with your local Walmart store to see if they offer the service, as not every store has the capacity to offer it fully.
How Long Do ATV Tires Last?
Higher-quality ATV tires will last you a longer amount of time than cheaper ones, thanks to their higher-quality materials and construction. How long your tire lasts will depend entirely on how often you use them, the kinds of terrain you are traversing, and how long you use them per session. A tire can last for well over five years, with proper maintenance and care, so make sure to take good care of one to really get your money’s worth!
When Should You Replace A UTV Tire?
UTVs allow more than one passenger to sit side-by-side during movement, making them great for exciting rides or labor that might require two pairs of hands. It is generally recommended that you change a tire on these vehicles every six years to avoid an accidental breakdown. Having your tire burst during use can be risky, as you may end up left with an immobile vehicle on uneven terrain!
You should make sure to check any tire regularly and occasionally change them even if they don’t look worn down, as the rubber may degrade in ways that you do not initially see.
What Is High Mileage For An ATV?
ATVs can cover some serious ground in a single session; however, they are generally designed to cover smaller amounts of ground that are considered uneven or dangerous. Thus, ATVs generally reach a high mileage at 10,000 miles, as the rough and uneven terrain requires more effort to be traveled upon. Luckily, ATVs are easy to maintain and customize, so even once you have reached high mileage, you can expect to get many more years out of it, provided you give it ample care and attention.
Are ATV and UTV Tires The Same?
UTVs are built to carry more than one passenger at a time and sometimes heavy loads of cargo. Thus, they need slightly different types of tires. These need to be strong and durable to take on significant weight while still allowing the vehicle to move about smoothly and without a hitch.
What Do You Do With Old ATV Tires?
An old tire can be repurposed in numerous ways, thanks to the sturdy materials used in it. You can use the high-quality rubber in a number of ways, such as for storage, for decoration, or to create strange and crazy furniture. There are literally millions of ways to make use of old tire materials, which is great for keeping our environment safe and using everything we have at our disposal while also saving a lot of money.
There are also many businesses that would gladly buy up your old ATV tires, to use the materials in creating products, or to recycle them back into new ones! Look around your local area for recycling initiatives to see how your old tire can be put to great use.
Can I Put Bigger Tires On My ATV?
You can definitely put a larger tire on an ATV, which might provide you with better traction, or may give your vehicle a slight lift from the ground to give it better protection in harsh and uneven areas. However, you should make sure not to install any that are significantly larger than the standard ones, as the vehicle may not be able to provide the requisite amount of power to have them spin fully. Larger tires may also not fit within the frame of your ATV, so make sure to check what yours can handle before you buy larger ones.
Why Do ATVs Have Smaller Front Tires?
Having smaller front tires provides a number of advantages. Firstly, it makes the vehicle much easier to control, providing better handling even in the worst conditions to ensure that the vehicle can work at its best no matter where it is taken. Smaller tires also prevent tire rub, which occurs when the tire rubs against the frame of the vehicle because they are too large.
How Profitable Is Tire Recycling?
Many tires get recycled or otherwise thrown away every year, and thus there are many extra uses for them after they have been discarded. Some businesses may pay to take old tires off of your hands, thus giving them to these businesses or to recycling centers can actually yield a fair profit that makes it worth disposing of them properly. There is also the environmental benefit, as those will no longer head to landfills where they will either be incinerated or left to decay for decades.
Can Wrong Size Tires Damage Transmission?
The wrong size of tire for your ATV may not directly harm the transmission system, but it can have serious negative consequences for the speed the vehicle can reach. If the tires are too loose, then they will not spin properly and could even prove hazardous by slipping off mid-journey.
Having the wrong tire size can also increase the risk of your ATV stalling in an uncomfortable position or in the middle of harsh terrain, which is a difficult situation to get yourself out of.
What Do You Do If Your ATV Goes Underwater?
ATVs are built to handle all kinds of terrain, so they are usually able to make short work of puddles or slightly larger bodies of water. However, as with any wheeled vehicle, ATVs do not cope well under deep waters and can be heavily damaged by them.
If you do find yourself running through water that is a little too deep, don’t panic.
The Carburetor should be your first priority as it is the component tasked with mixing the air and the fuel to create combustion. If this component becomes waterlogged, then the vehicle will not be able to move.
Once you have this sorted, slowly remove other components that may have water in them and then drain them out. It is recommended to leave your vehicle to rest for a few days to ensure that all of the water can evaporate or drain.
Summary: On How to Change An ATV Tire
ATVs can be extremely useful and extremely exciting vehicles to ride, to make quick work of difficult terrain, and allow you to reach all kinds of areas that other vehicles couldn’t, at high speeds! However, in order for an ATV to run at its best, it needs just the right tire for the job.
These can vary in purpose and price, but they are all built to be durable and sturdy and made to not slip around.
Because of the sturdy build of ATV tires, they require a little more effort to be changed. The process of changing an ATV tire can be initially challenging and time-consuming, thanks to the sturdy tire bead, but it is well worth the time spent to make sure that your tire is secure and ready to take on the outside world.
There are many methods to use when changing ATV tires and even more tools that can be used in the process. Just follow our simple steps to get the job done quickly and without hassle.
And don’t forget that if the job does appear too daunting, or you are finding it challenging, there are many capable mechanics that you can hire at a low cost to do the job for you. Don’t push yourself too hard and risk damaging your beloved ATV!
Frequently Asked ATV Questions:
- How do you break beads on ATV tires?
- How do you mount ATV tires?
- How do you clean a carburetor on a ATV?
- How do you know if a solenoid is bad on an ATV?
- How do you read ATV tire sizes?
