Internet advice. should it be feared?
The internet plays a huge role for us today. There are a multitude of tips and recommendations for almost every area of life. Of course, with such a flow of uncontrolled advice, it's obvious that not all of them are useful. Today, we'll talk about the tips that should be treated with special caution.
Self-balancing.
It sounds unreal, but there are devices and techniques for self-balancing. The photo accompanying this article is just an example of this. You shouldn't do this, and here's why. This practice came to us from the past, when many things were done independently due to shortages and high prices. Today, balancing costs more than affordable money and is done on modern equipment that takes into account all the characteristics of the assembled wheel and eliminates static and dynamic imbalance.
Self-tire mounting
It also sounds extreme, but nonetheless, it happens. There are many instructions on the internet on how to change tires yourself. Moreover, there are both ready-made devices for this, roughly like in the photo, and "life hacks" like using a jack to pry off the rim rings with the humps.
Of course, it's better not to do this, because damage during such mounting is very likely. Moreover, the rim zone of the tire, which is non-repairable, can be damaged. You shouldn't mount tires on disks yourself. Even if you manage to change the tires on the disk without problems, it's likely that the power of your compressor won't be enough to pump up the tire and seat it on the humps. In this case, uneven wear of the shoulder zones of the tire is guaranteed.
Wheel installation/removal/installation
In contrast to the first two ways to save money, this is extremely common. We wrote about the drawbacks of such savings, but it won't hurt to repeat the main points. There's no particular savings here, and the risks of incorrectly installing the wheels are real and quite significant. Few drivers know how to properly clean and lubricate the hub. Tightening the fasteners is also important to do not with a simple standard key, but with a professional and calibrated tool. In this case, the wheels will be securely fastened without the risk of damaging the fasteners and hub.
Self-repair
A more common practice, as a repair kit for the tire can be bought at any gas station or store. This is effective as an emergency measure. Such a kit should be kept in the car, especially when you don't have a spare tire. But you shouldn't consider this as a means of full-fledged repair. Only a specialist can assess the extent of the damage and repair it properly. In the case of poor-quality repairs, moisture can get into the damage.