The Art of Changing Golf Cart Tires

Whether you use your golf cart as a form of transportation in your neighborhood or on a golf course or as a heavy-duty racing machine, your cart will undoubtedly go through plenty of different terrains and conditions. After long and heavy use, the cart needs to undergo many different forms of maintenance in order to keep its performance at optimal and safe levels.

These adjustments could range from something as minor as the seat cushion to something as major as a full engine replacement. Thankfully, these replacements are facilitated by the plethora of resources offered by reliable golf cart retailers.

However, the most important and probably frequent replacement you will make on your golf cart is the tire. After all, out of all the cart’s parts, the tires are often exposed the most and, as a result, are the most susceptible to damage and wear. Thus, it is important to know how to make the smoothest and most effective tire replacement you can. In fact, doing so is relatively simple, so learning how to do your own tire replacements will definitely save you both time and money.

Before Changing the Tires

Since golf cart tires are considered a specialty tire, you’re best off getting your tires from a quality merchant that specializes in tires and other golf cart parts. Next, you’ll need the proper tools for a typical car tire replacement, such as a car jack, a socket and ratchet wrench, valve stem tool, and a tire iron.

Also, it may be good to have some cleaning materials, such as a rag, water, and soap, to clean the wheel rims during the replacement. Not only will this make your wheels look nicer, it will also get rid of anything that might damage or get in the way of the new tire.

The Procedure

First you need to lift your cart up using your car jack. It’s best to use the car jack on the part of the chassis that is closest to the tire being replaced, as it gives you the most control and allows the weight of the car to be properly distributed over the other three tires. Then take off the wheel cover if there is one, so that the lug nuts are exposed. Next, you should remove the lug nuts using the proper socket wrench, after which you can go ahead and remove the tire from the rim.

To remove the tire, you may need to remove the valve from the tire stem using the valve stem tool as the package instructs. After doing so, you must try to break the bead holding the tire and rim together. You can do this by applying force downward, pushing the tire toward the rim of the wheel. The tire should feel as if it becomes un-stuck when the bead breaks.

Then you need to use the tire iron by wedging it in between the tire and the rim. Apply force so that you can move the tire over the edge of the rim at multiple points around the rim. Then, you should be able to easily remove the tire from the rim. You can take time to use the cleaning materials to wash your rim for the new tire.

When putting on the new tire, the first thing you need to do is use the tire iron to squeeze the new tire over the edge of the rim. Essentially, the idea is to use the tire iron as a lever that helps push the new tire into the proper position. After the tire is on the rim, put the valve back on and use it to inflate the tire.

Make sure you get enough air so that the pressure in the tire is just right. Next, place the lug nuts in, but do not tighten them fully. Afterward, lower the cart using the car jack until there is some pressure on the new tire. At this point, fully tighten the lug nuts on the new tire. Finally, lower the car jack fully and take it out from under the vehicle.

Keeping Your New Tires in Shape

Proper maintenance is integral in elongating the lifespan of your tires, and it helps your cart perform the best it can. For example, make sure you have properly inflated the tire with the right amount of air pressure, as under inflation can lead to excessive sidewall tear. In addition, do some research on other tips and tricks car owners use to keep their tires in optimal condition.