<VV> Tire mounting story

[Sethracer at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/11/2011 6:04:18 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
paulvair at yahoo.com writes:

I all  ready have had trouble getting any used tires mounted at Firestone. 
They don't  want to risk a law suit I guess. I'll bet if they knew they were 
old even if  unused they wouldn't mount them.
Paul Fox, Indy
 
My tire changing story - More that 30 years ago, there was a  Mobil station 
near my house that converted into a self serve. The only  tool-type item in 
the garage bays not already gone was a manual tire  changer (Coates 
10-nothing?) I casually mentioned to the teenager running the  pumps that I would 
like to buy it and to tell the owner, and gave him my phone  number. About 
7AM the next Saturday morning, I awoke to the phone call, asking  me what I 
thought it was worth. Still half asleep, I offered $50 - the guy on  the other 
end of the line said: "How about $40?" --- Uh, I was still half asleep  - 
but not stupid. For a moment, I thought about offering $30 - But I just  said 
Sure!, and I drove over and picked it up that afternoon. I changed a large  
number - easily into 3 digits - of tires over the years, Autocross and  
Road Racing makes that a given. But it couldn't expand to change a tire on a  
wheel over about 8 inches in width. I bolted it down a couple of times when 
we  moved, but it now sits behind the shop. It has paid for itself many times 
over.  I paid more than that to mount and balance the last 4 tires on my 
racecar. So,  perhaps the solution is to seek out your own tire machine! It 
worked for  me. - Seth Emerson