Hot Rods Mounting tires on wheels with no safety beads

Two reasons. The tires are rock hard now, and we didn't want to put the cast magnesium wheel on the new-fangled tire machine that uses four sharp jaws pressing into the wheel lip.

I spent quite a few afternoons that past winter removing old tires from old steel wheels. Even with the wheel mounted on the machine, I found many that were too hard for the machine operator (me) and the machine to manipulate over the lip. It's even more difficult the narrower the wheel gets.

 

All I know, is that the first set of tires (that were mounted on the wheels when I bought them) were off center. At the first HAMB drags on our first pass the car bounced so violently, the people in the stands could see it. It was crazy. Ever since then, I have paid particular attention to them and I have them spin balance them. If they are off center, it shows up in a hurry.

 

thanks @alchemy for your reply, - didn’t think of the tyres hardening, - that all makes sense now.

 

A combination of the tires hardening after 30-50 years, and the value of the wheels increasing so much that you sure dont' want to risk cracking a wheel just getting an old tire off.