Quote:
Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's
Then how does it hold the wheel when the tire is being mounted?
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I haven't heard my changer called "touchless" but it is almost. It's a rim grip style. A Coats 50-60E. It grips the bottom of the wheel from the inside or outside with plastic slip-over covers on the 4 clamps. So it does protect the aluminum pretty well. Every now and then with an extremely low profile tire and stiff sidewall, the plastic jaws will slip off the rim. It's a PIA when that happens, but doesn't hurt the wheel. On the top side, the "duck" as it's called, the part on the vertical column that you pry off to remove the tire and push under to mount is made of nylon. They are soft and protect the wheel but don't last very long. I have to replace mine at least once a year. Then the pry bars have plastic slip over covers that protect the wheels too. You just have to be careful. Every now and then, I will scratch a wheel. The most difficult as a class of wheels are the plastic clad chrome wheels used allot by Chrysler and Jeep. You have to be very careful because the plastic outer part is brittle and can gouge, crack or break off entirely if your not really careful. Plus they are not repairable and quite expensive. How do I know!!