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WD40 as tire mounting lube

jforgo

New member
Is there any downside to using WD40 for mounting tube tires? I had never heard of this, now I have twice heard so this week.
 
asking the musical question.. "why, something wrong with dishsoap or Yamalube?"

don't know if anything right or wrong with it, but the very thought of that on my tire makes my lower lip go kinda whumpy. (and no, that ain't good).
 
I wouldn't, IIRC its something like 80% stoddard solvent. ( and the are great internet debates as to whether its stoddard solvent, or some other form of solvent) but solvent on a tire just doesn't sound like a good thing. neither does oil. YMMV.

I just use dish soap or hand soap.

As an aside, the racers use coca cola as they say that will "stick" the tire and it won't spin on the rim
 
I know people use it but I am with Ride57, the solvent factor is great for many reasons but not for tire mounting if I am going to ride the bike.

asking the musical question.. "why, something wrong with dishsoap or Yamalube?"

don't know if anything right or wrong with it, but the very thought of that on my tire makes my lower lip go kinda whumpy. (and no, that ain't good).

The one that made my lower lip go kinda whumpy (and not in a good way) was when a friend said he was in a rush and used KY jelly
:lurk
 
In a pinch maybe-for all the above reasons. I've used Murphys tire lube/soap for years. You probably don't need a bucket but if you showed up at a small time tire shop with a zip-lock bag and used your hand to get it-they would give it to you.
mu40-40-ls-murphys-vegetable-soap-tire-mount-compound-2008-cmpd-wcf.jpg
 
I wouldn't use solvent.if you want a spray, silicone spray would be my choice, personally I use dish soap and water.
 
Water Displacement-40

I'm not sure if I would use WD-40 on the tires. As its original name suggests it was designed to displace water or moiture and it may actually dry out the compounds in your tires. I keep a can of cheap silicoene spray on hand for my tire change needs and it does work better than WD-40, I have used both.
 
Armor all dries it out also

I don't know about the 303 stuff but I know if you use Armor all and it gets down to where the rubber meets the road , dry rotted tires will be the least of your worries. I have also found that armor all also dries out the tire compounds.
 
PHOSPHATES, NOT Sulfates...

Most liquid dish soaps contain PHOSPHATES which attack aluminum. PHOSPHATES will turn your 'flakes' to powder. I would STILL be surprised if WD40 could compromise a modern tire any faster than normal use...Best one so far on this thread is KY because its water soluble, inert and slick enough to get the job done. I use GoJo hand cleaner. Again, water soluble, inert, slippery and no sulfates. I suppose that if a product is actually made for mounting tires, then every other thing on this thread is just a shade-tree work around - GoJo included.
 
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No Soap!

Let's say it together: Sodium Hydroxide.

THIS is what you're putting on your rims when you use dish soap. Good article at Randakk's site (old Wing guru, where I heard about this) http://www.randakks.com/TechTip62.htm

+1 for 303 Aerospace Protectant. Anybody who mentions "Armor All" in the same sentence with 303 should be made to drink the Armor All. (You probably COULD drink the 303.) Check it out -- it is the BEST UV protectant made, bar none, and does NOT make seats, rubber, slick.

I've attempted to inform a couple of shops around here about this no-no, and just get (a) blank looks, or (b) "we've been doing this for years, and NO corrosion." Well, I'm a rookie wrench, and a "nobody" but I (a) know how to read, and (b) have a few people whom I trust when they tell me something.

BTW - I'd put Randakk in the same category of "expert wrench" as Parkhouse, Glaves, Cutter. Just because he doesn't fly the blue-and-white is no reason to ignore his advice.

As other smartasses have said: Your bike, your choice, your life. This is a very bad place to try to save money.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Walking Eagle
 
Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) is used to make soap, but is not present in soap. Murphy's oil soap is a good example. I think that is NaOH added to oil. But, your point is still valid in my mind because even though the NaOH is consumed chemically, soap is still alkaline, with a pH around 8 or 9 I'd guess.

So my question is, why try all these other things when a perfectly good, cheap, and proper solution exists. Tire mounting lube, whether the previously mentioned Murphy's or NoMar that I use, is vegetable based, non corrosive, and evaporates to harmless powder. It is cheap, available, and designed for the job. WD 40 is EXPENSIVE!

So why not just use the 'right' thing? One jar will likely last as long as the bike needs tires.
 
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Yeah, it's like:

"I have a bunch of old plexiglass laying around, I wonder if I can use it as roof shingles?"
 
If any of you guys have a can of WD40 around please read it carefully. If you find the word "lubricant, lubricate or lube" anywhere on that can I'd like to hear about it. WD40 is junk. If I see a can of it in a shop my opinion of that shop takes a hit.

Oh by the way it is a great tar remover though.
 
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