Shopping for a tire changer can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. At Best Buy Automotive Equipment, we've been in the business for over 30 years, and we can steer you in the right direction. In this video, we'll walk you through some of the most common options on modern tire changers and explain why they might matter to you. Stay tuned. So, you can buy a regular tire changer or you can buy a tire changer with extra helper arms. And sometimes that makes all the difference. Let us show you why. Let's change a tire together. Before we do anything else, we release all the air. This takes pressure off the bead and prevents a dangerous pop. This is the bead breaker shovel. It pushes the bead off the bead seat so the tire can be removed. A quick pass on each side loosens it up. A little lube makes the next steps much easier. Before clamping, check whether the wheel is front mount or rear mount. Look at the drop center. That's the lowest point inside the rim. The side it's closest to should face up on the tire changer. This makes it easier to remove and install the tire without stressing the bead. Rear mount is when the back of the rim faces upward. Once you know which side goes up, decide how to clamp it. Tire changers can clamp a wheel from the inside or the outside. Inside clamping means the jaws expand into the inner bead seat of the rim. Outside clamping means the jaws grip the outer rim edge. Remember, when using outer clamping, it's important to use jaw covers to avoid damaging the rim's outer edge. Choose the method that gives you a secure hold while keeping the rim's finish safe. For a rear-mounted wheel like this, outer clamping with jaw covers is the best way to protect your rims. Some machines feature adjustable clamps, letting you securely handle everything from small car wheels to oversized truck rims. With the rim clamped in place, position the demount tool just above the bead. Use a pry bar to lift the bead over the tongue of the demount head. Then rotate the turntable to walk the bead completely off the rim. Then repeat the process for the lower bead, lifting it over the demount head and rotating the turntable until the tire is completely free from the rim. That was easy. So, why might you want an extra arm? Well, some tires are more difficult to change than others. This is particularly the case for lowprofile tires like this, where the sidewall is often shorter and the tire is wider, making it more difficult to move the rubber around in the way we need to. We'll demonstrate on this 1954 Ford F100. After deflating the tire, breaking the bead, and mounting the wheel, it can be very difficult to pry the tire over the front lip of the demount head. As a general rule, if you're using too much force, you're likely doing something wrong. Optional helper arms are used to push the tire into the drop center, giving you the additional leverage you need to properly place the tire over the front lip of the demount head and rotate it off the rim. Now, it's time to mount the tire back on. This can actually be more challenging than removing it, especially with low profile or stiff sidewall tires. The helper arm presses the opposite side of the bead into the drop center, keeping the slack where you need it. Less brute force means lower risk of tearing or stretching the bead, and the tire glides smoothly over the rim for a clean, damage-free install. Finally, we can use the optional bead seater to inflate the tire and snap the bead into place. A high volume blast of air pushes the sidewalls out against the rim for a quick, secure seal. That's it. Tire changing can be easy with the right tools. If you plan on changing low profile tires, you might want a tire changer with helper arms. For information on more features such as variable speed rotation, give us a call. With more than 30 years in the industry, we have the expertise to point you in the right direction. Best Buy Automotive Equipment. Gear up and get going. [Music]

So, you need a lift. Which do you want? A four post or a two post? Well, let me ask you a simple question. How are your knees? Two post lifts are a great addition to any garage, but the fact remains, it takes a lot of bending down to properly place the arms. Not to mention, finding the correct lifting points for your vehicle can cause some anxiety. If all this sounds troubling, then a four-post lift might be the right lift for you. A four-post lift gives you all the capability of a twoost lift and then some without the strain on your knees or the stress of finding lifting points. Simply drive your car onto the runways and get lifting. You can stand safely under your vehicle. And with a sliding jack or a rolling jack, you can easily lift the vehicle again for access to the wheels. And if you're nervous about drilling and anchoring a two-post lift, you can take comfort in knowing that four-post lifts often don't require anchoring unless they exceed a weight capacity of 9,000 lb. Not only that, but with a caster kit, you can easily move a fourpost lift around your garage, making your space more flexible and usable for different projects. [Music] If you're working on a vehicle with a lowered suspension, two-post lifts often require the use of wheel chocks. These sturdy wedges are placed under the wheels to create just enough clearance for the lift arms. But driving onto them isn't always convenient. With a forost lift, working on a lowered vehicle is far simpler. Just drive onto the runways and lift. So, if you've decided that a four-post lift is the right choice, here are a few quick tips to make sure you purchase the one that fits your needs. Start by thinking about the largest vehicle you plan to work on, and grab your measuring tape. First, measure your track width. That's the distance from the outside of one tire to the outside of the other tire on the same axle. This tells you how wide your lift's runways and drive-thru clearance need to be. Also, be mindful of your mirrors or anything else on your vehicle that extends past the track width since cables may obstruct clearance. And remember, having a few extra inches of drive-thru clearance can make a big difference because it's not always easy to judge your vehicle's radius while driving onto the lift. Next, measure your wheelbase, the distance from the center of the front axle to the center of the rear axle. Your wheelbase will determine the runway length you need. Remember, the runways should comfortably fit the longest vehicle you'll be lifting. You'll also want to check your garage height. If you plan on storing cars, add the height of both vehicles together and then add at least 12 in. That's the minimum ceiling clearance you'll need. And don't forget, if you want to open your garage door with a car raised, make sure the door tracks and opener aren't in the way. Finally, think about your overall bay space. You'll want extra room at the front and rear for the approach ramps and for moving around the vehicle safely. By keeping track of width, wheelbase, garage height, and bay space, you'll know a lot more about what to look for, and you'll avoid the frustration of buying a lift that doesn't quite fit your vehicles. If you have any more questions about four post lifts or automotive shop equipment generally, give us a call. We've been in the business for over 30 years. We can steer you in the right direction. [Music]

Shopping for a wheel balancer can be overwhelming. With so many features, it's hard to know what really matters. That's where we come in. Our experts cut through the noise to focus on what actually impacts your day-to-day work. And this decision, it's a big one. So, manual or semi-automatic, which one is right for you? Continue watching to find out. So, you're probably asking yourself, "What's the difference between a manual and a semi-automatic wheel balancer, and why does it matter to me?" Well, the difference is both simple and consequential. Let us show you. Imagine you have a customer come in to get their wheels balanced. Simple enough. You remove the wheel and roll it over to your manual wheel balancer. So, you center the wheel using your centering cone. And now you start the measurement process. First, you take the distance measurement. This tells the machine where you will be placing the inner correction weights. Then, you input this information manually. Next, you take your width measurement with a rim caliper. This tells the machine approximately where the outer correction weight will go. Then you input this information manually. Finally, you need to find the rim diameter usually marked on the tire. Then you input this information manually. Finally, after all this information is manually entered, you are ready to get spinning. Remember to watch for any wobbling. Now the balancer has computed the inner and outer correction weights needed to balance the wheel. But where do you place the weights? With the plus two manual wheel balancer from Talon, you rotate the tire until the inner weight lights are centered and fully illuminated. Then you mark the wheel at 12:00. This is where it wants the inner weight. You can rotate the wheel 180° to make placement easier. Then place the recommended weight value at the center of your mark on the inner rim. Then do the same for the outer correction weight. That's it. Simple enough, right? Now, let's try the same thing on a semi-automatic wheel balancer so that you can see firsthand the potential time savings and increased precision provided by semi-automatic balancers. It's incredibly easy. Simply use the automatic measuring arm to measure the distance for the inner and outer weights and get spinning. And just like that, the correction weights have been calculated. Where do you place the weights? Simply rotate the tire until the light flashes and a red laser indicates where to center your weights. You can turn the light off to make it easier to see the laser. Then do the same for the outer weights. And that's it. You're done. Manual wheel balancers are great, but semi-automatic balancers can save you time and headaches. They require less training and offer more precision. If you have any more questions, call us now. At Best Buy Automotive Equipment, we've been in the business for over 30 years. You can trust us to point you in the right direction.

So, if you've decided that a four-post lift is the right choice, here are a few quick tips to make sure you purchase the one that fits your needs. Start by thinking about the largest vehicle you plan to work on, and grab your measuring tape. First, measure your track width. That's the distance from the outside of one tire to the outside of the other tire on the same axle. This tells you how wide your lift's runways and drive-thru clearance need to be. Also, be mindful of your mirrors or anything else on your vehicle that extends past the track width since cables may obstruct clearance. And remember, having a few extra inches of drive-thru clearance can make a big difference because it's not always easy to judge your vehicle's radius while driving onto the lift. Next, measure your wheelbase. The distance from the center of the front axle to the center of the rear axle. Your wheelbase will determine the runway length you need. Remember, the runways should comfortably fit the longest vehicle you'll be lifting. You'll also want to check your garage height. If you plan on storing cars, add the height of both vehicles together and then add at least 12 in. That's the minimum ceiling clearance you'll need. And don't forget, if you want to open your garage door with a car raised, make sure the door tracks and opener aren't in the way. Finally, think about your overall bay space. You'll want extra room at the front and rear for the approach ramps and for moving around the vehicle safely. By keeping track of width, wheelbase, garage height, and bay space, you'll know a lot more about what to look for, and you'll avoid the frustration of buying a lift that doesn't quite fit your vehicles. If you have any more questions about four post lifts or automotive shop equipment generally, give us a call. We've been in the business for over 30 years. We can steer you in the right direction.

So you're looking to buy a two-post lift. The question is, do you want a symmetric, an asymmetric, a biometric, a super symmetric, versometric, trometric, symmetric, symmetrical, bymmetrical, etrical, electrical, sims, we know it can be confusing. Let us clear it up for you. At Best Buy Automotive Equipment, we've been in the business for over 30 years. We can steer you in the right direction. In this video, we'll explain the main categories of two post lifts. Symmetric, asymmetric, and a newer category that we like to call simply hybrid. Stay tuned. We all have an intuitive understanding of symmetry. But how can a twopost lift be symmetric? Well, it has something to do with the placement of the arms. Two post lifts can have two different lifting positions. With the first lifting position, you start by placing the arms facing outwards. Then you drive in the vehicle. Notice where this vehicle stopped. This is the symmetric lifting position. And you can tell because the distance from the post to the front of the car is the same as the distance from the post to the back of the car. This position is symmetric with respect to distance. to load the lift using the asymmetric lifting position. Start by pointing both sets of arms toward the back of the lift. Then, when you drive in the car, you're going to stop a little early so that roughly 30% of the vehicle's length is in front of the lift and 70% is in the back. When should you lift asymmetrically? It comes down to balance. If the vehicle's weight is spread evenly, go symmetrical. But if most of the weights up front, like with frontwheel drives, use an asymmetrical lift. There are other reasons you might want to use symmetric or asymmetric configurations as well. Some involving the wheelbase of your vehicle and ease of access to the front doors. However, the distinction between symmetric and asymmetric lifting positions is relatively simple. So, what's with all these other names? Well, many modern lifts are built to be used in both symmetric and asymmetric lifting positions. And for some reason, everyone wanted their own name for this, but we'll give it to you straight. All those names for lifts that can be used with both symmetric and asymmetric lifting positions. We call them hybrids. If you have any more questions about two post lifts, like the difference between floor plate and overhead models, give us a call. We've been in the business for over 30 years. We can steer you in the right direction. Best Buy Automotive Equipment. Gear up and get going.