Project Dark Horse, Part 4 - Performance Tire Install

Carlos Juarez began by placing the wheel on the Italian-made Corghi Artiglio mounting machine, capable of handling as much as 26-inch rims.

Next, the tire was fitted to the wheel. Note the special non-metal mounting arms to prevent scratching of the rim.

Before inflating the tire, Carlos rotated it, so the Nitto logo would be at the top and with the wheel valve stem at the bottom.

The tire was then inflated to the recommended pressure.

To make it easier to check tire pressure, Carlos attached a chrome TireWise precision tire pressure monitor to the valve stem, instead of a cap. The green band indicated the tire was properly inflated. If the tire pressure dropped as little as 10 percent, the indicator would turn red.

The wheel was then placed on a Coats 1055 dynamic spin balancer and run out.

Special chrome tape weights were then attached to the backside of the rim for a cleaner show appearance.

The overall height of the 23-inch Tezzen wheel and wide 295/30x23 Nitto NT 555 Z-rated radial was virtually the same as the factory 17-inch tire and wheel. The aggressive water-shedding tread of the Nitto will reduce the chance of hydroplaning.

This side-by-side comparison of OE and aftermarket tire and wheel shows the dramatic difference between the two combinations.

The wheel was fitted to the truck, and the lug nuts were hand-tightened, for now.

A torque wrench was then used to tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern to the proper specs.

The new wheel and tire looks great. The tire tucks nicely and won't rub the fender. The wheel offset and backspacing allows plenty of clearance for steering and brakes. We'll also pick up extra points at shows by having the tire logo at the top, the wheel logo right side up, the valve stem at the bottom, and tape weights attached to the back of the rim.

It is imperative that you have a front-end alignment done immediately for safety, and to prevent a wear pattern from forming in the tire. We had Kent Swan at Anderson's Frame & Alignment in Garden Grove, California, do the work for us.