Wheel installation.(1996 Performance Handbook)

Securing the wheel to the vehicle should be viewed as a precision job, not to be taken lightly

The customer has anguished for months over his decision. He's studied dozens of magazines, poured over scores of manufacturer brochures and has gazed longingly at hundreds of photos.

He's worn out his tape measure and his knees in an attempt to determine what will and won't fit within his wheelwells.

He's discussed the pros and cons with every performance-minded buddy within earshot, and has bored his wife to tears by droning on for hours as he explained aspect ratios, tread compounds, plus-sizing and offset spacing.

Finally, he's in your store, credit card in hand, placing his order.

The performance tire has been chosen. The model suits all of his requirements in terms of dry traction, wet traction, steering response, appearance, braking ability and projected tread wear.

The wheels have been selected, with the decision based on beauty, conformance to his car's body lines, reputation of the brand, detail of the finish, rim width, offset and diameter.

He announces his selection of drop-dead gorgeous big-diameter alloys and high-technology tires. He's even taken the time to choose just the right style of air valves.

He relaxes in your waiting room and salivates. His long-awaited tire and wheel combo is finally about to compliment his street toy.

You take great pains to mount and balance the units. No scratches, no scuffs, and no problems. Now is not the time to simply slap the investment onto the vehicle with an unregulated King Kong air gun in the scurry to create open bay space.

Installation

Before you do anything else, make sure that the …