Repair Stories

Seating a Tire Bead with Fire in Kenya

This is a small roadside auto repair shop in Kenya.

Auto repair shop in Kenya

Kyle watched for a few minutes as these folks mounted tires on rims using an explosive DIY technique. The man squatting on the ground put a little bit of gasoline around the rim, then lit it on fire. The tire then popped into place.

Seating a tire bead at an auto repair shop in Kenya

This method of seating a tire bead is effective and impressive to watch—but obviously potentially very dangerous.

See how it’s done in the video below:

If you’re not comfortable with pyrotechnics, you can reseat a bead at home using rope instead.