Power wheels may require minor repairs or replacement from time to time. With time, tires of the power wheels start to lose traction, which requires replacing tires for safe driving. 

When you increase the speed of your power wheels, it implies that the power wheels require more traction. You may need to change the plastic tires to rubber tires, because many models utilize plastic tires, and the rubber tires can enhance traction.

Replacing tires is an easy step-by-step process. You don’t need much money, effort, and time to do that. If you don’t know about the process of replacing tires, don’t worry! And keep reading this article to know about that.

How to replace tires on Power Wheels:

1. Locate a clean working area
2. Lift or flip the power wheels
3. Remove hub caps and loose nuts
4. Remove old tires
5. Put inserts into new tires
6. Mount new tires on power wheels
7. Tighten bolts
8. Test drive power wheels and check nuts again

When to Replace Power Wheels Tires

There are few alert points which means it is the time that you need to change the tires of your power wheels.

1. First is the most common reason for replacing tires is that they lose traction after constant use. If the tires become flat or bald, then it’s necessary to be replaced; otherwise, the brakes will not work properly.
   
   
2. Upgrading the battery and motor from 6V to 12V or 12V to 24V will surely boost the speed of your power wheels. If your power wheels have plastic wheels, they will not have standard traction for that, and you need to replace the plastic tires with rubber ones to improve the traction.
   
   
3. Your tires may get cracked for many reasons. It is not always necessary to replace a cracked tire because you can repair them. If it is not possible to repair the cracked tires, then they must be replaced.

Requirements Before Replacing the Tires

You have to prepare the following tools and hardware before starting to replace the tires.

1. A set of new tires can be bought from the market or websites like Amazon. Make sure you have bought the tires for your model of power wheels.
2. A set of screwdrivers to unscrew the parts of the wheel.
3. A hammer to take out the wheel from vehicle hardware.
4. Glue may be needed to stick the tires to wheels.
5. Cleaning detergent for Wheel, Axle, and underbelly cleaning.
6. Optional new retainers and hubcaps

How to Replace the Tires

Replacing tires in a power is an easy job. It is different from changing car tires. You don’t need a handyman’s services to replace the tires of power wheels. Let’s have a look at the step-by-step guide of replacing the tires of power wheels.

Find a Good Space to Work.

You need quite a big space where you can start changing. The space should be a solid and flat surface, which will prevent the power wheel from rolling. Place all the tools and hardware in place.

Remove the Battery

Whenever working with power wheels, it is recommended to remove the battery to prevent safety hazards. 

Changing tires involves a hammer and other tools that require force on the power wheels, which can sometimes damage the battery. 

You may also have to flip the car for better access. It is better to remove the battery and put it in a safe place.

Flip the Power Wheels

Flip the car to get access to the bottom part; this will give you access to all four wheels. You should do it carefully, so the other parts in the vehicle are not damaged. 

An alternative to flipping the power wheels is to lift the vehicle onto something with the tires free, this may damage the plastic parts of the vehicle so instead of lifting the vehicle, we go with flipping the power wheels.

Start Removing the Wheel Parts

Once you flipped the car correctly. Now start removing the hubcaps, inserts, and retainers. Use a flat face screwdriver and put it between the retainer and hubcaps to remove the retainer cap. 

You may need to use more effort and repeat the process because in some power wheels it’s difficult to remove the retainer cap.

Retainers and hubcaps are the parts of the rim of the power wheels which are connected to the tire and required to be removed to remove the tire. Not all power wheels have retainers.

Inserts are little plastic pieces that insert into the wheel.

Remove the Old Set of Tires

After removing the retainer cap and hubcaps, it will be easy to remove the tires. Just remove the four tires and put them aside, away from the new tires. 

After removing the tires, you can see the axles, clean the axels with the cleaning detergent and a rag

Install One Tire First Then Repeat for Others

Install the first tire to check if it fits perfectly. Take a tire and push in a plastic insert if required. Mount the new tire on one of the front wheels. Take a hubcap and install it after the tire. You need to use some force or maybe use the hammer without breaking the plastic parts. 

Install the new retainers to hold the hubcaps. You may need to hit it with a hammer a few times to get the retainer into place. Once it is in place, you can install the retainer caps. 

Once you fit the first tire, repeat the process with the other three tires.

Check Everything and Test Drive

Check everything in the wheels and tires to make sure every part is fitted correctly, and you have tightened everything so no part will not come off when your kid is driving the car. 

Install the battery back into the car.

Test drive the power wheels with a remote or by hand before allowing your kid to drive. After the test drive check that all nuts remain tight. Do so again after a 2-3 hours of usage.   

Market Accessibility of Power Wheels Tires

Power wheels tires are widely available in the market. You can buy tires for any model of power wheels. Most of the time, you can also find rubber tires for your model.

Tires are provided by the power wheels brands and also by some other companies. Tires from other companies are relatively cheaper than branded tires. You can buy the tires from the market or online stores on Amazon, MLToys, and eBay.

Cost and Time of Replacing Tires

The branded power wheels tires will cost $24 to $36 a pair. If you want cheaper, you can find the tires from other companies, which are relatively cheaper than branded tires. The copy tires can cost up to half of the branded tire’s prices.

If you want to replace plastic tires with rubber tires, mostly if the power wheels do not have stock rubber tires, the brand will not provide rubber tires for replacement, but you can always find rubber tires from other companies and relatively cheaper than stock or branded plastic tires.

It will take around 30-60 minutes to replace the tires of power wheels when you have everything required for the tire replacement.

Safety of Replaced Tires

Safety is the first reason why parents want to change the tires of their kid’s power wheel, to increase the traction so the brakes will work without wheels sliding, and the child can enjoy a safe environment.

Branded tires have the guarantee of working perfectly as the stock tires, so they are safe. The tires from other companies do not have that guarantee, but usually, they work fine. 

If you install tires from other companies, you may need to check the tires frequently to see if they are working correctly and not getting cracked.

Are Power Wheels Tires Interchangeable?

No power wheel tires are not interchangeable. If you wish to change the tires in your power wheels, you must choose the exact model of tire that is matched to your power wheels.

By using tires for a different model of power wheels, you risk damaging your vehicle. This is because the diameter of the tires is different; thus, it changes the ratio to the motor.

By running a different size ratio than what’s in your power wheels, you can overheat and possibly burn out the motor.

Other problems may also appear if you use the wrong model wheels, this could be stripped gears, excess wobbling, or steering issues.

Some Facts About Tire Replacement

There are some facts which you need to know before tire replacement; maybe you can add something more into replacing tires:

1. Power wheels tires are never interchangeable, each model has its own design on tires, and sometimes you even cannot interchange the front tires with the back tires.
   
   
2. There is always room for up-gradation of power wheels tires. You can upgrade the plastic tires to rubber ones. Or you can add bigger tires to your power wheels if you have modified your power wheel to lift.
   
   
3. Tires from unbranded companies may be cheap but may not have a warranty.
   
   
4. It is recommended to use the branded tires for perfect working and it seems to worth the money.

Conclusion

When your kids are playing with their power wheels, you always want them to be safe. With time, tires become flat or bald, which is a safety hazard for your child because the car will lose traction, and the brakes will not work properly. Replacing the expired tires is recommended.

You can always replace the tires easily at home with very few tools, and parents don’t need to get professional handyman’s services. 

By following the steps and facts provided in this article, parents can replace the tires at a low cost and 30-60 minutes.

If your kid’s power wheels have flat or bald tires, follow this article’s process and replace the tire to make your kid’s drive safer and have a better experience.