Tires: Tire fit, hankook tires, inflation pressure

Question
I just had new Hankook tires put on the original rims of my Ranger pickup.  When I went to pick the truck up I noticed that the new tires did NOT go all the way to the edge of the rim of the wheel, about a 1/4" gap between the edge of tire and the edge of wheel.  I have never in my 64 years seen this!  Is this ok for the tire not to reach the edge of the rim?  I dont think it would be safe, as the tire would seem to be able to get loose easily at some later date.  Is this common or would you recommend me going back to get them changed to a different tire? Please give me some assistance by letting me know as soon as you can.  Thank you for your help in this matter! Michael

Answer
Michael,

In my experience, tires NEVER go to the edge of the rim - unless they have rim protectors - and that is a recent invention.

So it makes me wonder what it is you are seeing that is unusual.  Is it that the bead isn't fully seated?  If so, I can not imagine that this is a tire problem - more of a mounting problem - and that will fix itself.  There is a tremendous amount of force generated by the inflation pressure and it is constantly trying to push the beads into the flat of the rim.

Give it a couple of days worth of driving and if it isn't fully seated by then, go ahead and return to the tire dealer and point out what you are seeing.  Don't be surprised if this is not a problem with the tire.