Inflating the tire with the wheel sideways can help.
Water is acceptable (because it is temporary) but I don't advise putting any kind of permanent lube onto a bicycle tire's beads since they depend partly on friction to stay on the rim. The beads are not nearly strong enough to safely hold on without it.
Originally Posted by
mozad655
...I can't reach anywhere near max pressure with my pump. The max is 115 psi. I can push hard to about 60 psi and the tire is rock hard. Another attempt at pushing and the air pressure inside the pump is keeping my entire body off the ground. ...
This part sounds odd. It shouldn't be difficult for an adult of typical physical condition to pump a bicycle tire up to 60 PSI with any bicycle pump.
?
If the pump has a gauge built-in, how high does it go? If the pump is for car tires then it is a larger-volume per stroke but may only be meant for ~50 PSI since car tires are only around 30....