You are on a long drive, out in the middle of nowhere and lost, and suddenly you hear....a faint thud, thud, thud coming from one of your tires. But don't let panic and dispair set in--changing a tire is not as hard as it seems. With a couple of deep breaths and easy steps to follow, you can change your tire and be on your way.
Preliminary Guidelines: Preparing for A Flat Tire
-Check your owners manual, and see if there are specific instructions to change the tire. They will often tell you where to locate the jack and the spare tire, if you aren’t sure.
-Make sure that you have a spare tire on hand! If it is soft or flat, do not change the tire. Instead, you will have to call for help!
-The lug wrench is often situated next to the spare tire in the trunk.
- Practice on a hard, level surface, like a drive way or on the side of the road. Do not park the car on a slope, or you will not be able to use the jack.
Changing the Tire: Taking the Flat Tire Off
1. First pull off to the side of the road, away from any traffic.
2. Make sure that the ground is as level as possible.
3. Turn on the hazard lights, to warn other cars you have stopped.
4. Turn the ignition off, put the car in park, using the parking break. Make sure everyone is out of the car.
5. Remove the hubcap (if applicable, as not all cars have hubcaps). Hubcaps require a specific keyed wrench to remove the wheel cover. Refer to your owner's manual for location of the keyed wrench.
6. Locate your spare tire and jack in your trunk, and take them out.
7. Use the lug wrench, loosen the lug nuts. If you can’t loosen the nuts, jump on the lug wrench to loosen them, or use something like a hammer to hit the lug wrench. (lug nuts are what keep the tire in place).
NOTE: Do not remove the lug nuts. Just loosen them. Loosen lug nuts that are opposite from each other, thus slowly taking the tire off evenly.
8. Generally, the jack comes into contact with a small plate on the front of the car, which is usually between the two rear tires, just behind the front of the tires. The jack should be raised enough to come into contact with the frame.
NOTE: Always make sure you place the jack where is designed to be placed, or you could cause damage to the car, or the car could slide from the jack.
ALSO: Follow the owner’s manual. Keep in mind, you will probably have to jack the car a little higher, in order to have enough room for the spare, round tire. You do not need to jack it very high to remove the flat tire, since it is no longer round!
9. Remove the lug nuts from the bolts. Put them aside.
10. The flat tire should be hanging loosely from the studs. Carefully remove it from the car, pulling it oward you, and place it beside you.
NOTE: NEVER PLACE ANY PART OF YOUR BODY UNDERNEATH THE CAR. If you need to retrieve something that hasfallen underneath the car, use an umbrella, stick, etc. to get it.
Put the Spare Tire On:
1. Make sure that the spare tire is close enough to you, where it is set within reaching distance.
2. Position the spare tire directly in front of the wheel well, with the holes in the center of spare tire aligning the bolts of the car, making sure you firmly push the spare tire on. (The air valve should always point out when the tire is on the car if you get confused).
3. Replace the lugnuts on the bolts. Don't tighten adjacent nuts in consecutive order; this will not allow the tire to be put on evenly.
Almost Finished
Lower the car with the jack until the car is again resting on all four tires. Remove the jack. If there is a hubcap, put it back on.
The Clean Up
1. Place the flat tire where the spare was located.
2. Replace the jack and lug wench in their proper locations.
3.Look around to make sure you have packed up all of your belongings.
Changing a tire takes a considerable amount of upper body strength, so be prepared!