How to Change a Tire

Posted on February 22nd, 2009 by Carmelia

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Every driver needs to know how to change a tire by their lonesome. It’s a skill that comes in handy when you find yourself in a situation where there’s no one to help you and you just really need to change that tire! Have these materials ready in the trunk of your car at all times in case you do need to change your tire.

Tools

Spare tire
Tire iron
Car jack
Cross wrench
Warning cones
Air pressure gauge (optional)
Wheel chock or large rock

What to Do

Once you’ve been alerted to a flat tire, pull up at the shoulder of the road. Go out of your vehicle and inspect the flat tire.
Go back in your car and make sure the emergency brake is on. Take out all your tools from your trunk and set up warning cones around the perimeter of your car. The warning cones will provide a warning signal to other drivers to keep away.
Use the air gauge to check if your spare tire has the correct pressure and can be used.
Place a wheel chock or a rock on the tire diagonally opposite the tire you’re working on. Put it in the front of the wheel if the car is inclined downwards and put it in front if the car is inclined upwards.
Take your jack an place it securely against the metal frame closest to the tire you’re fixing. Read your car’s instruction manual if you aren’t sure how to position the car jack. Most unibody or modern cars have a small notch in the frame that indicates how you should position the jack.
Slowly jack the car upwards, enough to support the car but not lift it completely. Make sure that the movement is just one movement upwards.
Remove the hubcap and loosen the nuts with your hands first, followed by using your standard cross wrench. Different nuts fit in the different ends of the wrench, so test them out first if they fit in perfectly and do not make a rattling sound. Loose the nuts counterclockwise.
Once the hubcap has been removed and the nuts loosened, pump up the crank some more to entirely lift the wheel off the ground. It should be high enough to remove the wheel easily. If you notice a misalignment, leaning or instability, lower the pump, refit the crank and pump again.
Get your cross wrench and remove the nuts all the way. Make sure that you keep the nuts nearby and not lose any of them.
Remove the flat tire and place it under the vehicle, in case the jack gives way, the vehicle won’t hit solid ground.
Position the spare tire over the wheel studs or the wheel bolts, and put on the lug nuts.
Tighten the lug nuts by hand. Remember that when tightening the lug nuts, you must tighten them fractionally first before moving to the next one to make sure they are equally tight. Use the wrench to tighten them further.
Pump the jack lower but don’t put the full weight on it yet. Tighten the lug nuts further.
Fully lower the vehicle on the ground. Tighten the lugs one more time. Re-attach the hubcap.