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How To Change A Tire
By:
Published: October 17, 2006
It happens to the best of us – you are driving down the highway and “pop!” Suddenly your tire goes flat. Knowing how to change a flat tire is an essential skill to have as a car owner.
Tools
1. Spare tire
2. Tire iron
3. Jack
4. Lug wrench
5. Wheel chock
6. Torque wrench (optional)
Steps
1. If you get a flat tire in the middle of the road or highway, pull over to the shoulder or any other empty area. Steer safely away from traffic. If you are on the highway, turn on your hazard lights.
2. Park the vehicle on a flat surface and engage the parking brake.
3. Locate the spare tire. It usually is kept in the trunk of the car with the tire iron and the jack.
4. Make sure your spare tire has enough air. Consider this your unlucky day if both your spare tire and your regular tire are flat and call for help. Otherwise, proceed.
5. Put a wheel chock or any other heavy block-shaped object behind the diagonally opposite wheel you are changing. For example, if you need to change the RL tire (rear, left), then the wheel chock should be placed behind the FR tire (front, right). For added safety, place chocks behind both tires.
6. Now, use the lug wrench to loosen each lug. Do not remove them just yet; only loosen them. Remember, to loosen a bolt, the wrench needs to be turned counter-clockwise.
7. When all of the lugs have been loosened, jack up your car. Although you can refer to your car’s automotive manual to find where jacks should be placed, some newer models actually have guides on the car. Do not clear the entire vehicle off the ground. Raise it just enough so the tires are barely touching the ground.
8. Use the lug wrench to remove the bolts. If a bolt gets stuck, spray it with WD-40 or penetrating fluid. Allow a few minutes to pass and then try to remove the bolt again.
9. Once all the bolts have been removed, put them in a safe place so none of them get lost.
10. Now, jack up the car until the wheels have cleared the ground. Remove the flat tire.
11. Pick up the spare tire and position it along the wheel studs. When the spare tire is properly aligned, thread the lug nuts onto each stud by hand. Thread them only as far as they will go without using excessive force. According to the Auto Repair guide at About.com, each bolt must be replaced in a star pattern if the tire has five or six lug nuts, or an “x” pattern if there are only four lugs nuts. The sequence begins by placing the first lug nut and then replacing the one diagonally opposite the first. The third bolt is clockwise to the right and the last bolt to tighten is opposite that one. Tightening the bolts in this pattern will ensure even alignment.
12. When all the lug nuts have been replaced, lower the vehicle to ground.
13. Completely tighten the lug nuts, using the tire iron or torque wrench (if one is available).
14. After you have replaced the spare tire, make an appointment to have it replaced with a real tire. Spares are only for emergencies, they are not built to be long-term replacements.
Sources:
“How to Change a Tire.” About.com. 17 October 2006. http://autorepair.about.com/od/doityourself/ht/tir e_changing.htm/
“How to Change a Flat Tire.” eHow.com. 17 October 2006. http://ehow.com/how_1863_change_flat_tire.html/
Romans, Brent. “Change a Flat Tire.” Edmunds.com. 17 October 2006. http://edmunds.com/ownership/howto/articles/43783/ article.html/
Tools
1. Spare tire
2. Tire iron
3. Jack
4. Lug wrench
5. Wheel chock
6. Torque wrench (optional)
Steps
1. If you get a flat tire in the middle of the road or highway, pull over to the shoulder or any other empty area. Steer safely away from traffic. If you are on the highway, turn on your hazard lights.
2. Park the vehicle on a flat surface and engage the parking brake.
3. Locate the spare tire. It usually is kept in the trunk of the car with the tire iron and the jack.
4. Make sure your spare tire has enough air. Consider this your unlucky day if both your spare tire and your regular tire are flat and call for help. Otherwise, proceed.
5. Put a wheel chock or any other heavy block-shaped object behind the diagonally opposite wheel you are changing. For example, if you need to change the RL tire (rear, left), then the wheel chock should be placed behind the FR tire (front, right). For added safety, place chocks behind both tires.
6. Now, use the lug wrench to loosen each lug. Do not remove them just yet; only loosen them. Remember, to loosen a bolt, the wrench needs to be turned counter-clockwise.
7. When all of the lugs have been loosened, jack up your car. Although you can refer to your car’s automotive manual to find where jacks should be placed, some newer models actually have guides on the car. Do not clear the entire vehicle off the ground. Raise it just enough so the tires are barely touching the ground.
8. Use the lug wrench to remove the bolts. If a bolt gets stuck, spray it with WD-40 or penetrating fluid. Allow a few minutes to pass and then try to remove the bolt again.
9. Once all the bolts have been removed, put them in a safe place so none of them get lost.
10. Now, jack up the car until the wheels have cleared the ground. Remove the flat tire.
11. Pick up the spare tire and position it along the wheel studs. When the spare tire is properly aligned, thread the lug nuts onto each stud by hand. Thread them only as far as they will go without using excessive force. According to the Auto Repair guide at About.com, each bolt must be replaced in a star pattern if the tire has five or six lug nuts, or an “x” pattern if there are only four lugs nuts. The sequence begins by placing the first lug nut and then replacing the one diagonally opposite the first. The third bolt is clockwise to the right and the last bolt to tighten is opposite that one. Tightening the bolts in this pattern will ensure even alignment.
12. When all the lug nuts have been replaced, lower the vehicle to ground.
13. Completely tighten the lug nuts, using the tire iron or torque wrench (if one is available).
14. After you have replaced the spare tire, make an appointment to have it replaced with a real tire. Spares are only for emergencies, they are not built to be long-term replacements.
Sources:
“How to Change a Tire.” About.com. 17 October 2006. http://autorepair.about.com/od/doityourself/ht/tir e_changing.htm/
“How to Change a Flat Tire.” eHow.com. 17 October 2006. http://ehow.com/how_1863_change_flat_tire.html/
Romans, Brent. “Change a Flat Tire.” Edmunds.com. 17 October 2006. http://edmunds.com/ownership/howto/articles/43783/ article.html/
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