You never know when you’ll be in a situation where you would have to change your own tire. Maybe you hit that pothole that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. Maybe you ran over the only nail in the whole street. You have a flat tire.
You could call your insurance company and wait an hour for someone to arrive and change it for you. Or you could do it yourself in less then half the time. The great thing about changing your own tire is that your car already comes with a spare and the tools to do the task. Here’s how:
Step 1: Location, location, location
- Make sure your vehicle is parked on a flat surface, such as asphalt or concrete, with the emergency brake engaged. If you have to drive a bit further to get to a suitable location, do so slowly and carefully. It might add damage to the tire, but hey, your tire is already flat.
Step 2: Tools of the trade
- You’ll need a jack, tire iron, and your spare tire.
- Every car comes with each of the mentioned items. If you don’t already know where they are, consult your car’s manual.
Step 3: Prepare to jack
- Place the jack in the recommended location (according to the car’s manual) under your car and just barely lift the car.
- Use the tire iron to loosen the lug nuts of the wheel with the flat tire. It’s easiest to do this while the tire is on the ground and not spinning freely in the air.
Step 4: Jack Me Up, Scotty
- Jack up the car so that the wheel with the flat tire is about an inch or two off the ground.
- You’ll only need enough clearance for the wheel to come off and the spare to go on.
Step 5: Switch-a-roo
- With the wheel off the ground, use the tire iron to completely loosen and take off the lug nuts holding the wheel to the car.
- Take the wheel off the car and set it aside, on it’s side. Just because it’s flat doesn’t mean it can’t roll away on it’s own.
- Put the spare on the car.
- Use the tire iron to snugly tighten the lug nuts. When tightening the lug nuts, use a star-pattern to ensure even pressure.
Step 6: Jack Me Down, Scotty
- With the lug nuts snugly tightened, jack the car down completely.
- Use the tire iron, once again, to fully tighten the lug nuts in the same star-pattern.
Step 7: Go Big and Go Home
- Pack up your tools and flat tire. You are done!
Driving on your spare tire is meant as a temporary solution. Take your car to your local service station to have your spare and flat tire checked and replaced.