Knowing how to change a tire is an essential skill for every driver. While relying on your phone for roadside assistance might seem convenient, you could face situations where your battery is dead, you’re out of service range, or you’ve simply left it behind. Flat tires can occur unexpectedly, and being able to change one yourself is a much more reliable solution than solely depending on a mobile device.
Fortunately, changing a tire isn’t overly complicated. By following the right steps and understanding the crucial aspects, like where to correctly place your car jack, you can confidently handle a flat tire situation. This guide will walk you through the process, focusing particularly on the safe and proper placement of your car jack to ensure a smooth and safe tire change.
Essential Items for a Tire Change
Before you start, ensure you have all the necessary tools. These items ideally come with your vehicle:
- Jack: This is crucial for lifting your vehicle to remove the flat tire.
- Lug Wrench: Used to loosen and tighten the lug nuts that secure the wheel.
- Spare Tire (Fully Inflated): Your replacement tire, make sure it’s properly inflated.
- Vehicle Owner’s Manual: This manual contains specific instructions for your car model, including jack point locations.
If any of these items are missing, it’s important to acquire them immediately and familiarize yourself with their use. Regularly check the inflation of your spare tire to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI, ideally every month and before long journeys or when carrying heavy loads.
Additionally, consider keeping these helpful items in your trunk or glove box:
- Flashlight: Essential if you need to change a tire in low light conditions.
Alt text: Essential tools for changing a flat tire including a car jack, lug wrench, and spare tire laid out on a clean surface.
- Rain Poncho: Protect yourself from rain or snow while changing the tire.
Alt text: Additional helpful items for changing a flat tire shown with a flashlight, gloves, wheel wedges, and a wooden block for jack stability.
- Small piece of 2″x6″ wood: To provide a stable base for the jack, especially on soft or uneven surfaces.
- Gloves: Keep your hands clean during the process.
- Wheel Wedges (or chocks): To prevent the car from rolling once it’s jacked up.
Step-by-Step Guide to Changing a Tire
1. Secure a Safe Location
When you realize you have a flat tire, avoid sudden braking or sharp turns. Gradually slow down and look for a level and straight section of road with a wide shoulder. An empty parking lot is an ideal spot. Level ground prevents your car from rolling, and a straight, wide shoulder improves visibility for other drivers, enhancing your safety.
Never attempt to change a tire on a narrow shoulder near moving traffic. Continue driving slowly until you find a safer area. While driving on a flat tire can damage your wheel rim, rim replacement is preferable to the danger of an accident with passing vehicles. Always refer to your owner’s manual for specific advice related to flat tire procedures for your vehicle.
2. Activate Hazard Lights
Turn on your hazard lights as soon as you realize you need to pull over. These flashing lights significantly increase your vehicle’s visibility to other drivers, reducing the risk of accidents while you are stationary on the roadside.
3. Engage the Parking Brake
Once you’ve stopped in a safe location, firmly apply the parking brake before you begin any tire changing procedures. This is a critical safety step to minimize the risk of your vehicle rolling while it’s being lifted.
4. Use Wheel Wedges
Place wheel wedges (or wheel chocks) either in front of or behind the wheels that are diagonally opposite to the flat tire. For a rear flat tire, position the wedges in front of the front tires. If the flat is on the front, place the wedges behind the rear tires.
If you don’t have commercial wheel wedges, substantial bricks or large stones can serve as effective substitutes, provided they are large enough to reliably prevent the vehicle from moving.
5. Remove the Hubcap or Wheel Cover
If your wheel has a hubcap or wheel cover concealing the lug nuts, it’s easier to remove it before jacking up the vehicle. If your lug nuts are already exposed, proceed to Step 6.
Generally, you can use the flat end of your lug wrench to carefully pry off the hubcap. However, some vehicles may have hubcaps that require a specific tool for removal. Consult your owner’s manual for the correct hubcap or wheel cover removal method for your car model to avoid damage.
6. Loosen the Lug Nuts
Using the lug wrench, begin to loosen the lug nuts on the flat tire. Turn them counterclockwise. You might need to apply significant force to break the initial tightness. It’s acceptable to use your foot or your full body weight to get them started.
Loosen each lug nut by about a quarter to half a turn. It’s important not to remove them completely at this stage. Wait until the vehicle is lifted and the flat tire is off the ground before fully unscrewing the lug nuts.
7. Correctly Position the Car Jack
This is a critical step: placing the jack in the right spot is essential for safety and to prevent damage to your vehicle. The correct jack point is typically located on the vehicle frame, close to the tire that is flat. Vehicle frames often have reinforced areas specifically designed for jack placement, sometimes indicated by exposed metal sections or notches in the molded plastic undercarriage.
Always consult your vehicle owner’s manual to identify the precise jacking points for your car model. Using the wrong jacking point can damage the frame, rocker panel, or other parts of your vehicle. The manual will provide diagrams and clear instructions specific to your car, ensuring you position the jack safely and effectively. Look for reinforced areas along the frame, usually near each wheel well.
8. Raise the Vehicle Safely with the Jack
To ensure the jack doesn’t sink or slip, especially on soft surfaces like asphalt, place a piece of 2″x6″ wood under the jack for added stability. This is particularly important on uneven ground or hot asphalt.
Once the jack is firmly and correctly positioned at the designated jack point, begin to raise the vehicle. Lift it until the flat tire is approximately six inches off the ground. This provides enough clearance to remove the flat tire and install the spare.
Crucially, never place any part of your body underneath the vehicle while it is supported only by the jack. If you need to get under the car for any reason, use jack stands for secure support. However, for a tire change, this should not be necessary.
9. Fully Unscrew the Lug Nuts
Now that the vehicle is raised and stable, you can remove the lug nuts completely. Since you’ve already loosened them, they should now be easy to unscrew by hand. Keep the lug nuts together in a safe place, like your pocket or the hubcap, to prevent them from getting lost.
10. Remove the Flat Tire
Grip the flat tire firmly by the tire treads. Gently pull the tire straight towards you, away from the vehicle’s hub. It should detach from the bolts. Set the flat tire aside, laying it on its side to prevent it from rolling away.
11. Mount the Spare Tire
Carefully lift the spare tire and align it with the wheel studs (lug bolts) on the hub. Push the spare tire onto the studs until the wheel rim sits flush against the hub. Ensure the studs protrude through the rim holes.
12. Hand-Tighten the Lug Nuts
Replace the lug nuts and tighten them by hand, in a star pattern (opposite nuts first), as much as you can. This ensures even pressure on the wheel. Once all lug nuts are hand-tight, re-check each one, tightening them again as much as possible by hand. You will use the lug wrench for final tightening once the vehicle is partially lowered.
13. Lower the Vehicle and Tighten Lug Nuts with Wrench
Carefully lower the vehicle using the jack until the spare tire just makes contact with the ground, but the full weight of the vehicle is not yet resting on it. At this point, use the lug wrench to fully tighten the lug nuts. Again, tighten them in a star pattern, turning clockwise, and apply as much force as you can. Use your full body weight on the lug wrench to ensure they are very tight.
14. Lower the Vehicle Completely
Continue lowering the vehicle until it is fully on the ground and the jack is no longer supporting any weight. Remove the jack. Give each lug nut one final, firm tightening with the lug wrench to make absolutely sure they are secure.
15. Replace the Hubcap (if applicable)
If the hubcap or wheel cover from the flat tire fits onto the spare tire, you can replace it in the same manner it was removed. If it doesn’t fit, store it with the flat tire and other equipment.
16. Stow All Equipment
Before driving away, make sure to collect and stow all your equipment: the jack, lug wrench, wheel wedges, the flat tire, and the hubcap (if removed). Securely store them in their designated places in your vehicle to ensure they are readily available for future use and don’t become loose projectiles in your car.
17. Check Spare Tire Pressure
As soon as possible, check the tire pressure of your spare tire to ensure it is inflated to the correct pressure. Temporary spare tires, often called “mini-spares” or “T-Type” spares, usually require a higher pressure, around 60 psi (420 kPa). If needed, drive slowly to the nearest service station to inflate it to the correct level.
18. Visit a Tire Technician
Temporary spare tires are designed for limited use in terms of distance and speed. Drive cautiously and at reduced speeds until you can take your flat tire to a professional tire technician. A professional can assess whether the flat tire can be repaired or if it needs to be replaced. They can also properly inspect your spare and ensure it’s roadworthy for future emergencies.
Time to Change a Flat Tire
With practice, changing a tire using these steps should take between 15 to 30 minutes. Practicing in a safe environment like your garage or driveway beforehand can significantly improve your confidence and speed if you ever need to change a tire in an emergency situation.
Additional Tire Maintenance Tips
While knowing how to change a flat tire is crucial, proactive tire maintenance is even more important in preventing flats and extending the life of your tires. Remember to:
- Maintain Proper Tire Inflation: Regularly check and maintain the correct tire pressure as recommended by your vehicle manufacturer.
- Rotate Tires: Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for tire rotation to ensure even wear and extend tire life.
- Monitor Tread Wear: Regularly inspect your tire tread depth. Replace tires when the tread is worn down to the minimum safe level.
These practices will improve your tires’ performance, enhance safety, and reduce the likelihood of experiencing a flat tire. While flats can’t always be avoided, proper tire care significantly minimizes the risk.
Continue Your Journey Safely
Flats are always inconvenient. Consider using tires like Bridgestone DriveGuard, engineered to allow you to drive up to 50 miles at speeds up to 50 mph even after a puncture, minimizing disruption to your journey.
