How To Change A Flat Tire
Changing a flat tire is not quite as daunting as it sounds. Being able to do this yourself will get you off the side of the road a lot quicker than waiting for a tow truck. Plus, it will make you look cool in front of your friends. In your car you should find (or if you have a used car, you may need to get):
- Jack
- Lug nut wrench
- Leverage pipe
- Screwdriver
When you find yourself in a flat tire situation, get yourself to the side of the road away from traffic. Try to stay on the shoulder of the road as a Jack won’t work on soft surfaces like sand or dirt. Be sure to turn on your hazard lights. If the shoulder of the road is not very wide, you might want to put out a couple of flares to let other cars know that you are there, especially in the dark. (You remember flares right? They were in the car safety kit blog.) Some hub caps allow access to your lug nuts, some need to be removed. One look will tell you which one you have. You may need to use a screwdriver to remove your hubcap. Then use the lug nut wrench to loosen the nuts. If they’re on really tight, you might need the leverage pipe to give you a little extra torque. Don’t take them off yet, only loosen them. Now it is time to jack up the car. (Don’t worry, this doesn’t make you a car jacker). There should be a diagram on the jack (as all jacks are a little different) that you can follow to raise up the car. Be sure that parking break is on and that your car is in park to prevent rolling. Once you have raised the car, now you can remove the lug nuts. Do not lose them, put them somewhere safe! Now you can remove the flat tire and put it in the trunk and place the spare on the car. Remember when putting on the spare that the air pressure valve always faces out, that way you won’t put it on the wrong way. When putting the lug nuts back on, don’t tighten them all the way at once. This can cause problems. Instead, tighten one a little, then tighten the one diagonal a little, then tighten one of the others a little, then tighten the one diagonal from it a little. Keep doing this until all of the nuts are tight. Now you can carefully lower the car. Once lowered, tighten the nuts a little bit more to make sure they’re secure. Put your tools back in your car safety kit, and you are ready to roll! You will probably want to make your next stop a tire shop, especially if you have the smaller sized spare, otherwise know as a doughnut. Happy driving!