How to change a car tire
A flat tire can be caused by different reasons such as air leaking, sidewall damage
or a sharp object penetrating. When you encounter a situation where you have a flat tire,
the best way to fix the problem is often to change the tire yourself. You could be in
somewhere with no cell phone signals or you don’t want to spend the money to have
someone to tow your car. Changing a tire can be a difficult task especially if it’s the first
time for you. You should expect to spend at least 40 minutes on completing this task.
Changing a tire can be divided into 6 steps in total. They are 1. Secure the car, 2. Loosen
the nuts, 3. Lift up the flat tire, 4. Change the tire, 5. Lower the car and 6. Tighten the
nuts. Lastly, remember to do this task at an empty space with no interruptions because
this can be dangerous.
Equipment you need
Spare tire in good condition
Jack Stand (be careful not to hurt your hand while using)
Lug nut wrench
Before the change
Move away from the main road and find the closet place you are allowed/able to park.
Turn on your 4 way flasher/ hazard lights. Put on your emergency brake.
The change process
Step 1. Secure the car. Try to find something heavy like rocks and place them closely to
the tires that you are not changing so the car won’t move. (Warning: make the car is not
moving before changing.)
Step 2. Use the lug nut wrench to loosen the lug nuts but not all the way; it’s easier to
take the nuts out when the flat tire is not being lifted up.
Step 3. Position the jack stand close to the flat tire and under the car frame, it’s hard to
say where exactly because every car is different, but try to get idea from the photo.
(Warning: make sure the stand is stable, generaly the stand is close to the falt tire.)
Step 4. Now the jack stand is positioned perpendicular to the ground, we need to get the
tire off the ground. First, insert the wrench into the jack stand. Then, turn it to open the
jack more until you can see the tire is on air.
Step 5. Now is the time to take the nuts out. After that, you can take down the flat tire
and replace it with the new one. The new tire is heavy so be careful.
Step 6. Put the lug nuts back to where they belong and lower the jack stand so the tire
can touch the ground, tighten the nuts after you lower the tire.
After the change
Drive slowly, don’t drive faster than 35-45 mph. check the air in the new tire once in a
while to make its in good condition.
Tips
1. The nuts can be very hard to loosen, step on the lug nut wrench can give you the
strength to complete this task.
2. Tire is a very heavy object, try to have someone to help you change if it’s possible.
