Flat-tire situations are an inevitable part of every motorist’s life. People who don’t know how to change a flat tire often find themselves helpless in such situations. You can change things by learning how to change a flat tire. To make things easy for you, we have provided you a step-by-step guide on how to change a flat tire.
What Tools You May Need
- Jack
- Spare tire (inflated)
- Lug wrench
- Car owner’s manual
Find a Safe Spot to Park the Vehicle
The most important thing is you need to park your vehicle at a safe spot when changing a flat tire. Some of the places to avoid are inclines or slopes, grass/soft ground or corners on the highway. If you are planning to change a flat tire on the highway, drive the car to the roadside but make sure the stretch of road is straight and drivers of other vehicles can see your car clearly.
Turn on the Hazard Lights
You should always turn on hazard lights when changing a flat tire. Make sure the transmission is at the “park” position and the parking brakes are engaged. After you have taken the necessary steps for safety, you can take out the spare tire and roll on to the place where you would be swapping the tires. You can place some chocks or wheel wedges in front and back of the tires at the opposite end of the car that is to be raised.
Remove Wheel Cover
If the lug nuts are not accessible without removing the wheel cover, remove the wheel cover. If you can access lug nuts without removing the wheel cap, you can skip this step.
Loosen the Lug Nuts
Take the lug wrench and use it to loosen the lug nuts. You need to turn the lug wrench in an anti-clockwise direction. If the lug nuts are tight, use your body weight to turn the lug wrench. Alternatively, you can use some nut loosener solution to dissolve the rust in lug nuts. Don’t remove the lug nuts completely.
Raise the Vehicle
Position the jack in the appropriate jack slots to raise the flat tire. You can find the jack slots in front of the rear tires and at the back of the front tires. Read the car owner’s manual to know the right placement of jack to raise the wheels.
Swap the Tires
After you have raised the flat tire up six inches, you can remove the lug nuts and remove the flat tire from the lug bolts. Take the inflated tire and mount it properly on the lug bolts. Put back the lug nuts and tighten them with your hands.
Lower the Vehicle
Use the jack to lower the vehicle and use the lug wrench to tighten the nut bolts. Remove the jack and stow all equipment in its place including the flat tire.
After reading the step-by-step guide on how to change a flat tire, you will come to understand that a flat-tire situation is not an emergency situation at all. Just make you always carry the needed equipment to change a flat tire if the need arises.
