Stopping on the side of the road with a car problem can be a major bummer, but being stuck out there with a very fixable problem like a flat tire shouldn’t be an issue anymore.
Here are a few simple steps and tips that will teach you how to change a tire and get you back on your way.
Step 1: Essential tools needed.
Normally, the case with all car trunks are similar. Once you open under the floor of it and lift it up, you will find a spare tire, a diamond jack and a tire iron. Use your hands to unscrew the bolt holding everything into place. Please note that some car manufacturers will place the tools in a closed compartment inside the trunk.
Step 2: Loosen the lug nuts
Thinking to jacking up your car? not yet, you need to loosen those tiny nuts holding the wheel to the hub. Usually, they are fairly tight that using your own hand won’t simply work.
Place the tire iron on one of the lug nuts, then place your foot on the iron and use your body weight to loosen the nut. You may have to spring up and down a bit on the iron to get it to move at first. Do not forget to make sure that you’re applying pressure in the correct direction.
Step 3: Jack it up
Now get ready to jack this thing up, it is not intimidating as it might look. Get the diamond jack (named for its diamond shape when fully opened) which most manufacturers provide. It opens and closes by twisting the lever attached to the jack clockwise or counter-clockwise.
Pay attention as to where you place the jack, it should be located correctly under the vehicle. first of all you push it up on the frame of the vehicle in order to raise your the correctly (usually frames will have a slot cut into them next to each tire, where the top of the jack will fit). Then, place the jack directly under that notch and twist the lever to start opening the jack.
The car should start rising up now, please note that the creaking sound you are probably hearing is perfectly normal. You will know when to stop the tire being changed spins freely off of the ground.
Step 4: old out, new in
You can actually use your hands now to unscrew the lug nuts completely (since you have already loosened them). Pull the old tire out straight off. Put the new tire while matching the holes on the rim with the bolts on the car. Lift it up and place it on.
You have to tighten the nuts with your hands as much as you can. Once this is secured, lower the car down with the jack slowly. If you try to use the tire iron to tighten the nuts while the car is still jacked up, the tire will spin. Only use your hands to tighten the nuts at first.
Step 5: Tighten the nuts more
Now the car is back on the ground, finish tightening the nuts with the tire iron. It’s important to note, that nuts should be tightened in a diagonal pattern, meaning that after you tighten the first nut you then tighten the nut diagonally across from the first nut until they are firmly secured. This is important because you do not want your tire to wobble when you drive.
Congratulations you now have a new fixed tire, what you will have to do now is drive to the nearest garage to get a new full sized tire as the spare tire is not designed to go as fast or far as the regular ones.
