Imagine ... you are driving your car and notice all of a sudden that your tire is punctured. In the past, you might have seen other people changing their tires. But now it's your turn! Would you know where to start and would you be able to do it with confidence?
Find out the 7 steps that are involved in the process of changing a flat tire. And if you prefer watching a video, then feel free to watch the one below.
Step 1: Stop somewhere safe
Don’t stop in the middle of the road or pull over anywhere you feel nervous. It’s important to change the tire ASAP, but you can drive a few miles before you damage the metal on the wheel.
Step 2: Find your tools.
Before you start changing a tire, pull out all your tools. Your manual should tell you where your tools are located, but most are in the trunk of a car or under the rear floor in an SUV.
Step 3: Loosen lug nuts.
Use the tire iron to remove the lug nuts – rightly-tighty, lefty-loosey. Don’t remove the lug nuts all the way and stop if the tire iron keeps slipping around the lug nut.
Step 4: Jack up the car
Find your manual to determine the proper place to place the jack, and jack up your vehicle until the tires spin freely. Don’t raise it too far to risk the car sliding off the jack.
Step 5: Change the tire
Remove the lug nuts using your hand and pull the tire straight off the car. Place the new tire on and begin tightening the lug nuts using your hand while holding the tire still.
Step 6: Tighten the nuts
Lower the vehicle once you’ve tightened the nuts by hand, and use the tire iron to tighten the nuts all the way. Tighten in a diagonal pattern, and not a circular pattern.
Step 7: Replace the temp tire asap
Donuts can go for 50 miles at a maximum speed of 50 mph. Faster or longer than recommended can damage your wheel and put you at risk of a blowout or accident.
If you think that it might be easier for you to understand the process of changing a car tire, by watching a video, then check this one out below:
If you know someone who could also benefit from this article/video,
please feel free to share it. Thank you.