LOADING

Type to search

How to Change a Flat Tire

Tags: ,

How to Change a Flat Tire

Share
  1. Find a flat, hard, safe place.
  2. Apply the hand/parking brake and put your car in gear or in the “Park” position.
  3. Take out the spare tire and the jack.
  4. Raise the jack until it is supporting (but not lifting) the car.
  5. Remove the hub cap and loosen the nuts by turning them anti/counter-clockwise with the correct fitting of your wheel wrench.
  6. Raise the Jack further.
  7. Remove the nuts.
  8. Remove the wheel.
  9. Replace with the spare.
  10. Lower the Jack.
  11. Replace or fix your damaged tire as soon as possible!

Equipment

A socket wrench set is useful for any kind of work on a motorized vehicle. They’re worth investing in.
Socket wrench set

When it comes to purchasing a jack, be sure to make sure it is strong enough for the vehicle you intend to use it on.
Jack

Spare tire (never, ever forget to replace a puncture tire; never be caught out without a spare!

How to Change a Flat Tire

Providing that you have a spare and all of the required equipment, there should be absolutely no reason why you should need to call out breakdown recovery for a flat tire. MGTE will show you how.

Photo Credit: Designlazy.com

Steps

1- Find a flat, hard, safe place. If you are near a road, park as far away from other road users as possible and turn on your hazard lights. Avoid soft ground and hills.

2- Apply the hand/parking brake and put your car in gear or in the “Park” position. This will avoid the front wheels from moving (should the flat be on the front).

3- Take out the spare tire and the jack. Place the jack under the frame near the tire that you are going to change and begin to wind/crank up (depending on the jack that you have). As the jack begins to contact the car frame, be sure that the lifting arm is in contact with the metal portion of your car’s frame and not softer body works. If you’re having difficulty finding a secure lifting spot, refer to your owner’s manual.

4- Raise the jack until it is supporting (but not lifting) the car. The jack should be firmly in place against the underside of the vehicle. Make sure that the Jack is not at an angle and is lifting straight up.

5- Remove the hub cap and loosen the nuts by turning them anti/counter-clockwise with the correct fitting of your wheel wrench. Having the weight of the car still on the tire means that you’re turning the nuts instead of the wheel. You only need to loosen the nuts at this point.

If you are finding the first couple of turns difficult, carefully use your body weight with your body facing the side of the car (do not face forward as when the nut finally loosens, the other side of the wrench will hit you in the shin!).

Some cars may have a lock nut i.e. a nut with a special fitting that prevents people loosening it to steel your wheels. If you have a car that has such a feature, the ‘key’ should be with your spare tire and should fit into your wheel wrench.

6- Raise the Jack further. He flat should now be completely raised off of the ground with enough room to replace it with a fully pumped up spare. If you notice the jack angling itself or any other instability, lower the Jack and re-adjust.

7- Remove the nuts. Keep these safe as they are too easy to loose!

8- Remove the wheel. Place the flat tire under the vehicle as a safety precaution should the jack give way.

Often the wheel may require a little effort to remove particularly if it has been in place for a long time. Hitting the inside of the tire may encourage it to loosen.

9- Replace with the spare. Do not fully tighten each nut in turn as this may result in the wheel being ill aligned. Turn each nut a few times and work your way around to opposite nuts so that they all tighten together.

Be aware of using so much force that you disturb the jack.

10- Lower the Jack. Lower and remove the jack so that the car’s weight is now fully back on the tire. Finish turning each nut as tightly as possible. Replace the hubcap.

11- Replace or fix your damaged tire as soon as possible! Don’t get caught with a puncture without having replaced your spare! Many tires can be fixed so enquire into this before buying a new one.


Take homes

– When loosening or tightening bolts, use your body weight rather than your muscles to avoid injury i.e. push downwards with straight arms or legs

– Keep an eye out for traffic around you!

– Often spare tires are designed only to be just that- spares! They are often narrower than your existing tires and this will greatly affect braking balance. Do not drive on a spare of this type for any longer than is necessary.

– If you have no spare tire, or wish to be prepared for all manner of emergencies, there are quick fix options to temporarily seal punctures. These come in canister form, however do be aware that once you’ve used one on a tire, you won’t be able to use the wheel for any new tire: Fix a Flat

Tags::

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *