How To Change A Flat Tire

Changing a flat tire should be a skill mastered by any driver, regardless of gender. It doesn't make sense that one should know how to drive without being familiar with automotive maintenance measures, such as changing flat tires. Regardless of how well you drive or where you drive, the day will come when you're going to be faced with having to change out a tire on the side of the road, whether it's cheap tires or high end tires. So let's take a look at how to change a flat tire.

If you are the owner of the car that you're driving, you should always make it a point to have a spare tire in your trunk for emergency purposes. If you're driving someone else's car, check if there is at least one spare tire in the back compartment. This is going to be very important, especially during long drives.

There are safety guidelines that you should remember before changing a flat tire. Once you've discovered that you are running on a flat, get your car off the road safely. You don't want to cause a traffic jam, or worse yet, an accident. Don't forget to put on the emergency brake before changing the tire.

To keep the tire changing process as smooth as possible, have the necessary materials within your reach: spare tire, lug wrench, car manual, and jack. These tools should be present in your vehicle at all times as well.

Once you've started with the basic procedure above, you're good to go with the remainder of the process.

1) Remove the hubcap off the wheel so you can access the lug nuts. For those who don't know, the hubcap is what covers the central portion of the wheel.

2) Afterwards, use your lug wrench to loosen the nuts by turning the wrench counter-clockwise. Be careful not to remove the nuts completely. Just loosen them.

3) Take your jack and grab the car manual to determine the right positioning of the jack. Carefully slip the jack underneath for the correct placement and crank it up until it has the correct contact with the car. The flat tire should be raised high enough to be able to spin around without hitting the grround.

4) You should only remove the lug nuts once the car tire is elevated. Always lay the tire flat on the ground to prevent it from rolling elsewhere. Set the lug nuts aside.

5) It is finally time to mount the functioning spare tire. Take the spare tire and make sure that it is aligned with the lugs, bolts, and holes. Slide it on carefully, making sure that it is still aligned. Take the lug nuts and fasten them tightly, until the lug nuts resist when rotated.

 6) Once the wheel is firmly secured, lower the car again with the car jack and the hand crank.

7) Once the wheel hits the ground safely, tighten the lug nuts further and reinstall the hub cap.

Remember that your problem with the flat tire doesn't end here. Take the tire to the auto shop to have it fixed.