If you are a driver, you have probably faced a flat tire every now and then. Now imagine it’s the middle of the night and there’s no expert around for you to call in Brisbane to change your car tire. What should you do? This is where your knowledge of changing car tires comes in handy. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to change a flat tire. We will guide you through every step of the way in this article. Read our guidelines to change car tires on Junk Car Removals and you will become an expert yourself!
What do I need for changing car tires?
There are a few items you need to change your flat tire. Keep in mind that it’s best to have these items in the boots of your car in case you need them. The first one is of course a fully inflated spare tire! You’ll also need a jack, a lug wrench, and the vehicle’s owner manual. You also need a flashlight with full batteries and a small cut of wood to secure the jack. Gloves and wheel wedges can come in handy as well.
Don’t forget to replace them if you ever lost any of these items since they are among the necessary tools for all drivers. Plus, inflate the spare tire every once in a while, based on the recommended PSI of the manufacturer. It’s best if you do it every month.
Check the spare tire’s air pressure when checking the air pressure of other tires. Once a month or before long trips will do the trick.
What are the steps?
Changing car tires is easy and you can do it in a few simple steps. Below, you can learn how to change your flat tire.
- When you notice you have a flat tire, the first thing to do is to use your hazard lights. You should turn them on the instant you realize that you should pull over. These lights are also called flashers. This is a safety tip since you are on the roadside. Your flashers will tell other drivers that you are there and helps avoid an accident.
- The next step is to find a location that is safe enough for you to change the tire. If you are driving at that moment, don’t suddenly stop the car or turn around. You should decrease the speed slowly and check the area to find a flat surface at the side of the road that has a wide shoulder.
Remember that it’s best if you find a level ground since they help avoid your car from rolling. Applying the parking brake before preparing for changing car tires is a must. Use the parking brake to stop your car from rolling.
- The next thing is to use wheel wedges. They can be used in front of the front tires when you are changing a flat tire on the back of the car or behind the rear tires if your flat tire is at the front. They also provide safety to avoid your car from rolling when you are about to change a flat tire. If you don’t have wheel wedges, you can also use a large brick or a big stone as well.
- If your lug nuts have hubcaps, remove them using the flat end of the lug wrench. There are quite a few hubcaps that require special tools. You can check it out in the owner’s manual of your vehicle. After removing the hubcaps, you should loosen the lug nuts via your lug wrench. They will loosen up when turning counter-clockwise. They can be tightly sealed and you may need a bit more force to loosen them up. About ¼ to ½ of a turn should be enough.
Don’t remove the lug nuts completely in this step.
- Now, use the jack to lift the vehicle. You should place it beneath the frame of the car, alongside the flat tire. The owner’s manual usually tells you where and how to place the jack to avoid damaging the car. After placing the jack, place the above-mentioned wood (a small cut of 2×6” wood works fine) under the jack to make sure the jack won’t settle under the car’s weight. Now, raise the vehicle up to a point where the flat tire stands 6 inches above the ground.
- This is when you should remove the lug nuts completely for changing car tires. If you’ve loosened them enough, you can do this by hand. Then, remove the flat tire by pulling it out gently.
- The next step is to place the spare tire on the hub. Mounting it on the lug bolts is not hard and you should line the rim up with the lug bolts. Push it softly until you see the lug bolts. Then, put back the lug nuts on the lug bolts. Tighten them up completely. There’s no need to use the wrench in this step since you don’t need to tighten them tightly at this point.
- Now you can lower the vehicle by using the jack. Don’t put the full weight of the vehicle on the flat tire. First, tighten the lug nuts completely using the wrench (turn them clockwise as hard as you can using the weight of your body) and then bring the car down to the ground.
- Remove the jack and make sure that the lug nuts are tight enough up to the point that it’s not possible for you to turn them anymore. After that. You can replace the hubcaps if they fit your spare tire.
- Last but not least is to check the pressure of the spare tire before driving. If your tire needs pressure, you should drive slowly to get to a service station as soon as possible.
Don’t forget that you can ask car removal companies to tow your car if you don’t have any spare tires. DO NOT try to drive away with a flat tire or you’ll end up damaging the car and putting yourself in danger!
Now you are an expert in changing car tires! Have you ever tried changing your flat tire? Comment below and share your story with us! I you liked this article, you can read about car tire life expectancy HERE.