There are a few important things you need to know before being out in the world on your own, and that includes knowing how to successfully change a tire. You never known when you might find yourself in a situation where this necessary skill is needed. Prepare for the unexpected by equipping your vehicle with a spare tire and learning how to change a tire with this easy step by step guide.
Find Somewhere Safe
When you notice that it might be time to change a tire, pull over to a safe location like the side of the road or an empty parking lot—both are good places to work. You want to make sure you have enough room to complete the following steps. Turn on your hazard lights, put your vehicle in park, and insert wheel wedges to avoid rolling.
Loosen Lug Nuts
If you have a hub cap or a wheel cover, you want to remove this first so your lug nuts are exposed. Once you can see the lug nuts, use a lug wrench to loosen them a little, but don’t remove them just yet.
Put Jack Under the Car and Raise It
Now that your lug nuts have been loosened, you can place the jack underneath the vehicle. The jack goes on the same side as the flat tire and should be positioned near the tire. Now put the crank handle into the fish eye of the jack and rotate clockwise until the flat tire is off the ground.
Put the Spare Tire On
You can now remove the lug nuts completely with your hands and carefully remove the tire. After the flat tire is removed, you can grab the spare tire and place it on the lug bolts. Once on, tighten the lug nuts with your hands. When you tighten the lug nuts, make sure you do this in a star pattern to ensure balance.
Lower the Jack
Lower the jack by cranking the handle counter clockwise until the tire is touching the ground. The final step is to tighten your lug nuts one last time with a lug wrench, again in a star pattern. Before you hit the road, check the tire pressure to make sure the psi is good for driving.
