YOU DRIVE IT Now You can FIX IT​

Let's Go...

 

First, if your vehicle has an automatic transmission be sure to put it in park. If it has a standard transmission put it in first gear. Now, make sure the emergency brake is on.

 

Next, place blocks on each side of your car tires to ensure that it does not roll.

Once you feel confident that your car is secure remove the spare tire, jack, and lug wrench from the trunk.

 

If you have a hub, carefully remove it and put it to the side. Now loosen the lug nuts with your lug wrench, but do not yet remove them. At this point the lug nuts should be removable by hand but still threaded onto the majority of the length of the actual lug. Most vehicles have specific locations near each tire in which to place the Jack. Check your owner's manual to see if such a place exists near the tire you wish to change. Once you have located a safe place for the Jack to lift the car and allow you to change the tire place the Jack carefully and position, making certain it is a level and stable, and then begin slowly and carefully cranking the handle to elevate the car. Keep in mind that you only need to elevate the car so the tire can be freely removed and replaced with the new tire. There is no need to jack it more than a few inches high in order to accomplish this.

 

At this point do a quick safety check. Do not open any doors and never let any part of your body under the car. Just be certain the blocks, surrounding the tires remaining on the ground, are still in place.

Now remove the lug nuts and place them on a clean surface if at all possible. If you have a newspaper, a piece of cloth, or even a napkin in your car this would be ideal. Although not absolutely necessary I always opt to take this extra step to reduce the chances of any sand or dirt getting into the threads and potential he making a weaker connection or damaging the threads.

 

Remove the flat tire and put it aside. Place the new tire on the vehicle and put the lug nuts back on but only hand tight. Now, using your hands, apply even pressure around the tire to ensure that it is flush with the wheel mount. Hand tighten the lug nuts once again to eliminate any slack or wobble.

Now gently and carefully lower the car back to the ground. Once all of the weight has been removed from the Jack pulled the Jack out from under the car and put it aside.

 

Now, use the lug wrench to begin tightening the lug nuts. It is a good practice to tighten them only to about 75% and always tighten lug nuts on opposing sides. If you picture the wheelbase as a clock you might tighten the lug nut at 10 o'clock and then tighten the lug nut at four o'clock. You might then tighten the lug nut at eight o'clock followed by the one at two o'clock. Once all lug nuts had been tightened to approximately 75% you can go around again and tighten all to 100%.

 

Now remove the blocks surrounding the wheels and carefully replace everything in the trunk of your vehicle. Be certain to get your tire repaired or replaced as quickly as possible. And remember, if you are driving on a temporary tire (also known as a doughnut) there are certain rules that you should follow. These should be clearly marked in your manual and usually limit the speeds you should travel as well as the total distance you can safely travel using a tire of this design.

 

I hope these tips come in handy in the unlikely event you ever need to change a tire.