Having your own vehicle is fun, but it can also be a huge responsibility. Not only is pumping gas an important step, but maintaining plays a huge role as well. Especially making sure the wheels on your vehicle are safe to drive onto the road. In this “How To..” I will be explaining how to change a tire!
Even though you may leave an area with a perfectly good tire, there is always a possibility for objects or litter to be on the road, causing a flat tire. If this were to ever happen to you follow these simple steps!
First things first, find a safe place to stop. If you are driving on the highway or a busy road, do not quickly brake or turn, make sure to check your surroundings, turn on your emergency lights, and slowly merge into the side lanes. Try to avoid any hills or curves. If you are not, try to find a parking lot. Next, you want to make sure you have these tools: a lug wrench, a jack, and a spare tire (should have a spare located in the trunk of your car). If you do not have any of these items it is best to just call a tow truck company nearest to your location.
If you do have all these items continue.
Once you are parked, check to see which tire is flat. If it’s one of the back tires, look for some sort of object to place in front of your front two tires. If it’s in the front, you do not have to worry about placing anything, unless you are on a hill. After that, grab your lug wrench and unscrew the lug nuts, enough so that when the vehicle is raised, you are able to unscrew it with your hands. Next, get out your jack. Placement of the jack is very important. Wrong placement can lead to scratches or dents on your vehicle. To prevent this, place your jack alongside the tire that is flat under the vehicle frame. You want to lift it up about six inches off the ground, or lifted enough to where you are able to take out the tire. Now that you’ve placed the jack, the screws should be loose enough to where you are able to take them off with your hands.
Once taken out, pull the tire off and place it beside the side of the car and grab your other tire. Take your new tire and line it up to the tire with the lug bolts and slide it in. After done, grab your lug nuts and twist them as much as you can with your hands. Now that you’ve done that, use the jack to bring the vehicle down, not all the way, but enough to where the tire is close to the ground. Then, grab your lug wrench and tighten the lug nuts. Once you’ve finished those steps you can bring your car down.
Your spare tire is not meant for long distances, so make sure once you’re done to slowly drive to a service station to fully repair it.
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