MATTHEW BISHOP | The Daily Mississippian
AUTO HOW-TO: Changing a Flat-Tire
You are driving around the countryside enjoying this nice 70-degree weather. Then, all of a sudden, you hear a loud thump, and your car starts to pull hard either left or right. You have just experienced one of the inevitable joys of life — a flat tire. It can happen to anyone; in fact, it happened to me just a week ago. But what do you do? Don’t freak out. Just follow the steps that I have provided.
Step 1: Like I said before, do not freak out.
Instinct might tell you to pull off the road immediately, but don’t do this because it may cause you to lose control.
Instead, turn your emergency flashers on, slowly pull off the road and come to a complete stop.
If possible, try to pull into a parking lot. If this is not an option, make sure you pull far away from the road.
Step 2: Turn your ignition off.
Put your car into park (or into a gear with a manual) and put on the emergency brake.
If you are on the side of the road, keep your flashers on.
Then, pop your trunk where your spare is located.
Step 3: Inside your trunk under a mat or panel, you should see your spare tire, a jack and its handle and a lug nut wrench.
Unscrew any bolts that are holding the tools down.
Often, a bolt the same size as your lug nut is used to hold down your spare, so you can use the lug nut wrench to unscrew it.
Step 4: Take your spare tire and other tools to the flat tire.
Begin to loosen up the lug nuts on the wheel.
Get them loose enough that you can unscrew them with your hand.
Step 5: Now put the jack underneath the appropriate jack points.
If you are unsure where those are, you can refer to the owner’s manual or a diagram on the jack.
After you have it underneath the jack point, you can begin jacking the car up.
Most jacks that come with cars have a handle with a hook at the end of it.
Hook this around the circular end of the jack and move it in a circular motion clockwise.
Make sure the car is jacked high enough so the tire is no longer touching the ground.
Step 6: Now that your car is jacked up (not a pun), completely unscrew the lug nuts and take off the wheel.
You may have to hold the wheel, but you should have loosened the lug nuts enough in step 4 to avoid this.
Step 7: Now take your spare tire and mount it on the car.
Make sure the wheel is completely on the car. It should sit on the wheel studs without falling off.
Screw the lug nuts onto the wheel until they get tight enough that the wheel starts to turn.
Make sure you do not tighten the lug nuts all the way one at a time; alternate tightening them a little at a time.
Step 8: Now that you cannot tighten the lug nuts without moving the wheel, you need to lower the car back down.
Just move the jack handle in a counterclockwise position until the car is completely on the ground, and you can remove the jack.
Then tighten the lug nuts all the way.
Sometimes the spare tire itself may need air, which is why you should always have a small air pump in your car.
You can buy these pumps for around $30, and they just plug into the DC outlet in your car.
Some cars may come with an air canister that you can use to pump up the flat. However, these are usually only good for one-time use, so it is still best to buy an air pump.
Step 9: Now take your flat tire and your tools and put them back in your trunk.
The wheel should fit in your trunk unless you have a small car or a DeLorean, in which case you might just have to put the tire in the passenger seat.
Slowly merge back on to the road.
Step 10: Get to a tire store as soon as possible.
Donut spares are meant to be temporary and cannot be traveled on for very long.
They also have low speed ratings of about 50 miles per hour, so if you’re on the nterstate, be sure to keep your flashers on to keep from being rear-ended.
DISCLAIMER: All cars are different, so I cannot possibly describe every one of them in this column. This “how to” guide explains a car that uses a donut spare, the most common.
If your car uses a different method, refer to your owner’s manual.
If you are unlucky enough that your car came without a spare, it may have a one-time use air canister, which will only help you if you have a flat, not a blowout.
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Comments
This is a step by step process on removing the tires! It's really a daunting task whenever you need to replace or repair some car parts. Since this only involves the tires you only need the basic tools to keep the car running again.
I was very lucky last time when I had a flat tire. One of my friends from car insurance Ireland was with me at that time and helped me. I'm quite useless when it comes to repairing a car. I promised myself that I will learn to at least change a tire, but not yet anyways.
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Yeah I agree! This is a very basic tutorial, but very effective method nevertheless. You never know when you're in need to change a flat tire. It's always good to know before it happens. Gas SMD bestücken Produkte
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It really doesn't sound that difficult but I am nervous about it because I never changed a flat tire before. I saw how they do it at the auto parts Philadelphia but I wonder if the procedure is different for different cars.
It is nice to be here. You have presented valuable post here. It is really very hard task to repair any part of our car. This post shares very useful information on this. Thanks.
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These hints are good especially for the women drivers out there!! But, I guess it would be easier just to whistle one and make him change it! At least that would be my way of changing the flat tire!
Imagine it could be worse - having to change a flat tire of one of the Winnebago Motorhomes! There's the hard work :) Hope it'll never happen for you guys.
There is so many people that need to learn about this. It is funny how many people do not know how to fix tire. They need to read this and learn how to do. You will get so much from it.
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All of us will came into the point where in we can't see the road and pedestrians. Suggest, making a law stating that older drivers would not be tolerated to drive unless they have the supervision of professional drivers.
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Though this step-by-step guide on removing a flat tire was very informative, being a woman, I doubt whether I’ll ever do it!! The couple of time I’ve had flat tires, I was lucky that kindhearted people have come to my rescue!!One time i had to even call a nyc moving company to get it shifted as there was a damage with the rims. I hope that there are helpful people around and I’ll be spared from this tough looking job!! But if the situation really arises I don’t think I’ll have a problem now that I’ve read this useful guide – as the saying goes, “there’s always a first time!”
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The problem is that this will happen to you some day. Just print this out and keep it in the glove compartment.
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This is so informative! thanks for this dude! Paying for crisis situations could be a really hard thing to do. For example, a flat tire is always unexpected. You cannot drive around on a spare very far, so getting a tire fixed right away could be really important. It can cost over a hundred dollars for just the one new tire. Most people do not just have access to that type of money sitting around. A personal loan can help you pay for this and other emergencies. Get more information at: Payday Loan
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Having a car breakdown in the middle of the highway is one of the most irritating things that can happen to a driver. Without good tire changing skills, you can expect to be stuck there for a long time, until someone picks you up. I think you outlined the steps well enough but it might still be hard for a single female to change a burst tire.
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