Buzz
Have you ever found yourself stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire? Do you wish you could change a tire on your own without asking for help? Fortunately, changing a tire is fairly simple as long as you're prepared and ready to put in some effort.
Steps
Find a safe, level, and stable surface to change the tire. It's essential to stop your car on a flat, stable surface to prevent the vehicle from rolling. If you're parked near a road, try to move as far away from traffic as possible, and make sure to turn on your hazard lights. Avoid soft ground or slopes.
Engage the parking brake and shift the car into 'P' (park) mode. For manual cars, put it in first gear or reverse.
Place heavy objects (such as rocks, concrete, spare tires, etc.) in front of and behind the rear wheels.
Retrieve the spare tire and jack. Position the jack underneath the car's chassis, near the tire you intend to replace. Ensure the jack is making contact with the metal part of the car frame.
- Many vehicles have plastic cladding along the underside. If the jack is placed incorrectly, it could crack the plastic when lifting the car. If you're unsure where to place the jack, refer to the vehicle's manual.
- Most modern vehicles with a unibody design feature a small groove or mark just behind the front wheel or ahead of the rear wheel, which is the designated spot for the jack.
- For most trucks and older vehicles with a frame, the jack should be placed on one of the frame beams, just behind the front wheels or ahead of the rear wheels.
Raise the jack until it contacts the car's body (but don't lift the car yet). The jack must be securely in contact with the vehicle's underside, and it is important to make sure the jack is perpendicular to the ground.
Remove the wheel hubcap and loosen the lug nuts counterclockwise. Do not remove the nuts entirely; just loosen them. Keeping the tire on the ground while loosening the lug nuts will prevent the entire wheel from turning instead of just the nuts.
- Use the provided lug wrench or a standard cross wrench. The wrench may have two ends of different sizes. The right size will slide smoothly over the nuts without making a clinking sound.
- Make sure your trunk contains the correct size lug wrench and a handle to turn it, in case you ever need to change a tire in an emergency.
- You may need to apply significant force to loosen the lug nuts. If all else fails, use your body weight or foot to apply pressure to the wrench (ensure you're turning counterclockwise). However, using body weight or foot pressure may risk damaging the lug nuts, as it's hard to maintain full contact with the wrench.
Pump or turn the jack to lift the tire off the ground. Raise the tire high enough to remove the deflated one and replace it with the spare.
- As you lift the car, ensure the vehicle remains stable. If it seems unstable, lower the jack and address the issue before continuing to lift the car.
- If the jack tilts while lifting, lower it, reposition, and make sure it's lifting the car vertically.
- It’s a good idea to keep a small jack base in your trunk in case the jack slips while you’re changing the tire. Using both a regular jack and a small base jack can increase safety if the jack malfunctions.
Remove the lug nuts. Turn them counterclockwise until they fall off. Afterward, unscrew and remove all remaining nuts.
- Though uncommon, certain vehicles do have reverse-threaded lug nuts, especially older Chrysler and GM models.
Remove the flat tire. Place the flat tire under the car to prevent the vehicle from dropping onto the old tire if the jack fails, hoping it won’t cause injury. If the jack is placed on a solid, flat surface, this issue is unlikely.
- The tire may be stuck due to rust. You can try tapping the inside of the tire with a rubber mallet to loosen it or use the spare tire to strike the outside of the stuck tire.
Mount the spare tire onto the hub. Carefully align the spare tire’s rim with the bolts, then tighten the lug nuts.
- Ensure the spare tire is positioned correctly to avoid it spinning the wrong way. The valve stem should face outward from the vehicle.
- If your vehicle uses crown lug nuts, it's easy to install them incorrectly. The tapered part of the nut should face toward the wheel as you tighten it.
Tighten the lug nuts by hand until they are no longer moveable. Initially, the nuts will be easy to turn by hand.
- Use a wrench to tighten the nuts fully, preferably in a star pattern. This ensures even pressure distribution across the tire. Don't tighten one nut completely before the others. Tighten each nut gradually, alternating between them, until all are equally tight.
- Avoid excessive force to prevent toppling the jack. You’ll finalize tightening once the vehicle is back on the ground, ensuring no risk of it falling.
Lower the car but don't let it fully rest on the tire just yet. Tighten the nuts completely at this stage.
Lower the car to the ground and remove the jack. Complete tightening the nuts and replace the wheel hub cap.
Place the flat tire in the trunk and have it repaired later. Fixing a small puncture typically costs around 50,000 VND. However, if the tire is beyond repair, you'll need to buy a new one and leave the damaged tire for them to dispose of.
Advice
- If your wheel uses locking lug nuts, make sure to keep the key in a place that's easy to find. You'll need the key to remove the locking lug nuts during a tire change.
- Sometimes, the tire may be stuck on the hub, making it difficult to remove. If this happens, use a sledgehammer and a block of wood to break the bond and loosen the tire. Regularly rotating the tires will prevent this from happening during future changes.
- When removing or tightening the lug nuts, position the cross wrench so that you can press down (using gravity). This stance will help prevent back injuries and allow you to use your body weight instead of relying solely on your arm strength. Apply pressure to the cross wrench's end to maximize leverage. You can even use your foot, but ensure your body remains balanced and stable by bracing against the car.
- When reinstalling the lug nuts, remember to position the tapered side of the nut against the wheel. This will center the wheel and keep the nuts securely in place.
- Learn the tire-changing process and familiarize yourself with your vehicle's details before you find yourself in a flat tire situation, especially on the roadside, at night, or in the rain.
- The cross wrench can provide significantly more torque than a standard single-hand wrench.
- Check periodically to ensure that the spare tire has enough air pressure.
- Remember to replace the spare tire after using it since it is designed only for temporary use and cannot permanently replace a main wheel.
- Regularly rotating your tires as recommended by the manufacturer can prevent them from getting stuck during a tire change.
Warning
- Be mindful of your surroundings. When there are many vehicles passing by, take extra care to avoid getting too close to any moving cars. Hundreds of people are killed every year while changing tires on the roadside; only do so if it's absolutely necessary.
- For safety reasons, place a block of wood, a stone, or something sturdy under the car frame after lifting the vehicle, before removing the tire. This is to prevent the car from falling if the jack fails or tips over during the process. Ensure the block is placed near the frame or lifting points, but not too far from the tire.
- Most spare tires are smaller than the main tires and are not designed for speeds over 80 km/h or for long-distance driving. Going faster than this may cause the spare tire to fail or result in other issues. It's best to drive slowly to a repair shop for a proper tire fix or replacement.
- Never use makeshift jacks, such as cinder blocks or homemade devices. Cars are very heavy, and using improper tools could endanger both you and the vehicle.
