Friday, April 25

How To: Change A Tire

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Wednesday night I ordered pizza for dinner. I went to the garage, got in the car, and pulled out fully intending to pick up the pizza my rumbling tummy desired. But something was wrong. Something was clicking and it felt like I was driving over a very bumpy landscape, even though I was on smooth cement. Hopping out of the car I discovered the front, passenger side wheel was flat. Not just a little flat, but rim on the ground flat. Eventually we discovered the very long nail that I must have run over on my way home from work.

I ended up walking to get the pizza, but I still needed to get the spare tire on so I could go to work the next morning. Thankfully I'm lucky and my wonderful husband and father-in-law changed the tire for me, but it made me think I should really know how to do it myself in case this happens when I'm not at home. My dad walked me through it when I was 16, but it's been a long time and a refresher course is always a good idea. So, without further ado, here is:

How To Change A Tire




  1. Know where your spare is. Most frequently it is under the flooring of your trunk. Just pull the floor up and you should find the spare tire, a diamond jack, and a tire iron. Don't worry, you can use your hands to unscrew everything. If the tools are not there look for a compartment near by. It should be labeled and normally has a small drawing of the tools.
  2. Loosen the lug nuts on the car wheel that you are replacing. If your lug nuts have covers or caps on them be sure to remove these first. You will need to use the tire iron for this, and don't forget: righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. To loosen them, hook the tire iron on to each individual lug nut and twist to the left. You will most likely need to use your body weight for this, they will be on tight. Don't completely remove them, but get them nice and loose.
  3. Jack up that car! First locate the slots (there should be one by each tire) on the underside of the frame of your car where the jack is supposed to connect. If you can't find them, check your car manual. A diamond jack normally either has either a lever you can turn by hand OR a spot for you to connect the tire iron and turn. Crank the jack to the height needed for it to sit on the ground and to slide into the slot under your car. Slide it into the slot and crank it until the tire is off the ground. You should be able to spin the tire with out it rubbing on anything.
  4. Remove the old tire by removing the lug nuts with your hands. You should have loosened them enough in step two to do this. Then simply pull the old tire off and set it aside. Take your spare tire, line up the bolts on the car with the holes in the rims, and slide the new tire on. Take the lug nuts and tighten them by hand ONLY. You will make it more difficult for yourself if you try and use the tire iron while the car is jacked up as the wheel will begin to spin. Remember you will have to hold the spare tire in place until the lug nuts are on. Once you've tightened the nuts as much as you can by hand, lower the car back down to the ground.
  5. Now use the tire iron to tighten the lug nuts in a diagonal pattern, this is important so that the tire is evenly tightened. You don't want the top of the tire or the left side of the tire to be tighter than the bottom or the right side or it could cause the tire to wiggle while you drive. Continue to tighten in a diagonal pattern until it feels firm and secure.
You now have your spare tire on and are good for short distances! You can drive with a spare for a couple of days so long as you avoid the highway and other fast roads. Be sure to go to a mechanic or tire dealership soon! Never drive with a spare for more than a couple days.

Are you unsure if you need to replace your tires? The general rule is that once your tires are 5 years old you need to have a tire inspection once a year to be sure that rubber isn't deteriorating. This is true even if your tread still looks in amazing condition. You should always be ready to replace tires that are between 6 and 10 years old. If you live in a very hot climate or near the ocean you will most likely need to replace your tires nearer to 6 years than 10.

Think of your tires like a giant rubber band. Even if that rubber band hasn't been used very much, once its been sitting around for a while it will develop cracks if you stretch it. The same is true of your tires. For more information about when and why you should replace your tires this article is a good resource.

13 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm hoping you won't need it, but it's good emergency information to know!

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  2. Everyone need to know how to change a tire if not pay to have road assistance from their smartphones. Have a great weekend doll.
    http://tifi11.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. I agree, you should always have a plan for the worst!

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  3. hello beautiful, I like your post, WOW

    http://losviajesysibaritismosdeauroraboreal.blogspot.com.es/

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  4. great info! I have gotten many flat tires so knowing this is very helpful :)

    floralconstellation.com

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    Replies
    1. Hopefully you won't have any more for a while, but at least you know what to do! Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Great post.very useful tips
    Keep intouch
    Kisses

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  6. This post is so useful specially for people like me who wouldn't have a clue how to change a tire! Great and easy to understand explanations as well!!

    http://tropicalcolours.blogspot.com.au/

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you found it helpful! It would be so stressful to get stuck in a situation and not know what to do! Especially on the high way without phone service. Thanks for reading!

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  7. Lauren, you are so awesome! I NEED to learn how to do this. I have AAA, but this is always good to know. Glad you got your pizza. Excellent post!
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  8. How practical is this post...I don't usually look there in the car ;-)

    http://melange-boutique.blogspot.com.es/

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