Eventually it will happen to almost everyone. You’re driving down the road in the middle of nowhere and you get a flat tire. Without the proper knowledge and tools this could turn into something much worse than it really is. It is very important for your safety and the safety of others that you know how to properly change a flat tire.

Supplies:

Spare tire

Car jack

Tire air gauge

Lug nut wrench

Process:

1. Wherever your flat occurs, be sure to pull your car as far off the road as possible for your own safety. Make sure that you pull the car onto the most level area available. Once your car is safely off the road, turn off the engine and turn on the hazard lights. Next apply the parking break to prevent the car from rolling. Open the hood to show other drivers that you have pulled off the road for repairs.

2. Place something such as a rock or wheel chock in front of the opposing wheel so that the car won’t roll.

3. Get out your spare tire, car jack, tire gauge, and lug nut wrench.

4. If there is a hubcap on your wheel remove it with the lug nut wrench.

5. Use your lug nut wrench to loosen the lug nuts. This is putting the lug nut wrench over a lug nut and turning it to the left to loosen it. Loosen the lug nuts in a star pattern; loosen one lug nut and the one opposite from it until all of the lug nuts are slightly loose.

6. Refer to your owner’s manual to see where the car jack should be placed before you jack the car up. Take your tire jack and jack the car up slightly higher than needed to remove the flat tire and put the new one on.

7. Remove the lug nuts and put them in safe place so you don’t lose them.

8. Remove the flat tire and exchange it in your car with the spare.

9. Take the new tire, with the air valve facing out, and place it on the wheel studs.

10. Replace the lug nuts by tightening them the same way you loosened them. Make your way around the tire tightening the lug nuts in a star pattern.

11. Carefully lower the car jack and place it back in the car. After you lower the car tighten the lug nuts once more and make them as tight as you possibly can.

12. Put the hubcap back on if necessary and check the air pressure of your spare with your tire air gauge. If the tire pressure is safe to drive on jump in your car and you’re on your way.

Remember the biggest thing when you change a tire is your safety. Please be careful.