How To Change A Tire By Yourself

by AMY BASS

Oh no, you are driving to work, and now you have a flat tire. You discover that you have a flat tire and now that you are stranded. What do you do now? After reading this, you will know how to change a tire all by yourself.

You want to always make sure you have a spare with the tools to replace it with in your car. There should be a jack, lug nut wrench, and of course a spare tire. Be familiar with these tools and where they are located.

First thing to know is how to use a jack. Check your owners' manual on what type of jack you have and how it operates. You should do this for all your vehicles.

Check to see if any of your vehicles have wheel locks. If your vehicle does have "wheel locks", you will need the "key.," you can't use a regular lug nut wrench on these.

Another great tool to keep in your car is a can of "Fix A Flat." This will usually seal the hole and put in enough air to get you to a station.

Another great tool to have in your vehicle, is an orange vest so that passing traffic will see you. Now lets teach you how to change a tire.

Once you have the tire lowered back to the ground, tighten the lug nuts with the wrench. Now time to put all your tools away, including your flat. Now you know how to change a tire, good for you! But remember, it is wise to head to the a station that can repair your tire before you go anywhere else. Happy and Safe Traveling!

Put the parking brake on and make sure the car is in park. If you have a 5 speed manual transmission, put it in gear. Put your emergency flashers on to warn oncoming traffic.

Get your tools out and lay them by the flat tire. Take out the spare and roll it over by your tools. And don't worry about whether you get dirty or not, because you will. Pay attention to the next step, this is often done wrong the first time.

Loosen each lug nut while the tire is on the ground. If you try to loosen them after you have jacked up the car, the tire will just spin. Loosen them in a "star" pattern so the weight will be even. This is going to take a lot of strength, so use your body weight to help you. You will need to use your body weight to give you strength needed to loosen the lug nuts.

Your jack needs to be placed in the appropriate place for your car, may want to recheck your manual. Jack up the car so that you have a couple of inches under the tire.Remove the lug nuts and then the tire. Now time to remove the lug nuts and the tire.

Place your tire on the bolts making sure the air valve is facing your direction. Again, using the "star"pattern, replace the lug nuts. Before lowering the car, give each lug nut a few turns.

Now you wont need to be worried if your tire blows out because you will know how to change a tire.