How to Change a Tire in 6 Simple Steps

Few things on the road are more frustrating than dealing with a suddenly defective tire. Learning how to change a tire can become one of the most valuable skills you acquire as a driver. Read on for tire changing made easier. 

1. Locate the Essentials

After you pull over to a safe preferably flat location off the main road, a tire change necessitates a few key items. A properly inflated spare will usually be stored in the trunk for a regular vehicle. Sometimes, it is affixed under or on the backside of a larger vehicle like an SUV or truck.

Other must-haves include a lug wrench, a jack, wheel wedges, a flashlight, a pressure gauge, an inflator, and 15 to 30 minutes of time.

2. Lift the Vehicle

To keep the vehicle stable and secure, you should engage the parking brake and put wheel wedges against the wheels opposite the flat tire.

You will place the jack beside the flat tire. Before you raise the car, however, remove the wheel cover from the flat tire and loosen the lug nuts with your wrench. Then, you can jack up the car until the tire is about six inches off the ground.

3. Remove Flat Tire

At this point, you can fully take off the lug nuts. They should be placed out of your workspace but easily located.

This step will allow you to remove the flat tire by pulling it until it comes off the hub. The flat should also be moved away from your working area.

4. Put on the Spare

Take note of the wheel bolts and align them with the spare tire’s rim.

Once you have mounted the spare into its proper place, reinstall the lug nuts you have set aside. You should tighten each nut clockwise and by hand until it is secure, but do not fully tighten them yet. To ensure evenness in the mount, tighten the nut across from the one on which you are working, moving around in a star pattern until you are finished.

5. Lower the Vehicle

Using the jack, move the vehicle back to ground-level. Do not completely lower the vehicle at first, though. Instead, make sure the spare is grazing the ground.

Before sitting the vehicle so that its full weight is on the surface, finish tightening the lug nuts (with your wrench if needed). Once all the lug nuts are tightly secured, reattach the wheel cover and finish lowering the vehicle.

6. Check Pressure

Use your gauge to make sure the pressure in the new tire is good. If the tire needs air, add it with your inflator. Drive slowly for assistance at a gas station if you do not have access to an inflator. After you have stored your equipment, you are good to go…for now. Spare tires are a vital temporary fix, but they are often not ideal for longer stints on the road.

If you need help, contact us at Cloninger Toyota for superior service that will navigate you out of any roadway emergency.

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