How to Fix a Flat Tire

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Whump. Hiss. Those familiar movie-like sound effects can only mean one thing: you've punctured a tire, and unless you know how to change your tire from flat to spare, you probably won't be getting to your destination on time. Even if you don't hear those familiar sounds, a wobbly car will let you know that something is wrong. These moments can come at the worst times possible, so unless you're ready for them, they can ruin your day. That's why you'll want to learn these essential steps for fixing a flat tire.

First, pull over and find a safe place to change the tire.
Without a safe place to change the tire, you won't even be able to accomplish the change, let alone feel secure about it. Pull well over to the shoulder of the road or if it's busy, try to find some space to pull over into a side street. If this isn't possible, don't try to force it; simply get out of harm's way so that you can make the change.
Set the car in park and apply the emergency break when applicable.
You don't want to let the car roll away from you or into traffic, so make sure that the car is safely in park when you leave it. If you're on an incline, set the emergency break so that you'll have added protection against the possibility of the car rolling. There's not much you can do with a rolling car once you're outside it, so make sure this is on your mental checklist while you're still inside.
Get your equipment.
Every car should have a jack, a spare tire, and a wrench (a cross wrench works) for these kinds of emergencies. Make sure that you have this equipment out.
Jack the car up.
Put the jack under the car so that it is moving straight up and down, and then put enough lift under the car to support it but not necessarily bring it up from the ground.
Remove the hub cap and loosen the nuts.
The reason the wheel will still be on the ground is so that it doesn't move as you loosen the nuts and remove the hub cap. Once you have the hub cap free and the nuts loosened, you can then jack the car up higher for removing the flat tire.
Remove the nuts and then remove the tire.
After jacking up the car, you're ready to remove the nuts, followed by the tire.
Put on the new tire.
Now you can put the new tire over the hub, replacing the flat one. Make sure everything is aligned, and then tighten the nuts with your hand followed by the wrench. Lower the car to the ground a little, and continue tightening the nuts.
Lower the car back to the ground.
Remove the jack and replace the hubcap; your new spare tire should be firmly and tightly attached now. Put everything in your trunk, including the flat tire, and you should be ready to drive off.

Photo Credits: Mr.Thomas

This post involves:

car roll, how to change a flat tire, rolling car, shoulder of the road, spare tire, traffic, wheel

... and focuses on:

Car, How to Fix

Posted by Fix Handyman on July 21, 2009 in Car, How to Fix. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

One Response to “How to Fix a Flat Tire”

kosmo @ The Casual Observer Says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:21 am
I have a bottle hydraulic jack in the trunk of each car. I find these much easier to use than the standard car jacks.

Good article.