Home | Car Tips

Print This Article

Post Comment

Add To Favorites

Email to Friends

Ezine Ready

By: Jessica T

You are on your way to work and you feel something weird on the right side of your car, your car is now driving a bit wobbly. You discover that you have a flat tire and now that you are stranded. What do you do now? You will be an expert on how to change a tire after reading this.

Always, make sure you have the tools to change your tire and a spare in your trunk. There should be a jack, lug nut wrench, and of course a spare tire. Know where these tools are located and be familiar with them.

First thing to know is how to use a jack. If you have your owners' manual, read this section well. You should do this for all your vehicles.

Some 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.

A can of "Fix a Flat" is another great tool to keep in your car. This is something that will fill your tire with enough air, and seal the hole, long enough 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. Put away your tools along with your flat tire. Now you are ready, you know how to change a tire! But remember, it is wise to head to the a station that can repair your tire before you go anywhere else. Travel safe!

Put the parking brake on and make sure the car is in park. If your car is a manual shift, put it in gear. Use your emergency flashers to alert oncoming traffic that you are there.

Take all of your tools out and lay them on the ground by the tire. Get your spare tire and roll it over to your work area. Don't worry about trying to stay clean, you are going to get dirty doing this job. Ok, the next step is very important and often done wrong.

Before you start to jack the car, loosen each lug nut. 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. Raise the car up so that the tire is off the ground a couple of inches.Remove the lug nuts and then the tire. Now time to remove the lug nuts and the tire.

Lift your spare and place it on the bolts and making sure the valve is facing you. Replace the lug nuts using the same "star" pattern. Before lowering the car, give each lug nut a few turns.

Now that you know how to change a tire, You can be confident that you will be prepared.

Free Article Provided by: http://automobile-book.com

Discover the tricks of the trade to save hundreds of dollars every year by doing your own car maintenance at Car Care Tips.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Car Tips Articles Via RSS!

Additional Articles From - Home | Car Tips