So much depends upon a car’s tires, but would you know what to do in the case of a flat? Here’s a quick guide to successfully changing a car’s tire.

As drivers, we rarely appreciate the important role of our car’s tires until one of them has a catastrophic failure. Many highway accidents can be traced directly to the loss of control a flat tire can cause. It’s vitally important to understand how to maneuver a car that has suddenly developed a flat tire, but just as important to understand how to change a flat tire in an emergency. Many of us enjoy the benefits of roadside assistance plans through insurance or car club memberships, but these services may not always be available in a timely manner. Here’s what you’ll need to do if one of your car tires goes flat:

1.  First, make sure you’re in a proper location to attempt a tire change. If at all possible, drive the car slowly off the roadway and onto a flat section of the shoulder. If movement is impossible, turn on your emergency lights and put out an emergency flare or triangle if you have them. Never try to change a tire on unstable ground or extremely wet/muddy terrain.
2.  Make sure the car’s engine is off, the transmission is in Park and the parking brake has been pulled. Get out of the car and visually inspect the tire. Remove any obstructing debris from the area around the tire. Open your car’s trunk and look for the storage area containing the spare tire and tools. Often these items are stored beneath the trunk and can be accessed by removing a round section of the trunk liner. You should find a basic jack, a lug wrench and a spare tire. Some cars have full-size spare tires, but you’ll most likely find a much smaller tire commonly called a ‘donut’. This tire is only meant for emergency use, which means travel distances are limited.
3.  Take the spare tire, lug wrench and jack to the affected tire area and keep them close at hand. Your first step is to pry off the hubcap using the flattened side of the lug wrench. You may have to work it loose from several places, but eventually it should come off the rim. (Keep the hubcap close, because it will make a good holder for the lug nuts.)
4.  You should see four or five large bolts near the center of the tire rim. While the car is still on the ground, place the lug wrench firmly around one of the lug nuts and push hard in a counter-clockwise direction. Lug nuts are meant to be very tightly attached, so you may have to use a lot of force until the nut begins to turn. Continue twisting the lug nut with the wrench until it falls completely free of the shaft. Place the nut in the hubcap and repeat until all the lug nuts have been removed.
5.  Now here is the tricky part- jacking up the car and removing the tire. Many cars contain a small jack that works on the principle of a screw for leverage. It’s not the easiest thing to do, but take the jack and extend the arm with the turning mechanism fully. Look for an area of the car’s frame behind the wheel well and place the jack directly under it. This area may actually be marked, but usually you’ll find a suitable area with minimal effort. Do NOT place the jack directly under the door panel- it can’t support the weight and will most likely buckle. Twist the jack until it starts supporting the weight of the car and carefully continue until the wheel is completely off the ground and able to spin freely. You don’t have to jack up the car to the maximum extent of the jack itself, just enough for the tires to clear.
6.  With the car jacked up, grab the flat tire with both hands and give it a firm pull towards you. Once it clears the mounts, be prepared for some weight. Roll the flat tire towards the trunk, but do not attempt to put it in the car while it is still on the jack. Take the ‘donut’ or full-size spare and lift it onto the mounts. Push it back as far as it will go, then replace the lug nuts by hand only to the point of ‘hand-tight’. Once all the lug nuts are back on, lower the jack and remove it. Place the lug wrench back on the first nut and twist clockwise until it cannot move anymore. Ideally, you should then tighten the lug nut directly ACROSS from the first one, then continue in a criss-cross pattern until all five nuts are fully tightened. The flat has been repaired.
7.  Now you may place the bad tire into the trunk’s wheel well, along with the jack, hubcap and lug wrench. You may continue to drive the car, but remember that you no longer have a spare. The donut should provide enough time to reach the nearest garage or tire repair store, but don’t use it as a regular tire. Even if the spare is full-size, you’ll want to get a new spare tire as soon as possible, or get the old tire repaired.

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