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How to Change a Flat Tire?

When you are about to leave for work in the morning and suddenly you discover that your car is having a flat tire—this event is potent enough to ruin your morning than anything else. Tires, unfortunately, do not last very long particularly in hot summer, extreme heat and friction-rich rough roads.

Following steps can be undertaken to change flat tire (Benjamin 2017; The Bridgestone 2017; Zachary 2018):

Preparing to remove flat tire

Collecting tools and items to change flat tire: jack, lug wrench, fully inflated tire for replacement, wheel wedges, gloves, small cut of wood for securing the jack, rain poncho and flashlight with operational batteries.

Finding an appropriate location for further operations: avoid changing tire on busy roads or parking areas. Find appropriate place with less traffic flow and minimal distraction.

Turning the hazard lights on: hazard lights enable other drivers to see you working on the vehicle which eliminates the probability of accidents.

Performing operations to remove the flat tire

Applying the parking/ hand brake: it will minimize the probability of rolling car and performing operations successfully.

Applying wheel wedges: wheel wedges are placed either in front or behind the tire and further ensure that vehicle remains in the same place.

Removing wheel cover and hubcap: hubcap can be removed using flat end of the lug wrench. Remember, this step is highly vehicle specific in nature.

Loosening the lug nuts: lug wrench is used to loosen the nuts through moving it in anti clockwise direction until friction is completely removed.

Inserting jack under the car: the best place for inserting jack is alongside vehicle frame right beneath the flat tire.

Raising the vehicle with the help of jack: a wooden cut is used to prevent jack settling under the vehicle weight and becoming off the balance. Then, it is raised until it reaches 6 inches above the ground.

Unscrewing the lug nuts: this process can be done using hand because lug nuts underwent loosening in the procedure mentioned above.

Removing the flat tire: tire is pulled gently unless it is removed from the hub.

Mounting and sparing tire on the lug bolt: lug bolts are used to align the rim for placing the spare of the hub

Tightening the lug nuts by hands: lug nuts are placed and tighten again on the nut bolts

Lowering the vehicle: jack is again used to lower the vehicle down

Tightening the lug nuts again: lug nuts are tightened again with the help of wrench

Replacing the hubcap: if hubcap of flat tire fits the spare, it will be replaced in the tire the same way it was removed. If not, it will be stowed with equipments

Stowing all the equipments after use: keeping all the equipments at one place for further use

Examining the pressure in spare tire: 6psi is the optimal pressure required by the tire.

Keeping the tire inside the car for taking it to the technician; same process

Plugging in the new tire

Applying tire bead lubricant to the rim and tire beads: bead lubricant is a slippery liquid which allows beads to set in the rim perfectly.

Using machine to install new tire: new tire is installed by reversing the steps of removing tire.

Spraying more bead lubricant on the rim and beads: this is done to set the beads on the rim

Re-inflating the tire to its maximum pressure: it is inflated till the maximum pressure limit is reached i.e., 6psi.

Above mentioned steps are used for do it yourself (DIY) scheme of changing flat tire successfully. It must be noted that initially, it might be difficult for some to fix the tire appropriately but practice certainly makes a man perfect at some point!

Works Cited

Benjamin Preston. “Do It Yourself: How to Install Tires Correctly.” The Drive, 2017. https://www.thedrive.com/gear-up/3298/do-it-yourself-how-to-install-tires-correctly. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

“How to change a flat tire.” The Bridgestone tire, 2017. https://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread-and-trend/drivers-ed/how-to-change-a-flat-tire Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

Zachary Palmer. “How to Change a Flat Tire: A Step-By-Step Guide.” Popular mechanics, 2018. https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a5855/how-to-change-a-flat-tire/. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.