How to Change Tires

Have you ever been stuck on the side of the road because of a flat tire? Do you want to be able to change tires yourself without asking for help? Fortunately, changing tires is quite simple as long as you are prepared and willing to sweat.

Table of Contents

Steps

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Find a safe place with a stable, flat surface to change tires. You should stop the vehicle on a flat and stable surface to prevent the vehicle from rolling on its own. If the vehicle is located near the road, park it as far away from the traffic as possible and turn on the emergency light (danger warning light). Avoid areas with soft and sloping ground.

Pull the handbrake and push the shift lever to “P” (park). With a manual transmission car, you put it in 1st gear or reverse gear.

Insert heavy objects (such as rocks, concrete, spare wheel etc. ) in front and behind the rear wheel.

Get the spare tire and jack. Place the jack under the car, near the tire you are going to change. Make sure the jack is in contact with the metal part of the chassis.

Many cars have plastic covers along the underbody. If you don’t put the jack in the right place it will crack the plastic cover when you jack the car. If you don’t know where to put the jack, see the user manual.
For most modern cars with a monolithic body, there is a small groove or mark just behind the front wheel or in front of the rear wheel, where the jack is located.
For most older trucks and cars with frames, you place the jack in one of the frame’s beams, either behind the front wheel or in front of the rear wheel.

Raise the jack until it touches the body of the vehicle (but do not push the vehicle up). The jack must be firmly in contact with the underside of the vehicle, in addition, you must ensure that the jack is perpendicular to the ground.

Remove the wheel hub cover and loosen the nut counterclockwise . Do not completely remove the nut, just loosen it. Keeping the wheel on the ground before loosening the nut will help you turn the nut out instead of turning the whole wheel.

Use the nut wrench provided with the vehicle or a standard crosshead. The nut wrench can have two heads of different sizes. The right sized key will slide easily over the nut but won’t rattle.
To be prepared for unexpected tire changes, your trunk should always have the correct size screwdriver for the wheel nut and crank.
You need to use quite a lot of force to be able to open the wheel nut. If all else fails, use your body weight or stomp your foot on the key (make sure you open it in the correct counter-clockwise direction). However, the nut runs the risk of chipping if you use your body weight or stomp on the key because it is difficult to maintain full contact.

Pedal or spin the jack to lift the wheel off the ground. You need to raise the wheel high enough to remove the flat tire and install the spare tire.

While lifting the jack, you must ensure that the vehicle is stable. If you find that the vehicle is unstable, lower the jack and fix the problem before lifting the vehicle completely.
If the jack is tilted when lifting, lower it and reposition it so that it can be raised vertically.
It’s better to have a small jack stand in the trunk of your car, in case the jack slips out while you’re changing the tyres. Using both a small and a regular jack will keep you safe in the event that the jack is damaged.

Remove the nut. Turn counter-clockwise until the nut comes off. Then you screw and unscrew all the remaining nuts.

Although rare, some vehicles actually have reverse thread in the wheel nut. These are usually very old cars of the Chrysler and GM brands.

Remove the tire. Put the flat tire under the car so that in case the jack fails, the car will fall on that old wheel, hopefully not causing injury to you. If the jack is placed on a hard, flat surface, it is almost impossible to have a problem.

Tires can get stuck due to rust. Try hitting the inside of the tire with a rubber hammer to loosen it, or use the spare tire to hit the outside.

Install the spare wheel on the axle. Take care when aligning the spare tire rim with the bolts, then screw in the nut.

Be sure to install the spare wheel in the correct orientation to avoid reverse rotation. The spare tire valve head must face the outside of the vehicle.
If your vehicle uses a crown nut, it is also easy to install the nut upside down. The beveled portion of the nut should face the wheel when you screw it in.

Tighten the nut by hand until it can no longer be turned. Initially the nuts could be easily screwed in by hand.

Use the key to tighten the nut to the maximum and should be in the shape of a star. To make sure the tire is even, do not over tighten each screw. You should screw the screws in the shape of a star, that is, in the diagonal positions, and turn each screw a little bit until the tightness of the screws is the same.
Avoid using too much force as you may knock over the halberd. You will tighten the screws as much as possible when the vehicle is on the ground and is no longer in danger of falling.

Lower the vehicle but not as far as possible so that the wheels do not bear all of the weight. Tighten the screws to the maximum.

Lower the vehicle to the ground and remove the jack. Finish tightening the screws and reinstall the wheel hub cap.

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Store the flat tire in the trunk and have it repaired later. The cost of patching a small puncture usually costs only about 50,000 VND. But if the tire can no longer be repaired, you will have to buy a new tire and leave the damaged tire for them to handle.

Advice

If the wheel has a locking nut, keep the key in an easy-to-find place. To change the tire, you must use the key to open the nut.
Sometimes the wheel is tight on the axle making it very difficult to change the tire. If this happens, you must use a sledgehammer and a piece of wood to remove the bundled wheel rim. Turning the wheel periodically will prevent this from happening when you need to change the tire.
When unscrewing or tightening the nut, you should position the cross tube in such a way that it can be pressed down (taking advantage of gravity). This pose eliminates the risk of back injury and also allows you to use your body weight instead of just arm strength. Press on the crosshead for maximum leverage. You can even use your feet, but keep your body balanced and stable by leaning against the car.
When reinstalling the nut, be sure to screw the beveled side of the nut onto the wheel, then the wheel will be centered and the nut will stay in place.
Memorize the tire change procedure and detailed vehicle characteristics before experiencing a flat tire so you don’t have to learn how to change a tire on the side of the road, in the dark, or in the rain.
The crosshead can produce much greater torque than a standard single-handle key.
Check occasionally to make sure the spare tire has adequate air pressure.
Remember to replace the spare tire with a new tire because the spare tire can only be used temporarily, not a complete replacement for the main wheel.
Rotating tires at the manufacturer-recommended time cycle can prevent wheel jamming when changing tires.

Warning

Pay attention to your surroundings. When there are many cars around, you must be careful with vehicles running too close. Hundreds of people are killed each year while they are changing tires on the side of the road; Don’t do this unless you have no other choice.
For safety reasons, it is recommended to place logs, rocks etc under the beams after jacking up the vehicle, and before removing the tyres. The purpose is to prevent the car from falling down in case the jack is damaged or toppled for some reason while you are removing the wheel. Place it near the chassis or a position designed to lift the vehicle, but not too far from the wheels.
Most spare tires are smaller in size than the main wheel, and are not designed to go faster than 80km/h or run long distances. If you go faster than this speed, the spare wheel may be damaged or have other problems. You should slow down to the auto repair shop to patch or change the main tire.
Never use slag bricks or homemade jacks. The weight of a car is very heavy and if you use anything else to jack it up, both you and the car can be in danger.

Steps

Advice

Warning

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