INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHANGING A FLAT TIRE

Introduction
Since Ilat tires are so common and can happen at any time, every driver should know how to
replace a tire with a spare. AIter reading this set oI instructions, you will know how to saIely and
correctly replace a tire on your own.
These instructions explain how to change a Ilat tire Ior even the most notice oI drivers who have
no experience with this sort oI situation.
When changing a Ilat tire, you will most likely take around 15 minutes (which is less time than it
usually takes Ior assistance to arrive). To change a Ilat tire; you will need to park your vehicle
saIely, loosen the lug nuts, jack the car up, remove the lug nuts, remove and change the Ilat tire,
screw the lug nuts back on, lower and remove the jack, retighten the lug nuts, and Iinally, put the
Ilat tire and other equipment away.






CAU1ICN AlLhough Lhese lnsLrucLlons are meanL for novlces
you should always pay exLra cauLlon Lo maklng sure Lhe car ls
safely away from Lrafflc Also you should be careful when
uslng Lhe car [ack as lL ls unsafe and dangerous Lo geL under a
car wlLh only a [ack holdlng lL up
?our maln concern ls your safeLy lf needed have a
more experlenced drlver demonsLraLe Lhls procedure before
you aLLempL lL Also pay aLLenLlon Lo warnlngs ln sLep 1 and 2

To change a tire, you will need this equipment:
a spare tire
a jack
a tire iron
a wheel chock (or large rock)
The major steps in changing a tire are (1) saIely parking your car, (2) preparing to change the tire,
(3) changing the tire itselI, (4) retightening the lug nuts, and (5) putting the equipment away
saIely.
Required Steps
1. How to park your car safely
Iirst, you should put the car in park on level ground and apply the parking brake (iI you drive
a manual transmission car, you should put it in gear). You should have:
a) pulled oII the road
b) turned oII the engine
c) Turned on the hazard lights.

Once you have saIely parked the car, you should place a wheel chock or a large rock behind
(iI Iacing uphill) or in Iront oI (iI Iacing downhill) the diagonally opposing wheel to prevent
the car Irom rolling. This should be done even on a slight incline.




2. !reparing to change the tire
beIore you remove the tire, you will need to get out the spare, a lug nut wrench (tire iron),
and a car jack. To avoid bruised knuckles, you should pull, rather than push when removing
lug nuts.
a. eIore jacking up the car, the lug nuts, which hold the wheel in place, should be
removed by placing one end oI the tire iron over a lug nut. Then, the iron is turned
counter clockwise to loosen the lug nut. The loosening oI the lug nuts should be
completed in a star pattern, Iirst loosening one a Iew turns and then loosening the one
opposite. You should work across the tire until all the lug nuts are loose and
unscrewed tightly.
b. Once you have accomplished this, you should move the jack underneath the car. Your
owner`s manual will speciIy the correct place to put the jack. To jack up the car, you
simply turn the knob at the end oI the jack, using the provided metal hand crank. You
should raise the car with the jack until the Ilat tire is completely raised oII the ground.



JAkNING falllng Lo safely park your
vehlcle off Lhe road can resulL ln Lhe
car slldlng off and posslbly causlng an
accldenL
JAkNING eing extremely careIul is very important. Cars
can slip oII jacks. You should never get under a car with
only a tire changing jack holding it up.
c. Once this is done, you should remove the wheel lugs completely. Depending on how
tight the lugs are, you might be able to remove them by hand. The lugs should be set
aside in a secure location where they can`t roll away.


3. How to change the flat tire
once the car is liIted via the use oI the jack, it is time to get out the spare tire. To change the
spare tire, Iollow these steps:
a. The spare tire should be liIted onto the wheel studs by holding up the tire and trying
to line up the holes in the wheel with the protruding wheel studs. One trick that might
help is to balance the tire on your Ioot while you move it into position.




b. AIter you have the spare tire hanging on the wheel studs, you should screw each oI
the wheel lugs back on. You`ll want to start them by hand, making sure you do not
cross-thread them. The lugs should screw on easily.
c. Once each oI them is snug and you can`t tighten them any Iurther by hand, you
should use the tire iron to Iinish the job, working around the wheel in a star pattern.
You should avoid tightening adjacent nuts consecutively.
d. Once the spare tire is on, you should slowly lower the jack and then pull the jack
away Irom the vehicle.

NOTE: I you are conIused about which is the right way to
put on the new tire, you should check Ior the valve where you
add air: it always Iaces out.

4. Once the spare tire is on and the car is lowered, the Iinal step is to:
a. Tighten down the lugs completely. The reason you tighten the lugs now is that the
tire is on the ground and it won`t rotate around like it would iI it was still hanging in
the air.

5. Now the only thing leIt to do is to clean up aIter yourselI.
a. The Ilat tire should be put in the space where the spare tire was, the jack and the tire
iron should be put back in the car.












NOTE: ost compact spare tires are smaller than
regular tires, so it is possible that the Ilat tire won`t Iit in
the spare tire well. Also, compact spares have a limited
top speed. The tire`s top speed will be written on its
sidewall. I your vehicle has a Iull-size spare, you won`t
encounter these problems.
Conclusion
You have now successIully replaced a Ilat tire. Knowing how to change a Ilat tire is a useIul skill
to know in case this situation happens to you and should take you less than 15 minutes to
accomplish. With the spare installed, you should be able to reach your house or the nearest
service station.