How to change a tire?

How to change a tire?

Changing your own tire can be quite daunting. Many people have it in their head that only a skilled mechanic can do it. However, changing a tire is fairly simple as long as you take it one step at a time and remain calm.

Here is a nine step guide on how to successfully change your own tire:

1. First, pull over onto the side of the road or motorway and try to make sure that you are on a flat, even section of ground. Then engage the handbrake and then switch the engine off.

2. Set up your warning triangle, so that any oncoming traffic can see it before they reach you and your car. Put on a bright jacket to stand out – particularly if it is dark.

3. Remove the spare wheel from your boot (if you cannot find it, it is often located under a removable piece of flooring) along with a jack and wheel wrench.

4. Before you jack the car up, loosen the wheel nuts using the wheel wrench (these are in the centre of the wheel – occasionally they are located underneath the hubcap).

5. Raise the car slowly using the jack. Once the tire is completely above the ground, finish loosening and removing the wheel nuts. Remove with the wheel with the damaged tire and place it carefully to one side. The wheel can be deceivingly weighty, so be careful.

6. Lift up and put the new wheel and tire into the place of the one you have just removed. Then tighten the wheel nuts – like you did previously, when undoing the wheel nuts, do not tighten them entirely.

7. Lower the car and then put the jack to one side. Tighten the wheel nuts fully.

8. Tidy away your tools and put the old wheel and tire in the boot.

9. Make one last safety check, making sure that the wheel and tire is on correctly.

A spare tire is only suitable to be driven on for a small amount of time. Do not exceed 50mph with you spare tire fitted to the car. Once home, make sure to order a new tire as soon as possible.

Please note: although this section refers to "changing a tire" what we have described in this section is the changing of a wheel. We have not done this to confuse you. It is because this is the term most commonly associated with the actions described.