How to change a car tyre: 7 easy steps
Ever been on a road trip and suddenly one of the tyres goes bam? Or ever come out of the office only to find one of the wheels flat? Well, if you do not have a mechanic or a tyre guy around, changing a tyres isn't rocket science. You will have to get your hands a little dirty, wipe a few beads of sweat of your brow while changing the tyre like a pro. Just follow these steps.
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- If you are driving, make sure you park your car on the shoulder/road side preferably on hard ground and a flat surface. Pull the handbrake and also keep the car in gear, so that it remains anchored.
- Locate the tool box and get hold of the wheel spanner. Loosen the wheel-bolts/lugs before you jack the car up. (You will have to rotate the spanner anti-clockwise to loosen.) You may have to use a good amount of force to loosen the wheel nuts. If the nuts still don't budge, look for a hollow pipe around that can be put on the end of the spanner for extra leverage. It generally does the trick. If it doesn't, you will have to call a professional.
- Jacking the car up is the most crucial part because the entire car will be lifted at that one point and doing it wrong may damage the car and also put you in harm's way. So, first up, find the nearest jacking point under the car. Generally, the jacking point is under the running board of the car and is demarcated by an arrow. You can also refer the owner's manual to find the correct jacking point.
- Ensure that the jack is placed on solid ground, because once it takes on the weight of the car to lift it up, it will tend to slip unless it has a solid footing. If you had already parked your car nad found a flat later, you might have to move the car to find the right footing for the jack.
- Now, engage the tommy in the two parallel holes on the jack-screw and rotate it to lift the car up. You will have to keep lifting the car up till the flat wheel is completely off the ground. A height reference of the inflated spare tyre will also help you gauge how much the car has to be lifted.
- Loosen the lug nuts further to remove them and slide the deflated tyre out. Now you can slide in the inflated spare tyre or the space saver, whichever is available. It is advisable to engage the top nut first to avoid the tyre from sliding out again. It is advisable to tighten opposite nuts to balance out the weight and make it a little easy. Tighten each nut fully before you lower the jack and put the weight back on the wheel.
Lower the jack using the tommy and once the car is on wheels, tighten the wheel bolts again with maximum strength. Remember to close the jack to the point it fits into its mount in the boot and secure it along with the deflated tyre. Wash your hands before you get on the steering wheel to keep the precious interior clean.
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