Step 1: What you’ll need most
Car manufacturers place the essential tools and a spare tire
under the floor of the trunk. Lift up the flooring and you should see: a spare
tire, a diamond jack and a tire iron. Use your hands to unscrew the bolt
holding everything into place.
Tip: Some car manufacturers will place the tools in a closed
compartment inside the trunk. As one of my friends from the Ukraine says,
“Americans label everything.” If you don’t see the tools where the spare tire
is, look for that compartment along the sides of the trunk, it’ll probably have
a picture or words describing what’s inside. AOL Autos: Top 11 safest cars
Step 2: Loosen the lug nuts
Before you start jacking up the car, the nuts holding the wheel
to the hub need to be loosened. Most of the time they will be on fairly tight,
so simply using the force of your hands won’t work.
Place the tire iron on one of the lug nuts, then place your
foot on the iron and use your body weight to loosen the nut. You may have to
spring up and down a bit on the iron to get it to move at first.
When your loosening the nuts, be sure that you don’t “strip”
them, which means rounding off the edges. If you strip the nuts, you won’t be
able to get them off yourself and you’ll soon be riding in the front seat of a
tow truck. Also, the righty-tighty, lefty-loosey rule applies to car wheels, so
make sure you’re applying pressure in the correct direction.
Tip: Some cars may have plastic wheel covers that hide the
lug nuts or even plastic caps on the lug nuts that can hinder or prevent you
from changing the tire. Make sure to remove these obstructions before
attempting to change the tire. AOL Autos: 10 tire buying tips
Step 3: Jack it up
This is the part that many inexperienced tire-changers don’t
like. But don’t let it be intimidating; it’s just a simple part of the whole
process. The diamond jack (named for its diamond shape when fully opened) is
what most manufacturers provide. It opens and closes by twisting the lever attached
to the jack clockwise or counter-clockwise.
Some jacks may not have an attached lever to turn, but
rather use the tire iron to turn the jack. Locate where the tire iron attaches
to the jack and use that as the turning mechanism. AOL Autos: 10 tips for summer
road trips
One of the most important things to remember when jacking up
your car is to place the jack at the correct location under the vehicle. It
needs to push up on the frame of the vehicle in order to raise your car
correctly. Most frames will have a slot cut into them next to each tire, where
the top of the jack will fit. Place the jack directly under that notch and
twist the lever to start opening the jack.
The car should start rising up. You’ll hear some creaking
sounds, which are perfectly normal. Make sure to jack the car high enough to so
that the tire being changed spins freely off of the ground.
Tip: Purchasing a separate, good quality jack can help make
the tire changing process a little easier. They may be easier to position onto
the frame and will jack the vehicle up faster. AOL Autos: Are extended
warranties worth it?
Step 4: Out with the old, in with the new
Since the lug nuts have already been loosened, simply use
your hand to unscrew them the rest of the way. Pull the old tire straight off.
Take the new tire and match up the holes on the rim with the bolts on the car.
Lift it up and place it on.
You’ll have to hold the tire in place as you hand-tighten
the nuts. Once you’ve tightened them as tight as they will go by brute force,
lower the car down with the jack slowly.
Tip: If you try to use the tire iron to tighten the nuts
while the car is still jacked up, the tire will spin. Only use your hands to
tighten the nuts at first.
Step 5: Tighten the nuts
Now that the car is back on the ground, you can finish
tightening the nuts with the tire iron. It’s important to note that the nuts
should be tightened in a diagonal pattern, meaning that after you tighten the
first nut, then tighten the nut diagonally across from the first nut.
This ensures that you are tightening the tire evenly onto
the vehicle and helps prevent the tire from wobbling when you drive. Apply the
diagonal pattern to all of the nuts until they are firmly secured.
Tip: The spare tire is not designed to go as fast or as far
as regular tires. Drive your car to a tire shop, car dealer or your trusted
mechanic and get a new full-sized tire put on as soon as possible. AOL Autos:
Finding a good repair shop