Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

How to Change a Tire, Complete With Hacks and Mistakes To Avoid

An art that depicts a man changing a flat tire.
Genevieve Poblano/Digital Trends

An unavoidable part of owning a car involves running into trouble like getting a flat tire. Now, you can always pay someone else to fix it, but knowing how to change a tire is a lifesaving skill if you get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. So, if you’re casually wondering about how to change a tire and hoping for a long-winded, loquacious, even redundant introduction that winds about lazily in lyrical circles before getting to the point, then you’re going to need to look elsewhere.

First, we’ll do a quick rundown of the basic steps to changing a tire. Then we’ll cover the finer points. If you have time, read this whole article before getting to work. If not, let’s get to work!

Recommended Videos

Related Guides

Changing a Tire 101

  1. Get your vehicle onto stable, level ground. Even if it means driving a few more feet on the flat, this is imperative.
  2. Using a tire iron (should be with the car’s spare; note the potential need for a specialty attachment for one of the bolts on the tire), loosen all of the nuts (or bolts, depending on wheel type) on the flat before jacking up the vehicle.
  3. Place the jack under a part of the vehicle specified as safe in the manual — place it wrong, and you may damage the car, or you may damage yourself as the car falls on you.
  4. Jack the car up high enough that you will be able to remove the flat and also get the replacement tire on.
  5. Remove the nuts completely, then pull off the tire.
  6. Put on the spare (or full replacement) and partially tighten the nuts.
  7. Jack the car back down, and now fully tighten the nuts.

Now get on your way! I mean first put the flat, jack, and tools back in the trunk, but then off you go.

Tire Changing Hacks

With a few good tools, changing a car tire need not be all that much of a chore. Any new car should have all the stuff you need included, but to make things easy on yourself, consider getting these three items, just in case:

  • — This will make raising the car faster, easier, and safer.
  • — This will make the lifted car more stable and minimize the chance of it falling on you.
  • — This will make removing even the most stubborn nuts easier.

For nuts that are stubbornly stuck in place, you can try loosening them with something like WD-40, but if you don’t have a can of that on hand, you can also loosen nuts by heating them up. A jet flame lighter (or small blowtorch…) works best, but even a regular lighter can help.

And if you want to plan ahead, keep an  in your car at all times. It will make tire changing after dark so much easier than using a flashlight or your phone’s light.

Avoid These Tire Changing Mistakes

Never ever change a tire on a hill. Or on loose ground. Or on the road itself.

Never loosen nuts or bolts on a car that’s already jacked up; it will very likely fall.

Never change a tire when the car is not in park and with the parking brake engaged, and always get all passengers out, too. (This reduces weight and also keeps them safer.)

Don’t force a nut or bolt, you will get it stuck even worse and may end up needing to call help anyway. Fully remove a bolt that’s sticking and then try putting it back on afresh. If it’s sticking, back off before it gets stuck.

Steven John
Steven John is a writer and journalist living just outside New York City, by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, by way of…
Topics
Summer heat killers: EVs with the least range loss
Recurrent tracked the effect of summer heat on more than 29,700 electric vehicles.
Ford Mustang Mach-E

Suppose you are considering an EV purchase or lease this summer and are concerned about battery range during heat waves. In that case, the results of a new study published by EV analytics firm Recurrent Auto can provide valuable guidance. Recurrent calls out the winners and losers in EV range hot temperature-sensitivity.

It's safe to say that EV battery range is affected by extremes in temperature, both hot and cold. As is the case with most general statements, that one, too, is subject to multiple "buts" and "howevers." Most studies of the effects of extreme cold on EV battery range or how hot temperatures can hamper your travel plans report on average EV travel range differences collected across a wide variety of EV brands and models. Some compile results from thousands of EVs of the same brand.

Read more
Indigenous designer Jeremy Arviso creates limited-edition Indian Motorcycle streetwear line
Arivso blends Indian Motorcycle DNA and indigenous visual elements
The Jeremy Arviso limited indigenous streetwear collection for Indian Motorcycle.

Indian Motorcycle announced a collaboration with well-known indigenous streetwear designer Jeremy Arviso. This limited-edition collection brings together Arviso’s bold style and the adventurous spirit of Indian Motorcycle. The nine-piece lineup celebrates a deep connection to land, community, and tradition.
Why Arviso created the collection

"Creating such a meaningful, modern expression of Native American style with a legendary brand like Indian Motorcycle, is both an honor and a  privilege,” Arviso said. “For this collection, I drew inspiration from the brand DNA of Indian Motorcycle, while carefully integrating vibrant color and  indigenous visual elements that symbolize movement and direction throughout the collection. Adorned with arrow motifs, each piece embodies a deep connection to land, community, and heritage.”

Read more
Adidas and Mercedes-AMG F1 launch Silver Arrows fanwear collection before British Grand Prix
The Silver Arrow collection is on sale worldwide at select Adidas retailers and the Adidas website.
F1 drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli wearing Mercedes fan wear with a Mercedes-Benz W196 racecar.

Working with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team, Adidas launched the Silver Arrow pack, a collection of fanwear inspired by the Mercedes-Benz W196 race car. Current Mercedes F1 drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli posed with items from the Silver Arrow collection along with professional models.
Why celebrate the W196?

The W196 wasn't the first Silver Arrow. The first Mercedes to be called a Silver Arrow was the Mercedes W25, which debuted in 1934. However, driver Juan Fangio won the 1954 and 1955 F1 World Championships with the W196, which was among the several models referred to by the group name. The Adidas Silver Arrow collection celebrates the 70th anniversary of the W196's first F1 Championship season.

Read more