Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto
  3. Evergreens

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

By
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:

  • Floor Jack — This will make raising the car faster, easier, and safer.
  • Jack Stand — This will make the lifted car more stable and minimize the chance of it falling on you.
  • 4-Way Lug Wrench — 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 Uco Gear Headlamp  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
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven John is a writer and journalist living just outside New York City, by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, by way of… Read Full Bio
Topics
Auto
Ford broadcasts their inaugural Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic on USA Network
Ford

There are few brands that scream America as Ford does. Is there a car that is more American than a Mustang? Is there a truck that is more American than the F-150? Is there an SUV more American than the Bronco? Deep in the cultural consciousness of the United States is the best-selling American brand and the one that started our obsession with the automobile, Detroit’s own Ford Motor Company. That is why it isn’t surprising that tonight they will launch their inaugural Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic on the (aptly) USA Network.

Six teams – six cars – one cause

Read more
Auto
Cadillac celebrates 125 years with the Escalade-V
cadillac celebrates 125 years with the escalade v my27 collector img 1620

The Cadillac Escalade has been a symbol for decades. When you think about those who made it out of the neighborhood and into the more affluent parts of your home, you think of them in a Caddy. The Cadillac image has always been the go-to for those who want to showcase their success and their ability to rise above the average. The Escalade became the harbinger of wealth when it became the status symbol of the urban and hip hop cultures.

Now the Escalade is the vessel Cadillac is using to celebrate 125 years with the Escalade-V.

Read more
Auto
Porsche wants to teach you how actually to drive their cars
Porsche

A Porsche is one of the most recognizable cars on the road. You always know when you are looking at one. So, it stands to reason that people love them, right? Of course they do. But loving a car and knowing how to drive one are very different. What is it that Ja Rule said in The Fast and the Furious? “We know a few things. And one of the things we knows is, it isn’t how you stand by your car, it is how to drive your car. You better learn that.” How do you learn to drive a Porsche? At the Porsche Track Experience, which has offered programs on everything from a single-day basics class up to a three-day advanced course.

Now, the team behind PTX is expanding into new offerings for the car.

Read more